This guide is for residents of Gard who need to take steps at the Gard prefecture in Nîmes: first application or renewal of residence permit, collection of a card, naturalization. It gathers contact details, explains what can be done on ANEF and what requires an appointment, and indicates what to do when the booking module remains empty.
Contact details of the Gard prefecture in Nîmes
- Address: 1 rue Guillemette, 30000 Nîmes
- Phone: 04 66 36 43 90
- Email: prefecture@gard.gouv.fr
- Official website: www.gard.gouv.fr
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 08:45-12:15, 12:30-16:00
Opening hours and addresses may change; check them on the official website before going, especially for foreigner receptions which often have their own time slots.
Prefecture or sub-prefecture: where to submit based on your municipality
The department has 2 sub-prefectures:
- Sub-prefecture of Vigan (Monday to Friday: 09:00-11:30)
- Sub-prefecture of Alès
Your municipality of residence determines the district, and thus the competent site. For foreigner procedures, many departments have centralized processing at the prefecture; the sub-prefecture then only receives certain formalities, or none at all. The department's website specifies, step by step, where to submit and where to collect.
To find the competent site from your address, see which prefecture my municipality depends on and the map of prefectures.
Making an appointment at the Gard prefecture in Nîmes: the procedure to follow
- Identify the procedure. First application for a permit (student, employee, private and family life…), renewal, duplicate, change of address, collection of a produced permit, naturalization: each has its own channel.
- First go through ANEF (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr) for anything that is digitized: most renewals, first applications for certain categories, change of address, extension certificate. No appointment is necessary to submit.
- For what remains at the counter (fingerprints, collection of the permit, non-digitized submissions), open the "Make an appointment" section of the website www.gard.gouv.fr and choose the relevant service. Time 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 instead of refreshing the page: the Nîmes page on rendezvousprefecture.com allows you to receive an alert by email or SMS as soon as a slot opens for your procedure (see the Nîmes page).
For specific cases, see make a new appointment at the prefecture, modify an appointment, and cancel an appointment.
Residence permit: first application, renewal, and collection
The first application is submitted on ANEF for digitized 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 ANEF for the vast majority of permits, between four and two months before expiration. The collection of the produced 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 requires your fingerprints). The guides on the main site detail each step: residence permit, renewal, naturalization.
Documents to prepare
Prepare the file before looking for a slot: an incomplete file at the counter results in a new appointment. The common base:
- valid passport (identity pages, visa, entry stamps);
- proof of residence less than six months old, or accommodation certificate accompanied by the identity document and proof of residence of the host;
- 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 according to 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 accommodation certificate, see how to establish it correctly.
Deadlines to know and recourse if nothing progresses
Two deadlines frame your procedures, regardless of the department. For a residence permit, the silence of the prefecture for four months after a complete file constitutes 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. The renewal should be requested between four and two months before the expiration of the permit: within this window, the receipt or extension certificate maintains your rights.
If nothing progresses: check the status of the file, then follow up in writing. When no slot is proposed for weeks, the Council of State requires the prefecture to offer an alternative (decision of June 10, 2020) and the interim relief "useful measures" allows for an injunction; our guide on deadlines by prefecture details these recourses. The observed deadlines in the department are compared to those of other departments on the prefectures barometer.
Frequently asked questions
Should I go to the prefecture or the sub-prefecture?
It depends on your municipality and the procedure. Municipalities attached to a sub-prefecture carry out certain formalities there, but foreigner procedures are often centralized in Nîmes. The department's website specifies this step by step.
Can I go to the Gard prefecture in Nîmes without an appointment?
For foreigner procedures, 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 handle residence files.
What should I do if my permit expires before the appointment?
Submit the renewal application on ANEF within the four to two months window before expiration: you will receive a receipt, and if necessary, an extension certificate, which prove the legality of your stay and the maintenance of your rights during the wait.
How do I know when a slot opens up?
Slots are published in waves, without an announced schedule. An alert by email or SMS on the Nîmes page notifies you as soon as an appointment appears for your procedure, which avoids having to monitor the site multiple times a day.
