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Pathway

France Family Reunification Residence

France Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

If you are an established resident of France who is not an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen, you may qualify to bring your spouse and minor children. The sponsor starts this standard family-reunification process, called regroupement familial, with the French immigration and integration office (OFII).

Sponsor
A qualifying non-EU/EEA/Swiss resident already established in France
Requirements
Spouse or minor child, qualifying residence, resources, and suitable housing
Funds required
Normally 12 months of accepted household-income records

Summary

This is a family route for close family members of a non-French resident in France. It is different from the family-of-French-national route and focuses heavily on the sponsor's status, housing, and resources.

In the general case, the sponsor must have lived lawfully in France for at least 18 months on a qualifying status and hold a residence document of at least one year's validity or another listed permit. The sponsor must also show stable and sufficient resources and suitable housing for the household.

The family member living in France applies first
  1. Check who can apply Check the resident's permit and time in France, your marriage, and the children's ages.
  2. Gather family, housing, and income records Show that the household meets the support and housing requirements.
  3. Apply to OFII, the immigration office Once approved, family members complete their visa and arrival steps.

This process requires a formal application. An invitation from a relative alone is not enough.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

EEA means the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

The sponsor generally must:

Algerian sponsors generally use a 12-month residence period and other agreement-specific rules. Do not apply the general rule without checking nationality.

Family members

The standard procedure normally covers:

Age is normally assessed at the date of filing. PACS partners, unmarried partners, adult children, parents, and siblings do not fall within the standard categories. A polygamous sponsor cannot use the procedure to bring another spouse while already living in France with one spouse.

Resources and housing

Resources are usually assessed over the 12 months before filing. The required level depends on household size and is linked to the minimum wage: roughly one full-time SMIC for a household of two or three, 10% more for four or five, and 20% more for six or more. Certain family benefits and social allowances are excluded; disability and narrow long-residence exemptions can apply.

Housing must be available by the family's arrival, meet health and equipment standards, and satisfy a minimum surface that varies by French housing zone and family size. OFII and the local authority may inspect it.

What This Route Allows

If approved, family members abroad apply for the required long-stay visa and enter through the authorized family-reunification process. The adult spouse generally receives a private-and-family-life residence status that permits work. Minor children usually do not need an adult residence card but may need a travel document.

The prefect normally has six months from receipt of a complete OFII file to decide. Silence after the period required by law can amount to an implicit refusal, so keep the complete-file receipt and track deadlines.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a route for any relative and not simply a visa invitation. The sponsor must meet the residence, permit, resources, and housing tests before approval.

It is not the normal procedure for family of a French citizen, family of an EU free-movement citizen, an accompanying Talent family, or a family relationship that pre-dated a refugee's protection claim. Each has its own process.

The family should generally remain abroad while the case is processed. Reunification "on the spot" for family already in France exists only in limited circumstances and can require that the marriage was celebrated in France. Do not assume an overstay can be fixed through a standard application.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm the sponsor's nationality, exact residence document, and lawful-residence start date.
  2. Confirm that each beneficiary is a qualifying spouse or child and calculate every child's age at filing.
  3. Use the official simulator to check whether a special agreement or separate family route applies.
  4. Calculate the household resource threshold for the current family size and collect 12 months of accepted income evidence.
  5. Confirm the proposed home meets the applicable zone, floor-area, safety, and equipment rules.
  6. Gather complete family-status, marriage, custody, adoption, consent, identity, and residence records, with required legalization (official checks confirming a document's origin for use abroad) and translations.
  7. Submit the complete application to OFII online or through the current official channel and retain the receipt.
  8. After approval, each family member should follow the France-Visas instructions and complete arrival/residence required steps on time.

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Other routes in France.

Sources