This guide is intended for residents of the Paris Police Prefecture who need to carry out a procedure with the Paris Police Prefecture: first application or renewal of residence permit, collection of a card, naturalization. It gathers contact information, explains what can be done on the ANEF and what requires an appointment, and indicates what to do when the booking module remains empty.
Paris is a special case: there is no departmental prefecture for foreigners; it is the police prefecture that processes residence permits and naturalizations, with reception centers spread throughout the capital. Residents of the inner suburbs do not depend on it, even if they work in Paris.
Contact Information for the Paris Police Prefecture
- Address: 1 bis rue de Lutèce, 75004 Paris
- Phone: 3430
- Official website: www.prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr
- Hours: Monday to Friday: 09:00-15:30
Hours and addresses change; check them on the official website before going, especially for foreign receptions which often have their own time slots.
Prefecture or Sub-Prefecture: Where to Submit According to Your Municipality
The police prefecture organizes the reception of foreigners by reception centers, each covering a group of districts; the summons or appointment page indicates where to go. Residents of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne fall under their own prefecture, even if they work in Paris.
To find the relevant site from your address, see which prefecture my municipality depends on and the map of prefectures.
Making an Appointment at the Paris Police Prefecture: The Procedure
- Identify the procedure. First application for a permit (student, employee, private and family life…), renewal, duplicate, change of address, collection of a manufactured permit, naturalization: each has its own channel.
- First go through the ANEF (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr) for anything that is dematerialized: most renewals, first applications for certain categories, change of address, extension of instruction certificate. No appointment is necessary to submit.
- For what remains at the counter (fingerprints, collection of the permit, non-digital submissions), open the “Make an Appointment” section of www.prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr and choose the relevant service. Slots are released in waves, often in the morning or at the beginning of the week.
- Keep a record of each unsuccessful attempt (dated screenshot of the message indicating that no slot is available). These proofs are useful if you need to write to the prefecture or contact the judge.
- Get notified rather than refreshing the page: rendezvousprefecture.com allows you to receive an alert by email or SMS as soon as a slot opens for your procedure (create an alert).
For special cases, see making a new appointment at the prefecture, modifying an appointment, and cancelling an appointment.
Residence Permit: First Application, Renewal, and Collection
The first application is submitted on the ANEF for dematerialized categories (students, talent passport, certain "employee" cards), and by appointment or by mail for others, depending on what the department has planned. The renewal is done on the ANEF for the vast majority of permits, between four and two months before expiration. The collection of the manufactured permit is always done in person, by summons or by appointment, with the paid tax stamp and the old permit or receipt; fingerprinting, when required, is subject to a separate appointment (see why the prefecture requests your fingerprints). The guides on the main site detail each step: residence permit, renewal, naturalization.
Documents to Prepare
The exact list depends on the permit requested and is available on the department's website, but the core is always the same:
- valid passport (identity pages, visa, entry stamps);
- proof of residence less than six months old, or hosting certificate accompanied by the host's identity document and proof of residence;
- three compliant identity photos, or the e-photo code for online submissions;
- the current permit or receipt for a renewal;
- documents specific to your situation: employment contract and payslips, school certificate, marriage or birth certificate, resources;
- the tax stamp, the amount of which varies depending on the permit, to be purchased online at the time of submission.
The details by type of permit are in our list of required documents, and for the hosting certificate, see how to establish it correctly.
Deadlines to Know and Recourse if Nothing Advances
Two deadlines govern your procedures, regardless of the department. For a residence permit, the silence of the prefecture for four months after a complete file constitutes an implicit refusal, which opens a recourse. For naturalization, the processing cannot exceed eighteen months from the receipt, twelve if you have resided in France for ten years. Renewal should be requested between four and two months before the permit expires: within this window, the receipt or extension certificate maintains your rights.
If nothing advances: check the status of the file, then follow up in writing. When no slot is offered for weeks, the Council of State requires the prefecture to provide an alternative (decision of June 10, 2020) and the summary proceeding "useful measures" allows for an injunction; our guide on deadlines by prefecture details these recourses. The deadlines observed in the department are compared to those of other departments on the prefectures barometer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to go to the prefecture or sub-prefecture?
This depends on your municipality and the procedure. Municipalities attached to a sub-prefecture carry out certain formalities there, but procedures for foreigners are often centralized in Paris. The department's website specifies this procedure by procedure.
Can I go to the Paris Police Prefecture without an appointment?
For procedures for foreigners, no, unless otherwise stated on the department's website: reception is by summons or by appointment made online. Some general receptions remain accessible freely during the indicated hours, but they do not process residence files.
What should I do if my permit expires before the appointment?
Submit the renewal application on the ANEF within the four to two months window before expiration: you will receive a receipt, and if necessary, an extension certificate, which proves the regularity of your stay and the maintenance of your rights during the wait.
How can I know when a slot becomes available?
Slots are published in waves, without an announced schedule. An alert by email or SMS on rendezvousprefecture.com notifies you as soon as an appointment appears for your procedure, which avoids having to check the site multiple times a day.
