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 reference numbers
Monegasque work authorisation, separately, if you will be employed in Monaco

Step-by-step

1
Validate your VLS-TS within three months of arrival
Done online with the visa number, your entry date and an electronic tax stamp. This converts the visa into a valid residence permit. Missing the deadline puts you out of status and the remedy is far worse than the original procedure.
OnlineWho: YouWithin 3 months of arrival
2
Create and maintain your ANEF account
Almost all immigration procedures run through the national platform. Set it up on arrival and check it weekly during any live procedure — document requests appear inside the account rather than by post.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
3
If working in Monaco, let the employer start the Monegasque authorisation early
Employment in Monaco requires a work permit issued on the Monegasque side, applied for by the employer, with priority rules favouring Monegasque nationals and then residents of adjoining communes. It is a real process with real timelines and it is entirely separate from your French residence permit. Do not assume a French permit lets you start work across the border.
Via employerWho: Your employerBefore the start date
4
Get a utility bill in your own name quickly
France has no municipal registration but constantly demands a justificatif de domicile in your name. An electricity or internet account is the usual source and it unlocks a surprising number of other procedures.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1–2
5
Start renewals at the earliest permitted date
Préfecture processing times exceed the guidance in most départements. Applying early gets you a récépissé that protects your status while the file is considered.
OnlineWho: You
6
Document every submission
Screenshot each ANEF submission and keep every confirmation. Being able to show exactly what you sent and when is the only leverage you have when a file stalls.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with the long-stay visa
Proof of entry date into the Schengen area
Justificatif de domicile in your name
Employment contract or proof of resources
Monegasque work authorisation, if applicable
ANEF account credentials

Things most newcomers don’t know

Living in France and working in Monaco means two separate permission systems.

Your right to live in France comes from the préfecture. Your right to work in Monaco comes from the Monegasque authorities, is applied for by your employer, and is subject to priority rules that favour Monegasque nationals and then residents of the immediately adjoining communes. Neither authority manages the other's process. People assume a French residence permit is sufficient and find their start date pushed back by weeks.

Source: Gouvernement Princier de Monaco

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. It is a fifteen-minute procedure that 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 documents inside your account and nothing tells you they are there. Files sit for months because an applicant never saw a request they could have answered the same day. Check the account weekly during any live procedure.

Source: service-public.fr

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

Unlike Spain or Germany there is no municipal registration. Instead French administration constantly asks for a proof of address in your own name, usually a utility bill. Getting an electricity or internet account early is an unexpectedly high-priority task because so 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.
Assuming a French residence permit lets you start work in Monaco.
Not checking the ANEF account and letting a document request stall the file.
Having no utility bill in your own name when a justificatif de domicile is demanded.
Applying for renewal too late and falling between a lapsed permit and an undecided file.

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