Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
#1
Born again atheist
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Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
Today we received a Copie Integrale of the missus's French Birth Certificate, registered in Tanganyika in 1951. from Nantes.
Can my freons advise as to next steps to get her a French passport? Does she first have to get a CNF or can she apply directly for citizenship?
Please be cognisant that we are currently resident ( for tax purposes) in the UK.
Can my freons advise as to next steps to get her a French passport? Does she first have to get a CNF or can she apply directly for citizenship?
Please be cognisant that we are currently resident ( for tax purposes) in the UK.
#2
Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
Today we received a Copie Integrale of the missus's French Birth Certificate, registered in Tanganyika in 1951. from Nantes.
Can my freons advise as to next steps to get her a French passport? Does she first have to get a CNF or can she apply directly for citizenship?
Please be cognisant that we are currently resident ( for tax purposes) in the UK.
Can my freons advise as to next steps to get her a French passport? Does she first have to get a CNF or can she apply directly for citizenship?
Please be cognisant that we are currently resident ( for tax purposes) in the UK.
#3
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Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
Today we received a Copie Integrale of the missus's French Birth Certificate, registered in Tanganyika in 1951. from Nantes.
Can my freons advise as to next steps to get her a French passport? Does she first have to get a CNF or can she apply directly for citizenship?
Please be cognisant that we are currently resident ( for tax purposes) in the UK.
Can my freons advise as to next steps to get her a French passport? Does she first have to get a CNF or can she apply directly for citizenship?
Please be cognisant that we are currently resident ( for tax purposes) in the UK.
tells you what documents are needed. Don't let things drag, as the Birth Certificate won't be valid 3 months after issue.
https://www.service-public.fr/partic...osdroits/F1051
says the CNF is issued by a Tribunal and you need it when applying for a Passport, therefore obtain it first. I actually did a lot of such paperwork when I first applied, but I've repressed it all since, and can't remember....
Hope this helps, but the Mairie will be even more helpful and, if it's like ours, will probably send the completed Application to the Préfecture with others.
#4
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Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
I thought a Carte d'Identité is enough to prove citizenship and related rights, and a UK (or other) passport can be used for travelling? Armed with the French birth certificate and usual stack of other documents, go dowm to the Mairie and they will walk you through the process - a form to fill out and attach the right supporting documents and then wait a month for the card to arrive. At least that is what I did and have not bothered with the passport as I already have 2 from other countries which meet my needs. Yes, the certificate from Nantes is only valid 3 months from issue so don't hang around too long.
#5
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Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
Presumably if she has a French birth certificate then that means she was born a French citizenship? In which case she has nothing to apply for, she is a French citizen. What papers she feels she needs - cart d'identité, passport - is entirely up to her. A carte d'identité will serve most purposes as Southbound says.
#6
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Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
I thought a Carte d'Identité is enough to prove citizenship and related rights, and a UK (or other) passport can be used for travelling? Armed with the French birth certificate and usual stack of other documents, go dowm to the Mairie and they will walk you through the process - a form to fill out and attach the right supporting documents and then wait a month for the card to arrive. At least that is what I did and have not bothered with the passport as I already have 2 from other countries which meet my needs. Yes, the certificate from Nantes is only valid 3 months from issue so don't hang around too long.
Not sure why I obtained/renewed my French Passport, having a valid UK one. Maybe at the time I didn't fancy being in a separate line at the Airport when travelling afar with OH.
Not all French people have one, the Cd'I being sufficient for ID when living/travelling within Europe.
#7
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Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
Presumably if she has a French birth certificate then that means she was born a French citizenship? In which case she has nothing to apply for, she is a French citizen. What papers she feels she needs - cart d'identité, passport - is entirely up to her. A carte d'identité will serve most purposes as Southbound says.
#8
Born again atheist
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Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Europe (to be specified).
Posts: 30,259
Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
I thought a Carte d'Identité is enough to prove citizenship and related rights, and a UK (or other) passport can be used for travelling? Armed with the French birth certificate and usual stack of other documents, go dowm to the Mairie and they will walk you through the process - a form to fill out and attach the right supporting documents and then wait a month for the card to arrive. At least that is what I did and have not bothered with the passport as I already have 2 from other countries which meet my needs. Yes, the certificate from Nantes is only valid 3 months from issue so don't hang around too long.
