Certificate of acceptance

Verified 21 October 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You wish host one foreigner no European who comes to France for a tourist stay of less than 3 months ? You must request a acknowledgement of acceptance with your town hall. The certificate is issued if you meet certain conditions. The certificate must be validated by the town hall before the visa application (or before travel in case of visa waiver). She must then be sent to the person abroad before he left. We guide you through the process.

Step-by-step approach

The certificate of reception concerns any foreigner no European wishing to stay less than 3 months in France, as part of a private or family visit.

Careful, there is no request attestation to be made if the person you are going to host is in one of the following cases :

  • She has a Schengen travel visa
  • She has a visa "residence card to apply for within 2 months of arrival in France"
  • She has a visa with the words “famille de Français”
  • She is coming as part of a humanitarian stay
  • It comes as part of a cultural exchange
  • She's in a medical emergency
  • She's coming for a loved one's funeral.

The certificate of reception costs €30.

This amount is to be paid by tax stamps.

You can buy the tax stamp on the internet or in a tobacco shop.

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On the internet

You must use an online service:

Online purchase of the tax stamp - Attestation d'accueil

The electronic stamp can be issued on 2 supports:

  • PDF document with a 2D code that can also be scanned directly from a phone or tablet by the service responsible for receiving your request
  • SMS containing the 16-digit identifier of the stamp that will be accepted by the agent responsible for processing your file.

Payment is possible with the following bank cards:

  • Carte bleue (CB) and e-carte bleue
  • Visa
  • Mastercard.

However, payment by Paypal or American Express card is not accepted.

In a tobacco shop

You can buy a tax stamp from a tobacco office, if the business is equipped to be able to edit them.

An online service allows to locate a tobacconist equipped:

Warning  

Do not buy a fine stamp by mistake.

If you do not use the tax stamp you bought, you can request a refund:

Request a refund of a tax stamp

This fee is due even if the application is refused. It will not be refunded.

The list of documents to be provided depends of your nationality.

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You are French, European, Swiss, Andorran or Monegasque

You must present the originals the following documents:

  • Proof of identity (identity card or passport)
  • Document proving that you are the owner, tenant or occupant of the dwelling in which you intend to accommodate the visitor(s) (title deed or notice of property or housing tax or a rental lease with last rent receipts for example)
  • Recent proof of residence related to housing (water, electricity or telephone bill or rent receipt)
  • Any document justifying your means (last 3 pay slips, last tax assessment) and your commitment to financially support the foreigner if it no longer has enough means
  • Any document on your capacity to accommodate the foreigner(s) in normal housing conditions (in terms of surface area, security, sanitation and comfort of the accommodation)
  • Proof of payment of the tax (€30)
  • If the reception certificate concerns an unaccompanied minor, a free paper certificate from the holders of parental authority, specifying the duration and purpose of the child's stay.

You must also have the passport number of the visitor(s). You must enter this number or numbers on the form given to you at the town hall when submitting the application for attestation.

You are a national of another country

You must present the originals the following documents:

  • Proof of identity (residence permit)
  • Document proving that you are the owner, tenant or occupant of the dwelling in which you intend to accommodate the visitor(s) (title deed or notice of property or housing tax or a rental lease with last rent receipts for example)
  • Recent proof of residence related to housing (water, electricity or telephone bill or rent receipt)
  • Any document justifying your means (last 3 pay slips, last tax assessment) and your commitment to financially support the foreigner if it no longer has enough means
  • Any document on your capacity to accommodate the foreigner(s) in normal housing conditions (in terms of surface area, security, sanitation and comfort of the accommodation)
  • Proof of payment of the tax (€30)
  • If the reception certificate concerns an unaccompanied minor, a free paper certificate from the holders of parental authority, specifying the duration and purpose of the child's stay.

You must also have the passport number of the visitor(s). You must enter this number or numbers on the form given to you at the town hall when submitting the application for attestation.

Please note

You must have insurance that covers (up to €30,000 minimum) expenses for any care received during your stay in France. This insurance can be taken out by you or by the person hosting you.

You must file the application to the town hall of the planned accommodation.

In the most town halls, you must take rendezvous. Ask your town hall.

Please note

In Paris, Lyon and Marseille, the application must be submitted to the district mayor.

The form original request form (cerfa n°10798) is yours handed over to the counter from the town hall. You must fill and the sign on site.

The presence of the host in the town hall is a necessary condition for the validation of the welcoming certificate.

You have to fill a foreigner form the spouse and minor children of the receiving foreigner may, however, appear on the same certificate of receipt.

Who shall I contact

This step allows the mayor to check that you are the welcoming person. This also makes it possible to verify that the normal living conditions are met.

The deliverance is not necessarily immediate. A thorough file review or investigation in the foster home may be required. In this case, a deposit receipt is given to you.

You are informed by the town hall that your certificate is available.

In most town halls, you have to make an appointment. Ask your town hall.

The acceptance certificate shall include the following:

  • Identity of the signatory
  • Passport number, identity and nationality of the receiving foreigner (and of his or her spouse and minor children if accompanied)
  • Scheduled arrival and departure dates
  • Planned venue and characteristics of the accommodation
  • Identity of the person (the foreigner or the host) who takes out insurance covering (up to €30,000 minimum) expenses for any care received during the stay in France.

Then you have to transmit the acknowledgement of receipt validated (original) abroad that you wish to host.

If the foreigner needs a visa to come to France, he must attach the reception certificate to his application for a short-stay visa.

The original can be checked by the police authorities as part of the transits.

If he is exempt from a visa, he will have to present the reception certificate at the external borders Schengen.

The mayor may refuse to validate and therefore issue the certificate in the following cases:

  • You are unable to provide the required evidence
  • The foreigner cannot be accommodated under normal housing conditions
  • The statements on the certificate are incorrect
  • The certificates you have previously requested show a misuse of procedure.

The refusal decision may be:

  • Explicit, i.e. written and presents the reasons
  • Or implicit, if the mayor has not responded within 1 month.

You can form a hierarchical redress to the prefect within 2 months of the mayor's refusal.

The Prefect may:

  • Or validate the acknowledgement of acceptance
  • Or dismiss the appeal.

Dismissal of the action may be:

  • Explicit i.e. written and presents the reasons
  • or implicit , if the prefect has not replied within 1 month.

In case of prefectural refusal, it is then possible to form a litigation before the administrative court.

Litigation is possible only if you have previously filed a hierarchical appeal.

In case of loss, you must reapply for a certificate of acceptance. You will need to resubmit the supporting documents and tax stamps.

Who can help me?

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