ANEF Rejected My Carte de Séjour Renewal — What to Do Next

ANEF usually rejects carte de séjour renewals for one of three reasons: incorrect category selection, unclear or non-compliant documents, or files that do not meet format and recency rules.

Most rejections are technical, not personal. They are usually fixable if handled correctly and quickly.

Why ANEF Rejects Renewal Applications

1. Wrong Renewal Category

Selecting the wrong category (e.g. salarié instead of vie privée et familiale) can trigger automatic rejection.
The system does not correct this for you.

2. Unclear or Illegible Documents

Blurry scans
Cropped pages
Missing signatures
Multi-page documents uploaded as separate files

ANEF expects clean, complete PDFs.

3. Documents Too Old

Proof of address and income documents often need to be recent (usually within 3 months).

4. Incomplete Financial Evidence

Missing tax notices, insufficient income proof, or inconsistent documents commonly cause refusal.

5. Incorrect File Format

Some prefectures reject:

Screenshots instead of PDFs
Photos instead of scanned documents
Incorrect file naming

6. Missing Supporting Documents

Applicants sometimes upload only the obvious documents and miss supporting evidence required for their specific status.

7. Late Application

Applying too close to expiry can create administrative complications and reduce tolerance for errors.

What To Do Immediately

Read the rejection notice carefully.
Identify whether it states “incomplete file” or specifies a document issue.
Do not panic-submit again without correcting the original problem.
If the category was wrong, assess whether you must withdraw and reapply correctly.
Prepare a clean, fully structured resubmission.

What NOT To Do

Do not re-upload the same documents unchanged.
Do not change categories without checking eligibility.
Do not ignore the rejection assuming it will “update itself.”
Do not wait until your card expires to act.

If Your Card Is Close to Expiry

If your titre is near expiry and you do not have a récépissé, you should prioritise correcting the error immediately. Delays can affect travel and administrative rights.

Preventing a Second Rejection

Before resubmitting, check:

Correct renewal category
Complete financial documentation
Properly scanned PDFs
Recent proof of address
Consistent supporting evidence

A second rejection becomes harder to fix.

Optional Help

If you prefer a structured checklist that walks through category selection, document preparation, and upload formatting, the full process is laid out step-by-step in the Carte de Séjour Renewal Pack.