It’s banked when you buy it, Itake the payment and at the end of the week the government takes it from my account. From memory, the timbre has to be in date at the moment you hand it over with the dossier, it’s their problem if they take ages, they’ve already got the money anyway! There is a reclamation service if people buy them by mistake but you have to go through the trésor public to get a refund, not via a buraliste 
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Interesting.But I am told it can be done with an on honour letter at the Marie. I refer to this site Attestation d’hébergement : les 6 choses à savoir absolument ! | justifit.fr
You should edit in a space after the word “site” to allow the link to be shown…
An attestation d’hébergement is not the same as an attestation d’accueil though.
Correct. Thought we were discussing visitors arrangements
Just a thought. When the ETIAS visa waiver system comes in in 2022 will it override this requirement? If one has a visa then this attestation d’accueil is not necessary, so would a visa waver do the same job?
Having just googled ETIAS and read the blurb about it, I think that will likely override the current requirement.
Hopefully it will as its on-line, apparently only takes 10 minutes to complete, costs 7 euros and is valid for up to 3 years. 
It’s not a visa waver though is it? Just pre-authorisation.
I think this has been one of the points of discussion - however the website I linked above starts by saying “Que vous ayez ou non besoin d’un visa” which seems to indicate that it still applies even where the need for a visa is waived.
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When staying in Spain, our name, address, passport numbers are usually recorded by hotels and gite owners.
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And here if you happen to be a TCN! We have a register…
But an attestation d’hébergement is nothing to do with having visitors.
I think the confusion may be that an attestation d’accueil is also known as a justificatif d’hébergement (proof of accommodation), which is obviously very similar to attestation d’hébergement.
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Good point.
To be honest, I think the whole issue about the Attestation d’Acceuil is mainly the latest instance of the media loving to have something about which to worry people.
The legislation relating to the subject is not new by any means. We have received a number of TCN visitors from North America over the years, and none have ever been asked for details of their accommodation. Does anyone here actually know of an instance of a TCN being asked for proof of where they are staying ?
Perhaps the purpose of the legislation was to provide a means of excluding those persons who may well become an itinerant burden on the French state. Perhaps there was / is a problem with such persons arriving from countries that lie to the south of France.
Personally, I doubt that a TCN who arrives with a valid Visa or Mastercard in their pocket, or driving a vehicle which doesn’t look like it is going to break down 50 yards outside the port gate will have much of a problem.
Wrong. Two different attestations but they do have an overlap area. Attestation d’hébergement : les 6 choses à savoir absolument ! | justifit.fr But really it is not worth getting in a twiz over which to use. As has been said the likely hood of a control is about zero. Trouble is we are Brits and as Brits we play the game by the rules, difficult to behave otherwise.
IMHO its a decision of risk…it would seem from many posts that people are not generally asked to provide the form signed by the host’s Marie…but given the reoccurring squabbles between the UK and EU, Irish Border, Vaccine row, fishing etc it only needs one of them to get really bad for France to apply the entry rules in every minutiae and for travellers in be consequently refused entry
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Although I think Robert and David are correct in that chances are an attestation d’accueil will not be demanded, I think it is rather easy, sitting in their French homes, totally unaffected by this rule to be sanguine.
I suspect it will only be demanded if ther border guard senses something “dodgy” about the visitor.
But the fact remains it can be demanded of visitors and the official advice is that they are required. In particular Covid and the treatment of EU citizens by the UK mean that past behaviour of border guards cannot be relied upon.
As I said before, having a bit of documentation that you don’t need is not a problem. Failing to have one that you do need can really ruin your day.
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At the outreach meeting last night, the embassy basically washed their hands of the issue, saying it was a domestic French issue so not in their remit.
Really helpful
Andy
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