Family reunification - Algerian family

Verified 01 juin 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Your situation

  • You're Algerian
  • You have another residence permit
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Step-by-step approach

To determine your right to family reunification, you can use a simulator:

Check if you can benefit from family reunification

Regular stay

To apply for family reunification, you must have a certificate of residence of a period of validity of at least 1 year and reside in France for at least 1 year.

If you have a 1 year certificate of residence mention "scientist", your family can join you without going through the family reunification procedure if you entered France with a visa.

If you are a foreigner polygamous residing in France with a 1re wife, you can not apply for family reunification to bring your 2e wife.

Resource Conditions

You must demonstrate stable and sufficient resources equal to or greater than Smic: titleContent.

Your resources can come from income from paid or self-employed work, from wealth management, retirement pensions, etc.

Your spouse's resources are also taken into account, as long as he or she receives income that will continue to be paid to him or her when he or she leaves his or her country.

Family benefits are excluded from your couple's resources (family or housing allowances, family supplement, back-to-school allowance for example).

Housing conditions

You must benefit (or justify that you benefit on the date of arrival of your family in France) from housing considered normal for a comparable family living in the same geographical region.

Housing must meet certain sanitary and equipment conditions.

Depending on the geographical area where the dwelling is located, it must have a total living area of at least:

  • Areas A bis and A: 22 m² for a couple without children or 2 people. You must add 10 m² per additional person up to 8 people in total and 5 m² per additional person beyond 8 people.
  • Areas B1 and B2: 24 m² for a couple without children or 2 people. You must add 10 m² per additional person up to 8 people in total and 5 m² per additional person beyond 8 people.
  • Area C: 28 m² for a couple without children or 2 people. You must add 10 m² per additional person up to 8 people in total and 5 m² per additional person beyond 8 people.

A simulator allows you to know the area on which you depend:

Know the area of your municipality: A, Abis, B1, B2 or C

Condition of respect for the essential principles of family life in France

You must comply with Essential principles governing family life in France.

Your family must reside abroad. However, your family already present in France can exceptionally benefit on-site grouping.

Your spouse or children may be excluded from family reunification if their presence in France constitutes a threat to public order.

The family reunification procedure collectively concerns:

  • Your spouse or adult spouse (at least 18 years old) legally married to you
  • Your minor children (under 18)

Children can be:

  • From your couple, provided you have a parentage legally established or to be adopted by virtue of a judicial decision
  • From your previous union or from a previous union of your spouse in the following cases:
    • Other parent is deceased or deprived of parental rights
    • Parental authority exercised by either parent by virtue of a decision of a foreign court

The age of your spouse and children is considered on the date you file your application for family reunification.

As a general rule, partial family reunification is not allowed, meaning that all members of your family must arrive together in France. However, a request for partial family reunification may be exceptionally permitted in the interests of children.

You must submit such a request by a reasoned letter at the time of filing your file. Motivations that can be accepted include the child's education, health or a home too small to accommodate all members of your family.

A child taken in by kafala legal system in Algeria may benefit from family reunification in the best interests of the child.

The family reunification procedure does not apply to your ascendants. They may eventually come to live in France under the visitor status whether they are adequately resourced.

The age of your spouse and children is considered on the date you file your application for family reunification.

To see the list of documents for your family reunification file, you can use a simulator:

Know the list of documents for a family reunification file

Warning  

You must attach to your application a copy of the supporting documents corresponding to your situation.

The documents to be attached are as follows:

Application for family reunification

Residence permit

  • Photocopy of your residence permit (front/back) valid:
    • 1 year or 10 year residency certificate
    • Certificate of application for renewal of residence permit
  • If you apply for family reunification for the benefit of your spouse who resides in France: residence permit of your spouse
  • If you apply for family reunification for your spouse residing in a country other than his or her country of origin: residence permit issued by the country of residence

Civil status documents

  • Full copy of the marriage certificate with marginal mentions (with prosecutorial judgment if mentioned in the act)
  • Full copy of your birth certificate with marginal mentions (+ supplementary judgment if mentioned in the act)
  • Full copy of the birth certificate of your beneficiary spouse with marginal mentions (+ supplementary judgment if mentioned in the certificate)
  • Full copy of the birth certificate of each of your children and/or spouse with marginal mentions. This also applies to children already residing in housing in France (+ supplementary judgment if mentioned in the act).

