Detailed procedure for French Cards

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Presentation

 

The EDH French Card Application form has replaced the form previously generated in HRT and submitted through the Service Portal. Members of the Personnel who meet the eligibility criteria specified in the table below are required to apply for a French card, for themselves as well as for any eligible dependent family members, as soon as they have moved to a private address and officially established their residence in France or Switzerland. The application is processed by the relevant services at CERN and then forwarded to the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE).

N.B.: an EDH password is necessary to submit requests in EDH.

 

1. Eligibility criteria 

Important:

French nationals, holders of a French resident permit and persons who have been residing in France for more than 3 months are not eligible to apply and will not receive a French card.

All third-country nationals (non-EU/non-EEA/non-Swiss citizens) must hold a valid French D visa “carte PRO-MAE” to obtain a French card, even when moving from Switzerland or an EEA country to France.

Foreign nationals under special residence authorizations must waive their status and obtain a French card.

 

Person concerned	Eligibility criteria	Deadline for application Residents in France	Deadline for application Residents in Switzerland
Member of the Personnel (main beneficiary)	Average annual presence > 50%; Holding an active contract; Contract duration > 3 months (90 days).	Upon arrival and within a maximum of two months of taking up appointment*.  After this deadline, the MEAE will not issue the document for which the Member of the Personnel was initially eligible.	The application must be submitted as soon as possible once the Member of the Personnel has taken up appointment. N.B.: an EF-type French Card in accordance with Host State regulations.
Spouse / Partner (dependent family member)	Living continuously in the same household as the main beneficiary.	Upon arrival and within a maximum of two months of the date of entry in France*. After this deadline, the MEAE will not issue the document for which the spouse/partner was initially eligible.	Not eligible
Child / Children (dependent family member)	Being dependent on the main beneficiary; Having an official address at the main beneficiary household; Being under 21 years of age (or 25 for dependent children in a situation of disability). N.B.: for children aged between 18 and 20, a certificate of school attendance in the local area as well as a dependent child certificate must be provided. When the child reaches 21 (except for children in a situation of disability), the French card must be surrendered (see "Surrendering cards") and in the case of non-EU/non-EEA citizens, the child must contact the local préfecture two months before the expiry date of the French card should they wish to continue living in France.	Upon arrival and within a maximum of two months of the date of entry/birth in France* (passport mandatory). Passed this deadline, the MEAE will not issue the document for which the child was initially eligible.	Not eligible

* Failure to comply with this deadline will result in:

- the loss of the right to reside in France for third-country nationals 

- the permanent non-issuance of a French card for nationals of the European Economic Area or Switzerland who will be denied any privileges in France.

2. Routing 

The form routing will normally go through the following steps :

1. The Member of the Personnel creates the EDH form and specifies the beneficiary (themselves or dependent family member). All mandatory fields must be completed and the copies of the mandatory substantiating documents, officially translated in French, must be attached (passport/ID and French D-type VISA "Carte PRO-MAE à solliciter à l'arrivée" for Members of the Personnel if applicable, and passport/ID, marriage/partnership certificate (spouse/partner) or birth certificate (child) and French type-D Visa "Carte PRO-MAE à solliciter à l'arrivée" for family members, if applicable.

2. The document is routed to the Users Office for Users, COAS and VISC, and to the Cards Service for other categories of Members of the Personnel.

3. The Users Office and Cards Service check and forward the application to the MEAE. If the information provided is incorrect, the document will be sent back for amendment.

4. A copy of the application is archived in eFiles (long-term storage of electronic documents) in pdf format.

 

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Step-by-Step guide 

 

Part 1 - Application for Members of the Personnel:

 

1. General information: person concerned and eligibility 

If you have been residing in France over the last three months (90 days), you are no longer eligible to apply for a French card.

 

2. Previous last name and acquisition of nationality 

If applicable, specify your name before marriage.

Specify whether your nationality was acquired via paternal/maternal descent (birth), marriage or naturalisation (new citizenship).

 

3. Passport/ID/Visa 

Provide your passport and visa (if applicable) information.

 

4. Arrival information 

Specify the exact date of establishment of your residence in France (date of entry).

 

5. Last address abroad and previous employment/job/studies 

Provide the details of your last address and occupation abroad (ie. outside of France, just before date of appointment).

Your previous address and occupation should be coherent in terms of geographical location and daily commuting time.

