How to Get a Prefecture Appointment in France
Everything you need to know about booking a rendez-vous at your local prefecture, from official channels to automated alerts.
What Types of Appointments Are Available?
French prefectures handle a wide range of administrative procedures. The most common appointment types include:
Titre de sejour (Residence Permit)
First-time applications, renewals, and duplicate requests for residence permits. This is by far the most sought-after appointment type.
Residence permit renewal guideNaturalisation
Filing your application for French citizenship by naturalisation, including document submission and interviews.
Civic exam guidePassport & ID Card
Applications and renewals for French passports and national identity cards.
Driver's License Exchange
Converting a foreign driving license to a French one, a common procedure for newcomers.
Other Procedures
Voter registration, vehicle registration (carte grise), asylum applications, and more.
The Official Process
Booking a prefecture appointment in France follows a mostly online process. Here is how it works step by step:
Before you book: find the right portal
The biggest time-waster is hunting for a slot on the wrong portal. Depending on your démarche:
- Residence permit (first application, renewal, change of status, travel document): the démarche is filed online on ANEF (the French digital platform for foreign nationals), often with no appointment until the biometrics or card-collection step.
- Passport, national ID card, driving licence, vehicle registration (carte grise): these are handled by France Titres (ANTS, the national agency for secure documents). For a passport or ID card, the in-person appointment is at an equipped town hall (mairie), not the prefecture.
- In-person prefecture or sub-prefecture appointment (biometrics, card collection, naturalisation interview, filing when ANEF is not available): this is where the booking process below applies.
- Paris (75): residence-permit démarches go through the Préfecture de Police de Paris, on a system separate from other departments.
For in-person appointments, the Ministry of the Interior's free official national portal is RDV Préfecture: select your department to be routed to your prefecture's booking page.
How online booking worksOnly official .gouv.fr portals are legitimate. Prefecture appointments are never sold — beware of sites that impersonate the administration and charge for a supposed booking.
Create your account and prepare your documents
Before you even look for a slot, create your ANEF or France Titres account (you can log in via FranceConnect) and scan your supporting documents: passport, recent proof of address, compliant ID photos. The exact list depends on your démarche and is shown on service-public.fr. A ready file lets you book within the short window while the slot is still available.
Find your prefecture website
Visit the official website of your prefecture (format www.<department>.gouv.fr). Depending on your town and your démarche, the competent office may be the prefecture or a district sub-prefecture — check which one applies to you before hunting for a slot.
Navigate to online booking
Look for the "Prendre rendez-vous" (Book an appointment) section. Most prefectures use online platforms for appointment scheduling.
Select your procedure
Choose the specific procedure you need (residence permit, naturalisation, etc.). Each procedure may have different availability.
Choose a date and time
Select an available slot from the calendar. This is where most people encounter difficulties, as slots are extremely limited.
Confirm your appointment
Fill in your personal information and confirm. You will receive a confirmation email with your appointment details.
After you get your appointment
Getting the slot is only half the battle. To make the appointment count, prepare it:
Bring your appointment confirmation (printed or on your phone), all your original documents AND photocopies, a valid ID, and, if the démarche requires it, your fiscal stamp (timbre fiscal).
Arrive 10–15 minutes early: there is often a security check and a queue at the entrance.
Keep the confirmation email: it is your proof of appointment in case of a dispute.
If you cannot attend, cancel on the same portal to free the slot. A missed appointment can send you back to the end of the queue, adding weeks of delay.
Why it's so hard, and how Prefecture Alerte solves it
Getting a prefecture appointment is notoriously difficult. Here are the real problems and how we solve each one.
Slots are taken within 15 minutes
Prefecture Alerte checks every 3 minutes and alerts you instantly. You are among the first to know and win the race for slots.
Slots are published at unpredictable times
Prefecture Alerte monitors 24/7 and alerts you via email or Telegram the moment a slot opens, even at 3am.
