Family reunification for Ukrainians in France: procedure and documents
The fastest path to family reunification for Ukrainians in France is to include family members in the temporary protection application, if the family existed in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 and all participants themselves left because of the war.
International Law Firm "Zahist" has a presence in France and supports clients in family reunification matters — from including a spouse and children in an existing APS to more complex cases of standard regroupement familial or reunification for refugees. Our experience shows that a confused procedure is the most common reason families lose months of waiting.
Who is considered a family member under temporary protection
The simplified procedure is available only for those relatives whose relationship already existed before the start of the full-scale invasion.
- A spouse or a partner in a stable relationship (including a civil partnership).
- Minor unmarried children of the applicant or of his or her partner, including adopted children.
- Other close relatives who lived within the family before 24 February 2022 and were wholly or mainly dependent on the displaced person.
A mandatory condition for all categories is that the family must have existed in Ukraine before the specified date, and the relative must personally have been displaced from Ukraine, and not have joined later from another country without the relevant status.
How to include family members in an APS application
Inclusion of the family takes place through the same prefecture procedure as the first application for temporary protection, without a separate paid procedure.
- Submit the application via the prefecture’s online platform, indicating the family members to be included.
- Provide documents confirming the family relationship and the fact of cohabitation before 24 February 2022.
- Complete fingerprinting and obtain confirmation that the case has been accepted at GUDA or the relevant prefecture unit.
- Obtain a separate APS for each adult family member after the case is approved.
The document package to prove the relationship includes a marriage certificate, the spouse’s passport, a family record book (livret de famille), or children’s birth certificates.
Minor children under 18 are considered lawfully present in France automatically and do not need a separate residence document, although a certificate concerning them should be kept for school and medical formalities.
Standard family reunification outside temporary protection
If a relative does not fall within the simplified category — for example, if the marriage was concluded after departure from Ukraine — the ordinary regroupement familial procedure applies.
This procedure is considerably stricter: the applicant must hold a residence permit for at least one year and have regular residence in France for at least 18 months following the 2024 immigration law reform.
- Stable income at least at the level of the minimum wage (SMIC), disregarding social benefits.
- Housing that meets the floor-area standards for the number of persons joining.
- Filing the application through OFII at the applicant’s place of residence in France.
This procedure is rarely used for Ukrainian families, because most close relatives fall within the simplified temporary protection category.
Family reunification for refugees and persons with subsidiary protection
If a Ukrainian has obtained refugee status or subsidiary protection through OFPRA, a separate, considerably more favourable reunification familiale procedure under Articles L.561-1 et seq. of CESEDA applies to the family.
Unlike standard regroupement familial, there are no income or housing conditions, no waiting period, and the procedure is free of charge; the circle of persons additionally includes a partner in a civil marriage, and children remain eligible up to the age of 19.
- Gather in France the OFPRA decision granting protection, the residence title, and translated (and, where required, apostilled) documents on family ties.
- Apply for a long-stay visa “family of a protection beneficiary” at the French consulate in the family’s place of stay.
- OFPRA verifies the authenticity of the family ties, offering a DNA test at the state’s expense if necessary.
- The family is summoned to the consulate for an interview, biometrics, and a medical examination.
- After a positive decision, a visa is issued, and after arrival in France a residence title is issued in line with the applicant’s status.
Our experience shows that the real timelines for this procedure are substantially longer than those officially stated — from 18 to 24 months instead of 6–8 — so the application should be filed immediately after receiving the OFPRA decision.
Children born already in France
A child born in France in a family where at least one parent has temporary protection is automatically included in the parents’ status without a separate complex reunification procedure.
To arrange the child’s documents it is sufficient to apply to the prefecture with the French birth certificate and proof of the parents’ status, after which the child is issued the relevant document on lawful stay.
This also applies where the applicant’s status changes from temporary protection to refugee status or subsidiary protection during pregnancy or after the child is born in France.
What can be done in parallel while the case is under review
Waiting for a reunification decision does not mean that the applicant in France should suspend their own affairs — on the contrary, parallel preparation significantly shortens the overall time until the family is reunited.
- Select housing in advance whose size matches the future family composition, to avoid another move immediately after relatives arrive.
- Check the availability of places in schools or kindergartens at the place of residence if school-age or preschool children are arriving.
- Prepare document translations in advance, rather than after receiving a summons from the consulate, so as not to lose extra weeks.
Our experience shows that families who prepare these steps in advance spend significantly less time settling in after actual reunification.
Comparison of the three family reunification pathways
Choosing the correct pathway depends on the applicant’s status in France and when the family relationship was formed.
| Criterion | Temporary protection | Regroupement familial | Réunification (refugees) |
| Income conditions | None | Yes, SMIC level | None |
| Housing conditions | None | Yes, by floor-area standard | None |
| Waiting period | None | 18 months of residence | None |
| Cost | Free of charge | Paid fees | Free of charge |
| Partner in a civil marriage | Not separately | No | Yes |
Typical mistakes in family reunification
The most common mistake is attempting to file for standard regroupement familial when the family was entitled to simplified inclusion under temporary protection, which adds months of waiting and paid fees.
Another typical problem is the absence of a translation or apostille on documents concerning marriage or the birth of children, because of which the consulate postpones consideration of the case.
Our experience shows that applicants who document the date of marriage or actual cohabitation before filing receive a decision significantly faster than those who rely only on oral explanations.
If documents on the family relationship are lost or unavailable
For families whose archives have been destroyed or are inaccessible because of hostilities, both OFPRA and consular services may offer alternative ways to prove the relationship.
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- A DNA test at the state's expense if official civil status records are unavailable.
- Indirect evidence: family photographs with dates, correspondence, statements of relatives or acquaintances.
- Duplicate civil status records obtained through Ukrainian consular missions abroad.
Our experience shows that a package of indirect evidence prepared in advance significantly speeds up the consideration of the case when official documents are missing.
What to do in the event of a visa refusal or refusal to include the family
If the consulate refuses a visa for reunification, one cannot apply to the court immediately — a pre-trial stage is mandatory first.
Within 30 days after the refusal, a complaint is filed with the Commission for the Review of Visa Refusals (CRRV), and only after its refusal may one apply to the administrative court of Nantes within two months.
If the prefecture in France refuses to include the family in temporary protection, the same appeal mechanisms apply as for an APS refusal: an administrative complaint and, if necessary, an application to the administrative court.
Expert view: how to shorten the actual period of separation
An analysis of our cases shows that the main factor in the length of separation is not the officially stated time limits, but how quickly a complete set of documents is filed as soon as the right to reunification arises.
We recommend checking the family composition declared at the initial registration for temporary protection or in the asylum application, because discrepancies with the actual family composition create additional delays at the verification stage.
Regular written inquiries about the status of the case every two to three months keep the matter visible to the consulate or prefecture and reduce the risk that the documents will be lost in the general queue.
International Law Firm "Zahist" has a presence in France and helps determine which path of family reunification for Ukrainians in France is suitable for a particular family, so as not to waste time on a procedure with unnecessary conditions.
Each case has individual features — the date the family was formed, the availability of documents, the applicant's status in France — so a preliminary consultation with a specialist helps choose the right path from the outset.
The earlier a family seeks support on matters of family reunification for Ukrainians in France, the fewer months of separation have to be endured because of procedural errors or an incomplete set of documents.
