handslikesecrets

I was born & raised in England until I was 14, when I moved to the USA (step-father is American, mother re-married), and now I am a naturalized US citizen.
My father is half French, and I, as his son, was on his passport (literally, there was a little photo of me in his French passport) until I was a certain age as a child.
I currently have a British & USA passports.
I am heading back to England in April for a few months.
I would like to get a French passport. Do I need to pass any sort of test, will I be required to speak French, and will there be any obligations (specifically, national service)? Obviously, I am not a French citizen, so how does that work? Am I still eligible?
I'm not very familiar with the rules as far as passports are concerned. Will I just be required to go to the embassy and apply for my French passport? I know it's not a necessity by any means, but it could be useful.
Thanks for any help!

cyrian

Don't think you will be allowed to hold 3 passports by the UK.
As has been said on the USA forum, you simply do not need a french passport in Europe.
As a UK passport holder, the only reason you need to show your EU passport when entering or leaving France is because the UK is a non-shengen country. (Google it) Otherwise you are as free to travel in the EU without any visa requirements as you are travelling from New York to LA.
Why do you want a french passport???

dmu

Hi, there was a thread not long ago about a UK citizen wanting a French Passport.
I'm dual-nationality by marriage and the only advantage of "being French" is that I can vote in all the elections. If you aren't intending to live in France, there's no point in wasting the time, energy and money necessary to obtain a Passport, even if you are eligible.
If you really want to, then consult your nearest French Consulate and be prepared to provide a ton of paperwork, including your father's birth/marriage certificates, possibly French grandparents' birth/marriage certificates.....
Good luck!

brioche

Have a look at the previous thread on this topic.

Assuming EU freedom of movement is here to stay, documenting French citizenship is likely to be useful only if long-term residence in France is the aim. However, French (and therefore EU) citzenship can be inherited by multiple generations born abroad, which isn't the case with British citizenship. There will also be some minor differences in third-country visa requirements, but that is unlikely to be useful.

It's perfectly legal under UK law, and indeed does occur when people are recognised as citizens by two or more other countries.

cyrian

My error. I thought that I had read this somewhere.
However, the USA does not encourage even dual nationality for its citizens although it is not prohibited.
Have a look here: http://travel.state.gov/law/citizens...nship_778.html
Apparently you have to have the agreement of the other states when you apply for an additional citizenship.

cupoftea

Applying for and attaining french nationality is a complex and lengthy process. We have done it and it has taken more than three years -and we still have not had the 'ceremony' and got our final papers.

You have to be resident for five years before you can even apply. They go into every single aspect of your life, check all financial and police records, assess your fluency in french. We were interviewed at the gendarmarie and at the Préfecture. You have to prove that your income is generated in France and is sufficient for you to live on. We had to provide evidence of our level of integration in the community, including a letter from our Maire. Certainly not for the faint hearted, anyone with anything to hide, or on a whim because it would be nice.

The place to start, as with many other things, is here http://www.service-public.fr/ where you will find 'from the horses' mouth' information, including instructions and application forms.

Unless one is really committed to being a permanent immigrant, I hardly think that it would be worth even considering.

wetwang

With such a strange name the OP may have nefarious reasons for wanting different passports. They could help you 'disappear' or could fetch good money in Bulgaria.
Other than for avoiding long queues at Charles de Gaulle immigration there does not seem much point in having one.

dmu

I've just realised that the OP asked the same question in November 2011. Is he hoping for more encouraging advice this time?

handslikesecrets

Yes, my question wasn't fully answered last time and I was just contemplating it- now I'm making the move, and all my questions have been answered. Thanks!

brioche

The OP is asking about documenting French citizenship inherited from his father, not applying for naturalisation.

brioche

Well, people keep saying it on these forums. :-)

The USA used to be more intolerant of multiple citizenship but doesn't seem to care much these days as long as US citizens present themselves as such at the border.

This unofficial FAQ is quite detailed: http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

The point being made there is that the USA is not responsible for what happens to your citizenship status under the laws of other countries, and that you should check what's likely to happen with the relevant authorities.

Some countries (e.g. Austria, South Africa) do require an application to be made to retain citizenship when naturalising elsewhere. Many do not.

cupoftea

I understand this, but if the application wa

cupoftea

I understand this, but if the application was not made whilst the OP was a minor, I am not sure how the half-french father affects his application now. As I read the information, he would need to make a regular application for naturalisation, in which case it might be considered a factor in his favour. I am very happy to be corrrected on this if I have misunderstood.

brioche

Ah, OK.

The other thread appeared inconclusive to me about whether citizenship by descent had to be documented under French law while a minor, and I can't find any clear information on French government websites.

If it's the former (as seems likely) then it's still possible that the relevant records were made when the OP was entered on his father's French passport, in which case a birth certificate should be obtainable from the register office in Nantes.