This guide is intended for residents of Moselle who need to take steps with the Moselle prefecture in Metz: 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.
Contact information for the Moselle prefecture in Metz
- Address: place Jean-Marie-Rausch, 57000 Metz
- Phone: 03 87 34 87 34
- Email: pref-webmestre@moselle.gouv.fr
- Official website: www.moselle.gouv.fr
- Stated hours: Monday to Friday: 08:30-12:00, 13:00-16:00
Hours and addresses may change; check them on the official website before visiting, especially for foreigner services which often have their own time slots.
Prefecture or sub-prefecture: where to apply depending on your municipality
The department has 4 sub-prefectures:
- Sub-prefecture of Sarreguemines (Monday to Friday: 08:30-12:00, 13:30-15:30)
- Sub-prefecture of Forbach-Boulay-Moselle (Monday: 08:30-11:30 | Tuesday to Thursday: 08:30-11:30, 13:30-15:30)
- Sub-prefecture of Sarrebourg Château-Salins (Monday to Tuesday: 08:30-12:00, 13:00-15:30 | Wednesday: 08:30-12:00 | Thursday to Friday: 08:30-12:00, 13:00-15:30)
- Sub-prefecture of Thionville (Monday: 08:30-11:30, 13:15-15:30 | Tuesday: 08:30-11:30 | Wednesday to Thursday: 08:30-11:30, 13:15-15:30 | Friday: 08:30-11:30)
Your municipality of residence determines the district, thus the competent site. For foreigner procedures, many departments have centralized processing at the prefecture; the sub-prefecture only handles certain formalities, or none at all. The department's website specifies, step by step, where to apply 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 Moselle prefecture in Metz: 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 everything 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-dematerialized submissions), open the "Make an appointment" section of www.moselle.gouv.fr and choose the relevant service. Slots are released in waves, often in the morning or early in 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: the Metz page on rendezvousprefecture.com allows you to receive an email or SMS alert as soon as a slot opens for your procedure (see the Metz page).
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 tax stamp paid 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
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 govern 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 permit expires: 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 offered for weeks, the Council of State requires the prefecture to provide an alternative (decision of June 10, 2020) and the summary "useful measures" allows for obtaining 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
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 Metz. The department's website specifies this step by step.
Can I go to the Moselle prefecture in Metz without an appointment?
For foreigner procedures, no, unless otherwise stated on the department's website: access is by summons or by appointment made online. Some general receptions remain accessible freely during the stated hours, but they do not handle 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 do I know when a slot becomes available?
Slots are published in waves, without a scheduled calendar. An alert by email or SMS on the Metz page notifies you as soon as an appointment appears for your procedure, which avoids having to monitor the site multiple times a day.
