The Police

A big topic in French politics is the large number of illegal immigrants, or les sans papiers. This issue was being hotly debated the first few weeks after my arrival. Firstly, because a lot of children were not being let back into school if they didn't have papers. And also because the French government, in September, was instructing all of the sans papiers to pay a visit to their local prefecture to try and apply for papers. Some got them, others didn't.

Keep your passport
In France, you can be stopped at any time by a police officer and asked for identity papers. French citizens have cards that they carry with them. By law you should have an official piece of identity with you at all times. So until you get your carte de séjour, try to always have your passport on you.

What happens if you don't have it?
If you are unable to provide the police with ID, you can face immediate arrest and detention until you are able to either provide your papers or have somebody come and vouch for you. I don't think it needs specifying which people and from which ethnic group are said to be asked the most often for their papers, and if you don't fit visually, it is unlikely that anything will happen to you. I just felt it worth mentioning that the police do have such a right.