You've been searching for weeks with no result
Our users get an appointment within days of signing up on average. 9.90€/month, no commitment, no hidden fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which prefectures are covered?
Prefecture Alerte monitors all 340 prefectures and sub-prefectures across metropolitan France and overseas territories. This includes all departmental prefectures, sub-prefectures, and specialized offices.
How quickly will I get an alert?
Our system checks for new slots every 3 minutes. As soon as availability is detected, you receive a notification within seconds via email and/or Telegram. This gives you a significant head start over people manually refreshing the website.
Does the service book the appointment for me?
No. Prefecture Alerte is a notification service. We alert you the moment a slot becomes available so you can book it yourself on the official prefecture website. We do not access your account or make bookings on your behalf.
What is the official cost of a prefecture procedure?
Prefecture démarches are free on official portals (service-public.fr, ANEF, prefecture websites); only the fiscal stamps for issuing the actual document are charged (some permits also carry a separate tax). Since 1 May 2026, for example, expect 350 € for a first residence permit (250 € for a renewal) and 86 € for an adult passport. The stamp is bought only at timbres.impots.gouv.fr or from an approved tobacconist. The French DGCCRF consumer protection authority regularly warns that no private service is authorised to sell appointments: https://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/les-fiches-pratiques/demarches-administratives-faites-attention-aux-faux-sites
What is the difference between ANEF, France Titres and the prefecture website?
ANEF (https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr) centralises online procedures for foreigners: first-time residence permit applications, renewals, travel documents. France Titres (ANTS, https://ants.gouv.fr) handles passports, national ID cards, driving licences, and vehicle registration certificates (cartes grises) — but not residence permits. Each prefecture's website (format www.<department>.gouv.fr) retains control of in-person appointments where a physical visit is required: biometric capture, document collection, instruction interviews.
See the démarches glossaryHow long does it take to get a prefecture appointment?
Waiting times vary widely by department and procedure. The Défenseur des droits (French Ombudsman, https://www.defenseurdesdroits.fr) recorded over 50,000 complaints related to residence permits in 2025, up from 6,000 in 2019. That represents a 70% increase since 2020. In the most strained departments (Rhône, Bouches-du-Rhône), the average wait for a first available slot exceeds 240 days. With an automated alert system, this average drops to a few days after signing up.
What can I do if no slot is available on my prefecture's website?
Several remedies exist. (1) Set up an automated alert to be notified the moment a slot opens. (2) Send a registered letter with delivery receipt to the prefecture documenting the dates on which no slots were available. This letter serves as proof for any future legal action. (3) File a complaint with the Défenseur des droits (https://formulaire.defenseurdesdroits.fr), the French Ombudsman. (4) As a last resort, file a référé mesures utiles before the administrative court (article L 521-3 of the Code of Administrative Justice) — the main tool, validated by the Conseil d'État since 2020, to compel the prefecture to offer an appointment. The référé liberté (article L 521-2) is only admissible in cases of particularly serious urgency; since a Conseil d'État ruling of 28 October 2025, a mere processing delay is no longer enough to justify it.
No slots available: what to doMy residence permit is expiring and I have no appointment — am I now illegal?
No, not automatically. If you file your renewal online on ANEF before your permit expires, an "attestation de prolongation de l'instruction" is issued in your account: it extends your right to stay (and often to work) while your file is being processed. Keep proof that you applied before the expiry date. Note: this attestation does not pause the deadline after which a lack of reply counts as an implicit refusal.
Where can I get help if I'm stuck or have no internet access?
Several options exist. France Services centres and the digital reception points (points d'accueil numérique, PAN) in prefectures help people struggling with online démarches. For ANEF, the Citizen Contact Centre answers on 0 806 001 620 (free call). For a complex case or a refusal, non-profits such as La Cimade and GISTI inform and defend foreigners' rights, and a lawyer specialised in immigration law may be needed for an appeal before the administrative court.