Several French departments, including Seine-et-Marne and Doubs, announced on 23 December that their préfectures and sous-préfectures will be closed to the public on 25-26 December and again on 2 January. While online services via the ANEF portal remain available, physical biometrics appointments and in-person enquiries – often required for first-time residence cards and urgent renewals – will be impossible until offices reopen on 29 December or 5 January depending on the department.
Foreign nationals whose récépissé expires during the closure window can download an attestation from ANEF to prove lawful stay, but immigration lawyers caution that some police checks still request the physical receipt. Students returning for the spring term and employees onboarding in early January should verify that their titre de séjour or VLS-TS validation will not lapse in the interim.
![Prefecture Holiday Closures Could Stall Residence-Permit Renewals Until January]()
For those who find the process daunting or time-sensitive, VisaHQ offers practical assistance with French immigration formalities. Through its dedicated France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/), the service provides up-to-date guidance on prefecture requirements, helps assemble the correct documentation, and monitors appointment slots—useful options when local offices are temporarily closed.
HR teams are advised to audit pending applications and, where expiry cannot be extended online, file a ‘demande de prolongation exceptionnelle’ before Christmas Eve. Courier services confirm that residence cards printed by the national centre in Charleville-Mézières will not be dispatched to local prefectures during the closure period, potentially adding another week of delay.
The Interior Ministry says the closures are standard holiday practice and that digital channels cover 90 % of demand, but admits that first-issuance biometrics “cannot be dematerialised at this stage”.
Foreign nationals whose récépissé expires during the closure window can download an attestation from ANEF to prove lawful stay, but immigration lawyers caution that some police checks still request the physical receipt. Students returning for the spring term and employees onboarding in early January should verify that their titre de séjour or VLS-TS validation will not lapse in the interim.
For those who find the process daunting or time-sensitive, VisaHQ offers practical assistance with French immigration formalities. Through its dedicated France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/), the service provides up-to-date guidance on prefecture requirements, helps assemble the correct documentation, and monitors appointment slots—useful options when local offices are temporarily closed.
HR teams are advised to audit pending applications and, where expiry cannot be extended online, file a ‘demande de prolongation exceptionnelle’ before Christmas Eve. Courier services confirm that residence cards printed by the national centre in Charleville-Mézières will not be dispatched to local prefectures during the closure period, potentially adding another week of delay.
The Interior Ministry says the closures are standard holiday practice and that digital channels cover 90 % of demand, but admits that first-issuance biometrics “cannot be dematerialised at this stage”.