If you are a national of a country whose legislation allows polygamy:

  • Divorce judgment(s) concerning you and/or your spouse (irrevocable or final judgment if divorced abroad)
  • Declaration on honor certifying that family reunification will not create a situation of polygamy on French territory

If family reunification is requested for the benefit of one or more children, depending on your situation:

  • Divorce judgment(s) concerning you and/or your spouse (irrevocable or final judgment if divorced abroad)
  • Judgment awarding theparental authority (unless specified in the divorce judgment)
  • Judgment granting custody of children (unless the divorce judgment so specifies)
  • Letter from the other parent authorizing the child to come to France (whose signature is authenticated in the forms provided for by the legislation of the country of residence or by the competent French consulate)
  • Adoption judgment
  • Kafala Algerian Judiciary
  • Death certificate of your spouse, your 1er spouse or 1re spouse or other parent
  • Judicial decision to withdraw parental authority from the other parent
  • Declaration of abandonment of the child by the other parent, disappearance or absence of the other parent in court
  • Family booklet
  • Certificate from your spouse authorizing the beneficiary child's residence at home
  • Movement document for a minor foreigner (DCEM) and/or school certificate for children present in France.

Warning  

Documents must be accompanied by a translation into French by a certified translator or certified by a French consular or diplomatic authority.

Letter of explanation of family reunification 

If family reunification is not requested for your entire family, you must justify your request in the best interests of the child(ren).

Proof of resources (to be produced for the last 12 months)

The supporting documents to be provided vary according to your situation.

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You are an employee

  • Last tax (or non-tax) notice or, if not, the previous year's or last tax return covered by the tax services
  • Employment contract or certificate of employment of the employer of less than 3 months duly signed and stamped with the company (for temporary assignments: provide only the certificate of employment of the employer)
  • Work certificate (if more than one employer: produce the certificates of each)
  • Salary slips (for acting assignments: provide only the employer's work certificate)
  • If you are a construction employee: proof of payment of leave with pay by the Construction Fund
  • Proof of payment of daily social security allowances in the event of sick leave, maternity leave, parental leave or an accident at work.

You are a trader

  • Last tax notice (or non-tax notice) or, if not, the tax notice of the previous year or last tax return covered by the tax services
  • Extract of less than 3 months of registration in the National Register of companies (RNE)
  • Last balance sheet of accounting activity and income statement for the year or income statement drawn up by the tax department.

You're a craftsman

  • Last tax notice (or non-tax notice) or, if not, the tax notice of the previous year or last tax return covered by the tax services
  • Extract of less than 3 months of registration in the National Register of companies (RNE)
  • Last balance sheet of accounting activity and income statement for the year or income statement drawn up by the tax department.

You are a professional

  • Last tax notice (or non-tax notice) or, if not, the tax notice of the previous year or last tax return covered by the tax services
  • Extract of less than 3 months of registration in the National Register of companies (RNE)
  • Last balance sheet of accounting activity and income statement for the year or income statement drawn up by the tax department.

You are self-employed

  • Last tax notice (or non-tax notice) or, if not, the tax notice of the previous year or last tax return covered by the tax services
  • Extract of less than 3 months of registration in the National Register of companies (RNE)
  • Revenue book, purchase register and income certificate issued by the tax office.

You are a job seeker

  • Last tax notice (or non-tax notice) or, if not, the tax notice of the previous year or last tax return covered by the tax services
  • Status report summarizing entitlements and compensation payments by France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi).

You are retired or disabled

  • Last tax notice (or non-tax notice) or, if not, the tax notice of the previous year or last tax return covered by the tax services
  • Decision on the award of an old-age or invalidity pension drawn up by the paying agency and supplementary pensions
  • Notice of payment by the paying agency or certificate of payment (specifying the title of each pension).

You receive the Disabled Adult Allowance (DAA) or the Supplementary Disability Allowance (SDA)

  • Last tax notice (or non-tax notice) or, if not, the tax notice of the previous year or last tax return covered by the tax services
  • Decision on allocation of the allowance
  • Last certificate of payment from the paying agency.

Other situations

  • Last tax notice (or non-tax notice) or, if not, the tax notice of the previous year or last tax return covered by the tax services
  • Bank certificate and account statements justifying the origin of the income and its periodicity
  • Maintenance paid or received pursuant to a court decision
  • If you live as a couple: proof of resources from your spouse, partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent or cohabiting partner or concubine.

Proofs of accommodation

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You are a tenant

  • Proof of residence of less than 3 months (last electricity, gas, water or landline telephone bill) or certificate of home insurance (if recent entry into the dwelling)
  • Lease
  • Last rent receipt.

You are a subtenant

  • Proof of residence of less than 3 months (last electricity, gas, water or landline telephone bill) or certificate of home insurance (if recent entry into the dwelling)
  • Sublease Commitment
  • Rationale that this subletting is authorized by a lease for you and your family.

You own it

  • Proof of residence of less than 3 months (last electricity, gas, landline telephone, water bill) or certificate of home insurance (if recent entry into the dwelling)
  • Deed of ownership or notarial certificate.

You are hosted for free

  • Proof of residence of less than 3 months (last electricity, gas, water or landline telephone bill) or certificate of home insurance (if recent entry into the dwelling)
  • Title to the name of the host
  • Certificate of residence issued by the host granting you the accommodation, to you and your family to come, and specifying the duration of the authorized accommodation
  • If the accommodation is made available by the company: certificate from the employer granting the accommodation to you and your future family, and specifying the length of the accommodation permitted
  • Proof of identity of the host (copy on both sides of the valid residence permit or French national identity card).

