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French Citizenship?

French Citizenship?

Old Mar 2nd 2018, 6:08 am
  #1  
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Default French Citizenship?

Hi all, I have been in France since 2006, married my French/Belgian wife here in 2007 and am now applying for French citizenship....(I am A UK citizen)

Is anyone else currently in the application process and do you have any advice to help avoid any of the inevitable French 'red tape'?
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Old Mar 2nd 2018, 6:53 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Originally Posted by Gapster
Hi all, I have been in France since 2006, married my French/Belgian wife here in 2007 and am now applying for French citizenship....(I am A UK citizen)

Is anyone else currently in the application process and do you have any advice to help avoid any of the inevitable French 'red tape'?
Hi, and welcome to the forum!
Can't advise personally as I'm dual nationality due to marriage with a Frenchman (and the same red tape was probably around last century!), but surely you've been here long enough to realise that you can't avoid the inevitabe French bureaucracy?
Just provide all the documents that they're asking for, gen up on French culture, attend any interviews, and wait....
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Old Mar 2nd 2018, 8:14 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Yes, that is the obvious answer . However, if anyone has had any 'unforseen' problems I'd be interested.

Brexit has inevitably thrown a few of us into 'Headless chicken' mode...
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Old Mar 2nd 2018, 9:07 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Originally Posted by Gapster
Yes, that is the obvious answer . However, if anyone has had any 'unforseen' problems I'd be interested.

Brexit has inevitably thrown a few of us into 'Headless chicken' mode...
Headless chickens must surely be those who haven't been here that long and who haven't mastered the language. You presumably speak French well enough after so long, and with a French-speaking wife, to boot...
Good luck!
Just found this link
https://www.immigration.interieur.go...ret-du-citoyen
in case you haven't already seen it.

Last edited by dmu; Mar 2nd 2018 at 9:09 am.
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Old Mar 2nd 2018, 11:13 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Yes, I've seen that thanks. I'm already in the process of applying with documents being translated etc. and passed the obligatory B1 French exam in December (unless you are over 60).

"Headless Chicken" as in the UK government haven't got a brain amongst them and anyone in mainland europe is waiting on something definitive to work from regarding Brexit. On a personal note I had planned to move on from here, possibly to the UK, but my UK nationality and Wife's French/Belgian nationality makes things a little more complicated.

