Before you start

A long-stay visa appropriate to your situation, obtained before travel
A passport valid well beyond the intended stay
A French address
An ANEF account and the visa's own reference numbers

Step-by-step

1
Validate your VLS-TS within three months of arrival
This is done online, requires the visa number and your date of entry, and involves paying a tax stamp. It is the step that converts your visa into a valid residence permit. Missing the three-month deadline puts you out of status, and the fix is considerably more painful than the original procedure.
OnlineWho: YouWithin 3 months of arrival
2
Create and maintain your ANEF account
Almost all immigration procedures now run through the national digital platform. Set the account up as soon as you arrive, keep the credentials safe, and check it regularly — notifications appear there rather than by post, and a missed request for documents can stall a file for months.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
3
Start your renewal months before expiry
Renewal applications open a set period before your permit expires and the préfecture's processing times routinely exceed what the guidance suggests. Applying at the earliest permitted date is the single best thing you can do, because the receipt you are issued protects your status while the file is processed.
OnlineWho: You
4
Keep the récépissé and understand what it does
When a file is under consideration you are issued a récépissé, a receipt confirming your right to remain and, usually, to work while a decision is pending. Keep it with you and understand its limits — some allow work and travel, some do not, and the distinction matters at a border.
OnlineWho: You
5
Register with the local mairie and gather proofs of address
There is no municipal registration requirement in France as there is in Spain or Germany, but you will constantly be asked for a justificatif de domicile — typically a utility bill or a rental contract. Get a utility account in your own name early, because that document unlocks a surprising number of other procedures.
In personWho: You
6
Document everything you submit
Screenshot every ANEF submission and keep every confirmation email. Files get lost, requests for documents appear and disappear, and the ability to show exactly what you sent and when is the only leverage you have when a procedure stalls.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with the long-stay visa
Proof of entry date into the Schengen area
Justificatif de domicile — a utility bill or rental contract in your name
Employment contract or proof of resources, depending on the route
Passport photographs to French specification
ANEF account credentials

Things most newcomers don’t know

The three-month validation deadline is the one that ends people's stay.

A long-stay visa marked VLS-TS is not a residence permit until you validate it online and pay the tax stamp. Miss the window and you are out of status, with no simple remedy — you may have to leave and restart. It is a fifteen-minute online procedure that a surprising number of arrivals postpone because the visa in the passport looks like it is already doing the job.

Source: service-public.fr

ANEF notifications do not arrive by post, and files stall silently.

The platform posts requests for additional documents inside your account, and if you are not checking it, nothing tells you. Files sit for months because an applicant never saw a request for a document they could have supplied the same day. Check the account weekly during any live procedure, and treat email as unreliable.

Source: service-public.fr

Apply for renewal at the earliest permitted date, not the sensible-looking one.

Préfecture processing times exceed the guidance almost everywhere, and the Rhône is a busy one. Applying early gets you a récépissé that protects your status while the file is considered. Applying at what feels like a reasonable time can leave you between a lapsed permit and an undecided file, which affects your right to work and your ability to travel.

Source: service-public.fr

France has no empadronamiento or Anmeldung, and the justificatif de domicile does that job instead.

Unlike Spain or Germany there is no municipal registration to complete. Instead, French administration constantly asks for a proof of address in your own name — usually a utility bill. This makes getting an electricity or internet account in your name an unexpectedly high-priority early task, because a great many other procedures depend on producing that document.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Missing the three-month deadline to validate a VLS-TS online.
Not checking the ANEF account and letting a document request stall the file for months.
Applying for renewal too late and falling between a lapsed permit and an undecided file.
Having no utility bill in your own name when a justificatif de domicile is demanded.
Not keeping evidence of what you submitted and when.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.