The way to track your application depends on how you submitted it. If the request was made online on the ANEF (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr), everything happens in the "My Account" section: the application goes through four successive statuses, from "Application Submitted" to "Residence Permit Available," and the useful documents (receipt of submission, extension of instruction certificate, appointment notice) can be downloaded there. If the application was submitted at the counter or by mail, there is generally no online tracking: your receipt is your proof of submission, and the prefecture contacts you by mail, email, or SMS when it needs you. In both cases, the silence of the prefecture for four months after a complete application constitutes an implicit rejection, which opens up avenues for recourse.
Track an application submitted on the ANEF
Log into your account
Log in with the credentials created during submission. If you already have a permit, your account is linked to your foreign number, the one on your card or receipt. Click on your name at the top right, then on "Access My Account." The page lists your ongoing applications with their status. If you have lost access, use the recovery procedure from the login page rather than creating a second account, which would complicate the linking of your application. Our page on logging into the ANEF details the cases of blockage.
The four statuses and what they mean
- Application Submitted: your application is registered but no agent has opened it yet. This status can last several weeks in busy prefectures. You have a downloadable receipt of submission.
- Processing in Progress: an agent has taken the file. It is at this stage that requests for additional documents can arrive, by email and in the personal space, with a response time. Respond within the indicated timeframe, otherwise the application may be closed.
- Decision Made: the prefecture has ruled. The decision can be consulted online. If it is favorable, the next step is the appointment for fingerprinting and then the production of the card. If it is unfavorable, the letter specifies the avenues and deadlines for recourse.
- Residence Permit Available: the card has arrived at the prefecture. You receive an SMS or an email to schedule the pickup appointment.
Between "Decision Made" and "Available Permit," there is no intermediate status, even if production takes time. An application that remains in "Decision Made" for several weeks is therefore not unusual.
The documents to download
The documents section of your account contains the receipt of submission, and when your receipt or title is about to expire during processing, the extension of instruction certificate. This certificate replaces the paper receipt and maintains your rights (residence, work, social rights). It is not always generated automatically: if your document expires in the coming weeks and nothing appears, request it from your space or write to the prefecture. Our page on tracking an ANEF application outlines these steps.
Track an application submitted at the counter or by mail
For non-digital procedures (some initial requests, exceptional admission to residence, applications submitted before the generalization of the ANEF), tracking relies on three elements:
- the receipt given at the counter, which has the submission date and its own validity period;
- the letter from the prefecture, which informs you of a request for a document, an appointment, or a decision. Keep each envelope and acknowledgment;
- the contact form from your department's website (prefecture-du-departement.gouv.fr), the only written channel in many prefectures. Some departments offer their own tracking module on their site, check the section dedicated to foreigners.
If your application was sent by mail, sending it by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt is the only proof of the submission date. Without a receipt received back within a reasonable time, write to request one, as it is what preserves your rights during processing. Phone contact remains possible in some prefectures but leaves no trace, as explained in our article on contacting the prefecture by phone.
Deadlines to know for interpreting the wait
Three benchmarks help determine if a wait is normal.
- Renewal: the application must be submitted between four months and two months before the expiration of the title. Submitted within this window, it entitles you to a receipt or a certificate that extends your rights.
- Silence for four months: for a residence permit, the absence of a response four months after a complete application constitutes an implicit rejection decision (article R. 432-2 of the CESEDA). This does not mean that the prefecture has decided to refuse, but it opens the possibility of a gracious, hierarchical, or contentious recourse before the administrative court within two months.
- Naturalization: the logic is different, the administration has eighteen months from the receipt of a complete application, twelve months if you have been residing in France for at least ten years.
For the durations observed according to the type of request, see our article on the response time from the prefecture.
When and how to follow up
Following up too early does not speed anything up, but certain signals justify writing: a receipt or certificate expiring within the month without visible extension, a status of "Decision Made" for several weeks without an appointment, a request for a document to which you have responded without acknowledgment, or exceeding the four-month deadline. Write via the contact form or by registered letter, indicating your foreign number, the date and method of submission, the displayed status, and what you are specifically requesting (extension of instruction, appointment, decision). Attach dated screenshots from your account. Our article on following up with the prefecture and the letter templates provide a framework.
The national contact center of the ANEF, reachable by form and by phone at the number displayed on the ANEF website, assists with technical account issues. It does not have access to the details of your application and cannot expedite processing, which depends on your prefecture.
The case of receiving the title
When the status changes to "Residence Permit Available," you still need to obtain a pickup slot. In some prefectures, this is the longest step, due to a lack of availability in the booking module. If no date appears, try again at different times, as slots are often released in batches, and keep dated screenshots of the unavailability. An alert on rendezvousprefecture.com will send you an email or SMS as soon as a slot opens in your prefecture. The documents to bring on the day of pickup are listed in our article on picking up the residence permit.
Common mistakes that lead to losing track
- Changing email address or phone number without updating the ANEF account: appointments go to the old address.
- Moving without declaring the change of address on the ANEF: moving to another department transfers jurisdiction to another prefecture, and the application may remain stuck between the two.
- Letting the receipt expire thinking that the ongoing processing is sufficient: only the receipt or the extension certificate proves the legality of the residence.
- Responding to a document request by free email when the prefecture expects a submission in the ANEF space, or vice versa.
Frequently asked questions
My application has been "Processing in Progress" for months, is this normal?
This is common in busy prefectures. First, check that no request for additional documents is pending. Beyond four months after a complete application, you can consider that an implicit rejection has occurred and initiate a recourse, or more simply write to request an express decision.
My receipt is expiring and I have no news, what should I do?
Request an extension of instruction certificate from your ANEF account, or write to the prefecture if the application was submitted at the counter. Do this before expiration, in writing, and keep proof of the request.
Can you track an application by phone?
Rarely for residence permits, as most prefectures have closed the telephone reception of the foreign service in favor of online forms. When it is possible, the agent often limits themselves to confirming that the application is in progress.
I do not know which prefecture my application is under.
The competent prefecture is that of your department of residence, never one of your choice. In Paris, it is the police prefecture. Our article on the prefecture you depend on explains how to find it.