Nothing new, but very frustrating to see UK politics gi down the toilet.
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Old Mar 17th 2018, 7:28 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Glad I found this thread. I have house in France (since 2004) and a family member has been here since about 2ooo - she has a degree in French and Business Studies from a UK university, a British Citizen, recently bought an expensive house in the Var and has 2 kids born in France. Her partner though is British (working offshore). She has been trying to apply for a French Passport through her accountant who is very successful ( he and wife got theirs before Brexit!). He has been trying for some of his clients for a long time but now has told them there is no progress in this matter with the French authorities and his can't do it! Further more she says her 10 year carte de sejour is no longer valid (not because it expired) and that all existing 10 year carte de sejour are being renewed. She has not got her new one yet and her child benefit has not been paid because of that. She was very confident of being able to stay in France but now is not and sees most of her friends are actually married to Europeans or can get Irish passports. Any advise gratefully received!
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Old Mar 17th 2018, 9:05 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Originally Posted by Sabi Star
Glad I found this thread. I have house in France (since 2004) and a family member has been here since about 2ooo - she has a degree in French and Business Studies from a UK university, a British Citizen, recently bought an expensive house in the Var and has 2 kids born in France. Her partner though is British (working offshore). She has been trying to apply for a French Passport through her accountant who is very successful ( he and wife got theirs before Brexit!). He has been trying for some of his clients for a long time but now has told them there is no progress in this matter with the French authorities and his can't do it! Further more she says her 10 year carte de sejour is no longer valid (not because it expired) and that all existing 10 year carte de sejour are being renewed. She has not got her new one yet and her child benefit has not been paid because of that. She was very confident of being able to stay in France but now is not and sees most of her friends are actually married to Europeans or can get Irish passports. Any advise gratefully received!
Hi, maybe you should start a new thread (New Thread, top left) under the title of "Carte de Séjour for British Citizen", for example.
Can't advise on the CdS front, except to wonder why, as a British Citizen, your relative applied for one in the first place. Most expats arriving after the UK entered the EU didn't bother... Apparently, there's a backlog at present due to the influx of applications after Brexit was proclaimed....
You should give more info on the ownership of "her" house - did she buy it jointly with her partner? Is her partner the father of her children? Whatever, the fact that they are a couple not legally bound will lead to Taxe de Succession issues and for that reason alone, they should envisage getting married! The Notaire must have made her aware of the issues when the house was purchased and proposed means for protecting every one....
As she has an accountant, she must be running a business and must therefore be paying "côtisations" into the System. If so, why is the CAF requiring a valid CdS for her to receive child benefits?
Post again with more info on your relative's situation, which isn't very clear from your post.
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Old Mar 17th 2018, 9:30 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Thanks so much dmu for taking the time to reply - I only learn of this situation a day ago. My family member has always said regarding Brexit that she would never have a problem in France because she had a 10 year carte de sejour. I imagine she was advised to get one. Regarding the property - it was bought by her and her partner - she owns most of it as she had flat before in France for 15 years which she sold, some savings and she has a smallish mortgage. Her partner has a mortgage too. The kids are only 3 and 1 - they haven't thought about inheritance as yet ! They are not getting married! She has been running a successful business - but is less involved with it since having the kids - she gave half of it away in return for investment in it - but that is another story -also she has 2 franchisees for the business - so is trying to keep it going.
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Old Mar 17th 2018, 9:50 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Originally Posted by Sabi Star
Thanks so much dmu for taking the time to reply - I only learn of this situation a day ago. My family member has always said regarding Brexit that she would never have a problem in France because she had a 10 year carte de sejour. I imagine she was advised to get one. Regarding the property - it was bought by her and her partner - she owns most of it as she had flat before in France for 15 years which she sold, some savings and she has a smallish mortgage. Her partner has a mortgage too. The kids are only 3 and 1 - they haven't thought about inheritance as yet ! They are not getting married! She has been running a successful business - but is less involved with it since having the kids - she gave half of it away in return for investment in it - but that is another story -also she has 2 franchisees for the business - so is trying to keep it going.
Sorry to insist, but, however young and healthy they may be, either one might die as a result of an accident, and, if they die intestate, their respective shares in the property will go to their children, not to the surviving partner. If a partner is named in a Will, he/she would have to pay 60% Taxe de Succession on the value of the bequest. "Partners" risk a lot, if the worst happens....
Fore-warned is fore-armed!
Can you find out why the CAF is requiring a valid CdS? I used to get the insignificant Child Benefit for 2 children without any ado (it was automatically triggered off after the second birth), and was running a business, but by then I was French by marriage, which might have been two factors easing the process.... Some one more in the know will be able to advise if you give more info.
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Old Mar 17th 2018, 10:35 am
  #10  
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Originally Posted by dmu
Sorry to insist, but, however young and healthy they may be, either one might die as a result of an accident, and, if they die intestate, their respective shares in the property will go to their children, not to the surviving partner. If a partner is named in a Will, he/she would have to pay 60% Taxe de Succession on the value of the bequest. "Partners" risk a lot, if the worst happens....
Fore-warned is fore-armed!
Can you find out why the CAF is requiring a valid CdS? I used to get the insignificant Child Benefit for 2 children without any ado (it was automatically triggered off after the second birth), and was running a business, but by then I was French by marriage, which might have been two factors easing the process.... Some one more in the know will be able to advise if you give more info.
Thanks so much again for your information - will try to find out more!
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Old Mar 17th 2018, 10:45 am
  #11  
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Originally Posted by Sabi Star
Thanks so much again for your information - will try to find out more!
You're welcome!
But start a New Thread, as this one's title doesn't correspond to your enquiries and I only read your post by chance!
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Old Mar 17th 2018, 3:33 pm
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

When CAF asks an EU citizen for a carte de séjour it's usually because CAF aren't able to confirm that person's rights from the details they have on record. Usually this happens when a person has had periods of being employed mixed in with periods of being unemployed. CAF doesn't make decisions on residency status but it does need to verify that status before it can give out benefits, so in cases where a person's status is not black and white, CAF needs a decision from the préfecture on whether or not the person is deemed to have adequately met the residency criteria. Hence asking for a valid carte de séjour. But I don't see how this can be the case if the lady in question has been running a business without a break, her status hasn't changed and she has consistently reported sufficient income.

Last edited by EuroTrash; Mar 17th 2018 at 3:37 pm.
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Old Mar 18th 2018, 10:18 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Thanks EuroTrash for your reply. The person in question has now told me she does expect to get new Carte de Sejour (required because she is British) but has to provide 5 years of utility bills and 5 years of proof of tax payments to get it and she seems less worried about her situation.
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Old Mar 18th 2018, 11:29 am
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Originally Posted by Sabi Star
Carte de Sejour (required because she is British)
Still doesn't really make sense because all EU citizens including British have the automatic right to freedom of movement within the EU and are not required to have a carte de séjour. However as said,when the administration has a doubt over whether an EU citizen has been consistently exercising their rights correctly, a carte de séjour may be requested as proof that the préfecture classes them as legally resident. As long as she has all the correct paperwork there won't be a problem.
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Old Mar 18th 2018, 12:41 pm
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Default Re: French Citizenship?

Thanks again - she is saying this new Carte de Jour is all ''new'' for Brits.
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