 

6. Spouse / partner (marriage / official partnership) 

The information relative to spouses/partners already registered in the CERN database will be pre-filled in this section.

Specify the current residence status of the spouse/partner.

Note that even if your spouse/partner is listed in this section, a separate application needs to be submitted for each dependent family member, in addition to the main beneficiary's application, if you and your family reside in France (see eligibility criteria above).

 

7. Parents' information 

Provide your parents' personal details. If unknown, please indicate 'unknown' in the relevant field.

 

8. Children 

The information relative to children already registered in the CERN database will be pre-filled in this section.

Specify the current residence status of each child concerned.

Note that even if your child is listed in this section, a separate application needs to be submitted for each dependent family member, in addition to the main beneficiary's application, if you and your family reside in France (see eligibility criteria above).

 

9. Submission of the form 

Once the mandatory fields have been completed and the substantiating documents have been attached, click on the "Submit" button at the top of the page.

 

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Part 2 - Application for dependent family members: 

 

Dependent family members should be registered in the database prior to the submission of the application (either by the Users Office or by the Records Office, depending on the category of Member of the Personnel concerned).

All registered family members will appear in the drop-down list at the top of the "Family member" section.

Select the family member concerned by the application and provide the missing information.

The details of the family member's passport/ID and visa (if applicable) must be provided in the relevant sections.

The mandatory substantiating documents (passport, visa, marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.) should be officially translated into French and attached to the application. 

• For an Official translation, you can contact : your national embassy/consulate or Official translation service of Geneva or Directory of Sworn Translators of France 

Note that for children aged 18 to 20, a school-attendance certificate as well as a dependent child certificate should be provided in addition to the other substantiating documents.

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Support 

 

1. Issues and assistance 

Report a technical issue with the EDH document

Contact the Users Office or Cards Service for further assistance

 

2. Frequently asked questions 

Faq	Answer
I had been living in France for more than 3 months before taking up appointment at CERN. Am I eligible to apply for a French card and subsequently register my car with green plates ?	If you have been residing in France for more than 3 months, you are no longer eligible to apply and the MEAE will not issue any document for you. Your appointment is nevertheless notified to the MEAE by CERN , which will guarantee your immunity from jurisdiction in France in the exercise of your official duties.
My family will be joining me later. Should I apply for their French cards now ?	French card applications can only be submitted and forwarded to the MEAE once the person concerned has entered and established their residence in France.
I don't live in France; I live in Switzerland, and I do not wish to apply for a French card.	Regardless of your nationality or type of contract, all Members of the Personnel residing in Switzerland must apply for an EF-type French card (attestation de fonctions). Any breach of this obligation is prejudicial to the Organization in relation to its Host States. No EF cards are issued to family members.
I am currently staying at the CERN Hostel in Meyrin. Can I apply for a French card ?	As long as you are staying at the CERN Hostel in Meyrin, you are not entitled to apply for a French card. You must first move to a private address and notify CERN of your new address via the Local Address Change (cern.ch) form in EDH.
I am currently staying at the Résidence Schumann in France. Can I apply for a French card?	As long as you are staying at the Résidence Schuman in France (whether it is a temporary address or not), you are elligible to apply for a French card. Please note that if you later decide to move to Switzerland, you will need to request to exchange your FI-type card (titre de séjour spécial) for an EF-type one (attestation de fonctions).
I am French and live in France / my family members are French. Do I/we have to apply for a French card?	No, French citizens do not receive a French card (except EF "attestation de fonctions" for Members of the Personnel residing in Switzerland, see above).
My newborn child was born in Switzerland/France and has not yet received any passport or visa for France. What happens if the application deadline passes?	Exceptions for late submissions are admitted. Contact the Users Office or the Cards Service for details.
My child/spouse is leaving France for a long-term absence (more than 3 months): are they entitled to keep their French card?	Any long-term absence must be notified to the Users Office/Cards Service that will confirm whether the child/spouse remains entitled to keep their card.
My family will join me for short-term visits only, can they apply for a French card?	Only family members having their usual residence at your address in France can benefit from family reunification and obtain a French card. Short-term visits (90 days maximum per 180-day periods) will be covered by a Schengen visa if necessary.
My family members are EU citizens, do they need a French card?	As a rule, whatever their nationality, all non-French/non-resident dependent family members must apply for a French card upon arrival in France.