You are a foreign national residing permanently in France and wish to bring your family to join you? You must apply for family reunification. This family reunification procedure allows your married spouse and your minor children living abroad to join you legally.
To make sure you succeed in your process, we explain everything about family reunification in France: conditions, where and when to submit your application, which documents to provide, what to do after a favorable decision, what to do in case of refusal, etc.
This article is for general information and educational purposes and does not constitute professional advice from Western Union. Western Union does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or relevance of the information contained in this article or whether it is up to date.
What is family reunification?
Family reunification, or family rapprochement, is an administrative procedure that allows a foreigner who has been legally settled in France for at least 18 months to bring their spouse and minor children residing abroad. Family reunification in France is provided by local French Laws, and it is also protected by the European Union.
According to the OFII (French Office for Immigration and Integration), 29,344 family reunification applications were submitted in France in 2022, with 11,740 favorable decisions issued.
What is the difference between family reunification and family reunification for refugees?
Family reunification for refugees is an administrative procedure available only to foreign nationals who have been granted refugee status or who have obtained subsidiary protection or stateless status. Unlike family reunification, it is not subject to prior duration of residence, housing, or income conditions.
What may be the conditions for family reunification?
Family reunification in France may be possible only for non-European foreign nationals. Thus, French nationals, nationals of a Member State of the European Union or of a State party to the European Economic Area may not be concerned by this procedure.
To be potentially admissible, the application for family reunification must comply with several conditions relating to:
- The applicant
- The applicant’s family
- The applicant’s housing
- The applicant’s financial resources
- Respect for the values of the French Republic
Potential conditions relating to the applicant
As an applicant, at the time of submitting your family reunification application, you must:
- Be a foreign non-European national.
- Hold a residence permit valid for one year or more or be in the process of renewal (temporary residence permit, multi-year residence permit, residence permit). Some residence permit are not eligible for family reunification.
- Regularly reside in France for at least 18 months, thanks in particular to one of the residence permits mentioned above, a long-stay visa, a provisional residence permit or an asylum application certificate. For Algerian nationals, this required duration of residence is reduced to 12 months.
- You can find the most recent and accurate information on the OFII website.
Conditions relating to the applicant’s family
Your family must also meet certain conditions:
- Your family must live abroad outside the European Union. However, if your family is already residing in France at the time of submitting the application, they may benefit from family reunification in situ.
- Your spouse must be over 18 years old on the date of submission.
- Your children must be under 18 years old on the date of submission. Your children may be born to the couple (legal filiation or adoption after a judicial decision) or from a previous union, particularly where the other parent is deceased or deprived of parental rights.
- Please check other conditions on the official OFII website.
Conditions relating to the applicant’s housing
Your housing must be decent and meet requirements of surface area, comfort, and habitability (sanitary conditions and basic equipment). You may be a tenant, owner, or accommodated free of charge.
The minimum required surface area for family reunification depends on the number of inhabitants and the geographic zone of residence in France (A, B, C). The larger the number of people living in your home, the larger the surface area of your accommodation must be.
To determine your geographic zone and the surface area required for family reunification, you can use this simulator. For example, Paris is located in zone A Bis, Lyon and Marseille in zone A, and Poitiers in zone B1.
Potential conditions relating to the applicant’s financial resources
You must have a stable and sufficient income to welcome your family in good conditions. The required amount corresponds to the SMIC (minimum wage) before tax and varies depending on the size of your family. The more members your family has, the higher your monthly income must be.
Find more information on income requirements for family reunification on the OFII website.
However, you will need to justify your situation by providing the necessary documents when submitting your file. Check the official OFF website for more details.
Potential conditions relating to respect for the values of the French Republic
You and your family must respect the fundamental principles of family life in France and the values of the Republic
Non-respect will result in refusal of family reunification.
When could I apply for family reunification?
The family reunification application may be submitted once you have resided regularly in France for more than 18 months, and no later than 6 months before the expiry of your residence permit, in order to anticipate the processing timeline. Please check the most recent information on the OFFI website.
Where should I apply for family reunification?
The family reunification application in France must be made in France to the territorial office of the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII) responsible for your place of residence.
How do I apply for family reunification?
To apply for family reunification, you must follow several steps: check whether you are eligible for family reunification, gather the documents for your family reunification file, fill in the application form, send your file, track your application. More details are available in the official OFFI website.
Which documents must be provided for family reunification?
You can find the full list of necessary documents for family reunification in France using this simulator.
As an indication, for a standard family reunification in France, you may need to provide in particular the following documents (please check the most accurate list on the OFII website):
- Photocopy of your residence permit, front and back, valid or certificate of renewal request.
- Complete copy of your marriage certificate, with marginal notes.
- Complete copy of your birth certificate, with marginal notes.
- Complete copy of your spouse’s birth certificate, with marginal notes.
- Complete copy of the birth certificate of each of your children and/or spouse, with marginal notes. This also applies to children already residing in the household in France.
- Family reunification form (Cerfa No. 11436*05) completed and signed.
- Proof of financial resources showing that you have stable and sufficient income. This includes pay slips for the last 12 months or original bank statements for the last 12 months.
- Proof of housing in France: rental contract, purchase contract, sworn statement of free accommodation, etc.
- Other documents.
Please note that translation of your foreign-language documents must be done by a sworn translator accredited by a Court of Appeal in France. Documents translated by any other body may not be accepted.
What may be the processing time for a family reunification file?
The processing time for a family reunification application file is on average 6 months from the date of submission certificate issued by the OFII. This delay may be longer depending on the status of your file (complete or incomplete), the need for documents or additional information, etc. Find more information about the process on the official OFII website.
What should I do after a favorable family reunification decision?
When you receive a favorable family reunification decision, the members of your family may apply for their visa at the competent French consulate to prepare their arrival. For more detailed process information, please check the OFII website.
What should I do in case of refusal of family reunification?
In the event of refusal of family reunification, the prefect must always provide reasons for the decision. If your application is rejected, you may contest the refusal by submitting an administrative appeal to the prefect or a legal appeal to the territorially competent Administrative Court.
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FAQs
What is the cost of family reunification in France?
Applying for family reunification in France may be free of charge. However, if your reunification is accepted, your family will have to pay visa fees in their country of origin and visa validation fees upon arrival in France. Check the official fees on the OFII website.
How long does family reunification take?
Family reunification may take between 6 months and 1 year, between the date of submission of the application and the arrival of the applicant’s family (and visa validation on site). The duration of family reunification depends on the complexity of the file, the speed of decision of the authorities, and the time it takes for the family to arrive in France. Delays might apply.
What is the minimum salary required for family reunification in 2025?
The minimum salary required to apply for family reunification in 2025 was €1,801.80 per month for a family of 2 to 3 people. For a family of 4 to 5 people, it was €1,981.99, and for a family of six people or more, it is €2,162.16. Please check the official OFII website for the requirements in 2026.
This article was written for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal or professional advice from Western Union. This article is not intended to replace the advice of an administrative advisor or any other qualified professional.
