SETTLING IN - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 80

carte de séjour is lost or stolen, make a déclaration de perte/
de vol (report of loss/theft) at your local commissariat de
police (police station). Make a copy of your carte de séjour
as soon as you receive it.
Report lost passports at the appropriate commissariat
and take the report and two passport photos of the exact
size specified to your consulate. It is always helpful to bring
extra photos with you, and this is when having a photocopy
of the first pages of your passport will be most helpful.

Carte de Séjour
After arriving in France with a visa de long séjour , all non-EU
nationals must, within the first week, register at the Hôtel
de Police, Centre d'Accueil des Etrangers, according to the
arrondissement where they will live:

11-14e, 19-20: 114 avenue du Maine, 75014.

8 e -9 e , 1-10e, 15-18e: 19 rue Truffaut, 75017.
To obtain the carte de séjour , fill out the questionnaire and
make an appointment with the Préfecture de Police. This
may only materialise after several months, depending on
the number of pending applications.
Along with the documents mentioned earlier, these are
the papers you will need (at the time of writing): a valid
visa de long séjour , three black-and-white passport photos,
proof of an address in France (paid rent receipt, electricity
bill with your name, etc.), and proof of financial resources
and medical insurance. Other requirements (e.g., student
identification card or work contract) depend on the purpose
of the stay.
There are various types of cartes de séjour . Each depends on
the situation of the applicant. It may be a carte de séjour cum
work permit, but if it says mention visiteur , the holder is not
allowed to earn money in France. The duration of the carte also
depends on the applicant's situation. Heretofore, it has been
renewable yearly for a period of five years, after which the
card-holder may apply for a ten-year permit. Now, however,
some cartes de séjour are renewable every 18 months, instead
of a year. Dependents accompanying a person who is working
in France follow the same procedures.