robodelfy

Hi

My partner is French and her 6 year old daughter is half french half Thai. We met living in a community in Thailand. We are considering moving to portugal in the next few years, with the possibility of setting up a second branch of this community.

Brexit has obviously been on my mind. I know that everything is uncertain so it is hard to speculate. But we we are worried about complications for us living and working, once the UK leaves the EU.

I had been planning to ask her to marry me anyway, but I recently wondered how hard it would be for me to get a french passport/citizenship. From what i can tell I would have to live and work in France for 5 years, and then I could apply, and the process can take over a year, and can often be rejected. Is this correct?

The thing is, at the moment we don't plan on being in France or England for various reasons. Does this mean that us getting married would be of no benefit for me ever getting French citizenship? Do you actually have to live in France? It would just be nice for us as a family to have the same passports/rights/freedoms etc. Rather than either me or the two of them having various complications.

I find it all very confusing, and really appreciate any advice anyone can give!

Thanks

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the France forum!
I'm not sure what you mean by "setting up a second branch of this community". What would your employment status be? You're correct in thinking that, apart from a few exceptions, you'd have to live and work in France for five years before you could apply for French citizenship. Would you be a salaried employee of the community? Your French partner would be best placed to know the legal/social/fiscal aspects of such a project.
https://www.service-public.fr/partic...vosdroits/N111
gives info on acquisition of French nationality both by "déclaration" (= marriage) and by "naturalisation".
Your partner should find out whether she needs to get written permission from her child's father to take her out of the country.
Whether in France or Portugal (do either of you speak Portuguese?), good luck with your plans! Your partner will warn you about the French bureaucracy that you'll have to cope with!

robodelfy

Thanks for the info.

Well the second branch of this community would be in Portugal. So neither of us would be in our home countries. My question was more wondering if me marrying my french partner, but not living in France, will at any point give me a chance to gain french citizenship? That may sound a bit silly if I have not lived in the country. We don't know where we will end up at the moment, but I am wondering if just being married can help, but it sounds like it wont, and that you have to live in France for a number of years. I am quite new to all of this so may be asking some stupid questions!

The community in Portugal wont be up and running for 2 or 3 years, after Brexit. So we have time to learn portuguese to a usable standard! But I am just worried about us committing to going to live in Portugal with the possible implications of Brexit, and me not having the same status she has of being an EU citizen. That is why I considered how to get french citizenship.

Her father is Thai, and he is not really able to look after their daughter. I am not sure if she needs permission, Thailand generally doesnt have a fraction of the rules we have! But I will ask.

yes my partner has warned me of French bureaucracy! Not fun!

Thairetired2016

Just want to reply to "Thai father". Do not underestimate Thai bureaucracy when it comes to Thai children. Money can overcome most obstacles in Thailand. I hope you have plenty of this. The child's father and family will have a say in the matter. They will see a way of getting money. What is the child's nationality?

robodelfy

The child has dual citizenship. She has a French and Thai Passport. My partner is still on speaking terms with her ex husband, and the child skypes with him frequently. We are doing our best to compromise and find a way to make it work for us all. So I doubt things are going to get ugly, but you never know!

dmu

Fair enough, so theoretically it shouldn't be a problem to get his permission. The fact of your child frequently skyping with her father suggests that he doesn't have custody, and that he doesn't live near you. But, as mentioned above, the Thai side of the family may make difficulties, and your partner should make sure of her rights before you organise your departure, wherever your destination.
Best of luck learning Portuguese to a usable standard within two years! Your French partner will have less difficulty than you, as she's used to the genders (although many French and Portuguese words have different genders, which is why I'm floundering).
The fact of being married to an EU citizen might not help the citizenship procedure advance more quickly, but Bureaucracy (in France at least) is kinder to couples who are legally bound. You should ask about "partner" status on the Portugal forum.
P.S. You should look into the question of healthcare coverage, unless you're paying "côtisations" (Social Contributions) as a salaried employee or an Auto-Entrepreneur (or similar status). Heathcare insurance is compulsory, and young children tend to need medical care more often than adults, anyway!

robodelfy

Thanks for the advice. Well they have been fine with her coming to England for a bit, but none of us know the next step. Its not easy to have one european parent and one from Thailand, as he can't live in Europe easily, and we dont want to live in Thailand! We shall see

Yes, I have been learning some french and struggling a lot. I hear portuguese isnt easy at all. My partner speaks French, English, some spanish and Thai. I'm sure she will be miles ahead of me!

So if you are from an EU country, and you live in Portugal, can you make use of your home healthcare service? Or is it that when you are registered in portugal and spending more than half the year there, that you cannot do that?

dmu

Do you mean the EHIC? Strictly speaking this is only valid for emergency treatment for tourists....
If it were France, either you get into the French Social Security System by paying "côtisations" as a salaried employee or self-employed, or you work for a UK company which sends you to France and there's an arrangement between the two countries, or you're retired and in receipt of a UK State Pension. Otherwise, after 3 months' proven residence in France as an "inactif", you could apply for healthcare coverage and, until then, you would have to take out private healthcare insurance.
But this is valid in France - you'd best ask on the Portugal forum how the System works there....

robodelfy

Thanks for all the info DMU. I'm learning a lot on these forums!