Presumably if she has a French birth certificate then that means she was born a French citizenship? In which case she has nothing to apply for, she is a French citizen. What papers she feels she needs - cart d'identité, passport - is entirely up to her. A carte d'identité will serve most purposes as Southbound says.
Wish us luck.
#9
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#10
Born again atheist
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
I've found out that our Mairie is "no longer competent" to issue Cartes d'Identités but the Mairie of a neighbouring (larger) town just over the border with Manche can do the job.
I think we'll give it a shot on Monday afternoon. Fingers crossed.
I think we'll give it a shot on Monday afternoon. Fingers crossed.
#11
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Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
OK. All went very smoothly at the Mairie in Carentan. We now have an application for the OH's Carte d'Identité electronically on its way to the Prefecture in Caen. The only glitch was explaining to the (helpful) staffer why the Copie Intégrale of her French birth certificate didn't have an entry recording her marriage to me (which was in England in 1972) and further that our British marriage certificate was an original and couldn't be updated every so often.
Fingers crossed we were told we should expect a result within 3 weeks.
Thanks for all your help.
Fingers crossed we were told we should expect a result within 3 weeks.
Thanks for all your help.
#12
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
Update: a bit of a set-back: We got a call from the Mairie in Carentan on Wednesday, saying that the Prefecture requested our marriage certificate in a copy dated less than three months old and a "mention" that my wife is a French Citizen. Oi whey. We pointed out that what we were trying to do was establish that she is a French citizen by applying for a Cd'I based on mother being French, born in France as were her grandparents and countless generations before on her mother's side.
So we went back to the Mairie and explained again to a different staffer that a British marriage certificate is a "document unique" and can't be updated. She accepted that and after a phone call to the Prefecture, so did they. OK.
Both the Mairie and the Prefecture agreed that having a French Birth Certificate was "likely" enough to prove her to be French, the Prefecture insisted that we get a "mention" that my wife is French from the "Ministre pour Europe et des Affaires Etrangers", Department this and department that.
So, we have to send the scanned docs to them so that they can confirm (or not) that she is French by birth
Maybe it would be simpler justt to go back to Canada after Brexit and freeze our arses off for the rest of our lives.
So we went back to the Mairie and explained again to a different staffer that a British marriage certificate is a "document unique" and can't be updated. She accepted that and after a phone call to the Prefecture, so did they. OK.
Both the Mairie and the Prefecture agreed that having a French Birth Certificate was "likely" enough to prove her to be French, the Prefecture insisted that we get a "mention" that my wife is French from the "Ministre pour Europe et des Affaires Etrangers", Department this and department that.
So, we have to send the scanned docs to them so that they can confirm (or not) that she is French by birth
Maybe it would be simpler justt to go back to Canada after Brexit and freeze our arses off for the rest of our lives.
Last edited by Novocastrian; Aug 3rd 2018 at 9:56 pm.
#13
Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
Update: a bit of a set-back: We got a call from the Mairie in Carentan on Wednesday, saying that the Prefecture requested our marriage certificate in a copy dated less than three months old and a "mention" that my wife is a French Citizen. Oi whey. We pointed out that what we were trying to do was establish that she is a French citizen by applying for a Cd'I based on mother being French, born in France as were her grandparents and countless generations before on her mother's side.
So we went back to the Mairie and explained again to a different staffer that a British marriage certificate is a "document unique" and can't be updated. She accepted that and after a phone call to the Prefecture, so did they. OK.
Both the Mairie and the Prefecture agreed that having a French Birth Certificate was "likely" enough to prove her to be French, the Prefecture insisted that we get a "mention" that my wife is French from the "Ministre pour Europe et des Affaires Etrangers", Department this and department that.
So, we have to send the scanned docs to them so that they can confirm (or not) that she is French by birth
Maybe it would be simpler justt to go back to Canada after Brexit and freeze our arses off for the rest of our lives.
