Six months. That is the longest you can be away from France at any one time during the five years before applying for an “EU long-term resident” card. Go beyond that, or let total absences exceed ten months, and the count starts again. Applicants often find out only when they are refused.
Once the card is granted, the rules are far more generous. It is lost only after more than three consecutive years outside the European Union, or six consecutive years outside France. The three-year limit can even be extended, provided you apply in time.
Expatriates, internationally mobile executives, families living between two countries: our note sets out the rules before and after the permit is issued, and the precautions to take.
LexCase French Immigration & Mobility Desk, Raphaël Apelbaum, Partner, rapelbaum@lexcase.com · +33 1 40 20 22 22
