Moroccan woman wins five-year French residence card after court ruling, receives €1,200
Living in France since 2014 and married to an Italian, a Moroccan national had repeatedly received short-term residence permits. The Grenoble Administrative Court has ordered the authorities to issue the five-year card she had sought.
On October 21, 2025, the Isère prefecture granted her a residence permit valid until December 20, 2026. Fourteen months, when she had sought five years. The Moroccan woman pursued her appeal despite being issued the document.
On Bladi.net : Her husband has a ten-year residence card, but France grants her only one year: court orders the same residence permit
According to her account, she arrived in France on October 30, 2014, and married an Italian who works in France in September 2016. Until then, she had obtained several one-year residence cards, the latest of which expired in January 2024.
On December 4, 2023, she applied for a multi-year residence card. After four months of silence, an implicit refusal was issued on April 4, 2024. She brought the case before the court in January 2025.
The detail that led the prefecture’s refusal to be overturned
In its ruling of October 15, 2026, the Grenoble court found that the shorter permit did not resolve the dispute. It considered the provisions of French law concerning family members of European Union citizens.
These rules provide for a five-year card, unless the European citizen states that they intend to reside in France for a shorter period. However, her Italian husband had never declared such an intention. The judges therefore found that the prefecture had failed to comply with the applicable law.
The court overturned the decision of October 21, 2025, insofar as it refused the five-year card. It ordered the authorities to issue the card marked “family member of a Union citizen,” which also authorizes its holder to work.
The authorities have three months from notification of the ruling to comply. The State must also pay the Moroccan woman 1,200 euros towards her legal costs. The judge rejected her request for a penalty of 200 euros per day.