So we went back to the Mairie and explained again to a different staffer that a British marriage certificate is a "document unique" and can't be updated. She accepted that and after a phone call to the Prefecture, so did they. OK.
Both the Mairie and the Prefecture agreed that having a French Birth Certificate was "likely" enough to prove her to be French, the Prefecture insisted that we get a "mention" that my wife is French from the "Ministre pour Europe et des Affaires Etrangers", Department this and department that.
So, we have to send the scanned docs to them so that they can confirm (or not) that she is French by birth
Maybe it would be simpler justt to go back to Canada after Brexit and freeze our arses off for the rest of our lives.
Applying this to Suisse Romande, I would say that you're now about 30% there...
#14
Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
Update: a bit of a set-back: We got a call from the Mairie in Carentan on Wednesday, saying that the Prefecture requested our marriage certificate in a copy dated less than three months old and a "mention" that my wife is a French Citizen. Oi whey. We pointed out that what we were trying to do was establish that she is a French citizen by applying for a Cd'I based on mother being French, born in France as were her grandparents and countless generations before on her mother's side.
So we went back to the Mairie and explained again to a different staffer that a British marriage certificate is a "document unique" and can't be updated. She accepted that and after a phone call to the Prefecture, so did they. OK.
Both the Mairie and the Prefecture agreed that having a French Birth Certificate was "likely" enough to prove her to be French, the Prefecture insisted that we get a "mention" that my wife is French from the "Ministre pour Europe et des Affaires Etrangers", Department this and department that.
So, we have to send the scanned docs to them so that they can confirm (or not) that she is French by birth
Maybe it would be simpler justt to go back to Canada after Brexit and freeze our arses off for the rest of our lives.
So we went back to the Mairie and explained again to a different staffer that a British marriage certificate is a "document unique" and can't be updated. She accepted that and after a phone call to the Prefecture, so did they. OK.
Both the Mairie and the Prefecture agreed that having a French Birth Certificate was "likely" enough to prove her to be French, the Prefecture insisted that we get a "mention" that my wife is French from the "Ministre pour Europe et des Affaires Etrangers", Department this and department that.
So, we have to send the scanned docs to them so that they can confirm (or not) that she is French by birth
Maybe it would be simpler justt to go back to Canada after Brexit and freeze our arses off for the rest of our lives.
#15
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Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Hérault (34)
Posts: 8,888
Re: Our journey to remain in the EU post Brexit (if needed)\
Update: a bit of a set-back: We got a call from the Mairie in Carentan on Wednesday, saying that the Prefecture requested our marriage certificate in a copy dated less than three months old and a "mention" that my wife is a French Citizen. Oi whey. We pointed out that what we were trying to do was establish that she is a French citizen by applying for a Cd'I based on mother being French, born in France as were her grandparents and countless generations before on her mother's side.
So we went back to the Mairie and explained again to a different staffer that a British marriage certificate is a "document unique" and can't be updated. She accepted that and after a phone call to the Prefecture, so did they. OK.
Both the Mairie and the Prefecture agreed that having a French Birth Certificate was "likely" enough to prove her to be French, the Prefecture insisted that we get a "mention" that my wife is French from the "Ministre pour Europe et des Affaires Etrangers", Department this and department that.
So, we have to send the scanned docs to them so that they can confirm (or not) that she is French by birth
Maybe it would be simpler justt to go back to Canada after Brexit and freeze our arses off for the rest of our lives.
So we went back to the Mairie and explained again to a different staffer that a British marriage certificate is a "document unique" and can't be updated. She accepted that and after a phone call to the Prefecture, so did they. OK.
Both the Mairie and the Prefecture agreed that having a French Birth Certificate was "likely" enough to prove her to be French, the Prefecture insisted that we get a "mention" that my wife is French from the "Ministre pour Europe et des Affaires Etrangers", Department this and department that.
So, we have to send the scanned docs to them so that they can confirm (or not) that she is French by birth
Maybe it would be simpler justt to go back to Canada after Brexit and freeze our arses off for the rest of our lives.
Best of luck, but, as BiP says, c'est la France....