Other

  • Proof of residence of less than 3 months (last electricity, gas, water or landline telephone bill) or certificate of home insurance (if recent entry into the dwelling)
  • Promise to rent a home
  • Proof of future acquisition of a home
  • Certificate of provision of housing in the context of family reunification (cerfa 11437), if you do not yet benefit from the housing provided for your family's accommodation.

Certificate of provision of housing in the context of family reunification

Transmission of the file

The transmission of your file can be done on the internet or by mail

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On the internet

You can submit your application for family reunification on the Internet. You will find information during the composition of your file and you will be able to follow up on your request.

Application for family reunification

By post

You can send your file by post, especially if you have difficulties with digital technology.

In this case, you must send your complete file (completed form and attachments) by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt to theOfii: titleContent.

Who shall I contact

Warning  

You have to choose one or the other mode of transmission, you must not send your application digitally or by post.

Checking your family reunification file

Ofii is checking your file.

If the file is complete, you will receive a certificate of deposit specifying the date of deposit. The Prefect of the Department of Residence shall be informed by Ofii.

If the file is incomplete, it is returned to you by Ofii to complete it.

Review of your family reunification file

Ofii confides, in a 1er In the meantime, the examination of your file to the mayor of the commune of your home (or to the mayor of the commune where you plan to settle).

The mayor checks whether the conditions of resources and housing are met. Specially authorized agents can visit your accommodation to verify that it meets the minimum requirements for comfort and habitability.

If you do not yet benefit from the accommodation at the time of your request, the verification is carried out in the light of the information provided in the form cerfa n°11437:

Certificate of provision of housing in the context of family reunification

You and the owner or seller of the property must provide the following information:

  • Availability Date
  • Area
  • Set of characteristics of the housing.

The mayor can also verify, at the request of the prefect, that you meet the conditions for regular stay and respect for the essential principles of family life in France.

The mayor must give his opinion on all these conditions, within 2 months of receiving your file or the request of the prefect. In the absence of a response within this period, the Mayor's opinion is considered favorable.

The mayor then forwards your file with his justified opinion on the conditions of resources and housing to the relevant Ofii territorial delegation. The latter completes, if necessary, the investigation and sends the file to the prefect for decision.

Decision of the Prefect

It is the prefect of the department of your residence (in Paris, the police prefect) who accepts or refuses your request for family reunification.

His decision must be yours notified within 6 months of the submission of your complete file to Ofii. In case of refusal, the decision must be reasoned.

The decision is then communicated to the OFii, which must transmit it without delay to the mayor and the French consulate of your family's residence abroad.

If the prefect has not replied within 6 months, your request is refused (implicit refusal).

You can challenge the decision by forming a administrative appeal before the prefect and/or the minister of the interior.

You can also file, within certain deadlines, a contentious remedies before the administrative court with territorial jurisdiction.

Application for a visa

From the issuance of the certificate of deposit, you must send this document and the civil status documents to your family abroad.

Your spouse must then apply for long-stay visa at the Consulate of France in Algeria.

Warning  

Your family must enter France within 3 months of the issuance of visas (travel expenses are borne by your family).

Medical examination

Your family will undergo a medical examination once they arrive in France.

The medical certificate issued by Ofii at the end of the visit is essential to obtain a residence permit.

Residence permit

Your family members who settle in France are given a certificate of residence. It has the same period of validity as yours and is marked "private and family life".

The application for a residence certificate must be made on the Internet:

Apply online for a residence permit, a change of situation, a travel document, an application for naturalization - ANEF

Inquire about the tax stamp

The 1re issuance of an Algerian residence certificate (CRA) of 1 year or 10 years is free of charge.

If you entered without a long-stay visa, you must pay extra €300 of the right of regularization visa by fiscal stamps (of which €100 to be paid at the time of filing the application and non-refundable in case of refusal to issue the title).

You will need to provide proof of payment when handing over the card.

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

On the internet

You can purchase your tax stamp using an online service:

Purchase on the internet of the tax stamp - Title for foreigner

Payment is possible with the following credit cards:

  • Credit card (CB) and e-credit card
  • Visa
  • Mastercard.

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

The electronic stamp can be issued on two 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.

Request a refund of a tax stamp

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.

Warning  

Do not buy a fine stamp by mistake.

Integration of your family

Your spouse and children over the age of 16 who are beneficiaries of family reunification must sign a republican integration contract.

Check if you can benefit from family reunification

Know the list of documents for a family reunification file

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • For information about your residence permit 

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      For more information on this subject, you can contact Allô Service Public.

      Please note: the service does not have access to users' personal files and cannot therefore provide information on their progress.

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      The informants who answer you belong to the Ministry of the Interior.

  • For information on family reunification

    Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration (Ofii)

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