Before You Begin — Read This First
This guide explains the real options for housing without papers in France. If you want the full approach — how we found private housing in one week, how we built credibility with landlords, and the precise steps to follow — this is reserved for Sur la Bonne Voie members.
Finding Housing Without Papers — What Actually Exists
Housing is one of the first urgent problems after arrival. And it’s a domain where the official system and the real solution are opposites. This guide gives you an honest overview of both. The full approach — including how we found private housing in one week without papers — is available for Sur la Bonne Voie members.
Official Pathways
CADA
If you are in the asylum procedure, OFII can offer you a place in an Asylum Seeker Reception Center. This comes with full support. If you refuse the placement, you lose all OFII financial aid. Think carefully before refusing.
115 / SIAO
The emergency housing number. Available 24/7. This connects you to emergency shelters. Availability is limited and unpredictable.
HLM (social housing)
Requires legal residence and involves waiting lists that can last years. Not a realistic short-term option without papers.
The Reality Beyond Official Pathways
Private housing without papers is possible. It’s not common, and it requires the right approach. Those who succeed do so through personal connections, credibility, and trust. How to build this trust and how to approach the conversation is in the member guide.
Banking Without Papers
Nickel and La Banque Postale are the two most accessible options — they open accounts with little documentation. If you’re refused everywhere, the right to an account gives you the right to a basic bank account via the Bank of France.
Resources
- Emergency housing: call 115
- OFII and CADA information: ofii.fr
- Right to an account: banque-france.fr
- Nickel account: nickel.eu