No, I know better than arguing with un(e) fonctionnaire - on either side of the channel 
I donāt know, Bill, but would the law that allows you to do that still be valid after brexit? Does it only apply to people from EU member states?
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Hi Debraā¦ I seem to recall that it was decided: To deny anyone Resident in Franceā¦ the right to choose their land or birth for their Inheritance Lawā¦ would be discriminatory. Having said that, there is a legal path which must be followed to ensure that the correct phrasing etc is used ā¦
Our ālegal eagleā @Guillaume_Barlet-Bat knows all about itā¦
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Thanks very much Debra, for coming back, are Americans, Australians etc able to apply their countries Law in this case?
The EU Inheritance Law about āland of birthā applies to every Resident in France ā¦ but must be done through the correct legal channels before death 
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Suggest that the regulation re wills wonāt change after Brexitā¦
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Willsā¦ and Inheritance are discussed at great length in the LEGAL ADVICE section of this forumā¦
there is a wealth of questions/answers/informationā¦ just waiting for you all to findā¦ 
We wrote our own wills (holographic) quoting the relevant acts, took them to the notaire to look through. She said they were āperfectā and would be acceptable by law. Whatās more she didnāt even charge a sou 
Of course everyoneās situation is different so it pays to take legal advice.
As Stella says there is a lot of information on this forum
Hello Philip,
Getting back to the original post;
Iām sorry to hear about your wifeās health problem , and understand your reluctance to get involved with the āpaperasseā. However , I have been surprised by some of the posts on this thread stressing the difficulty of obtaining a ācarte de sejour permanenteā.
Like you , we had cartes in the 90s and applied to renew them via the Charente-Maritime Prefecture. At the interview , we found that all our original documents were still on file , and the very helpful and friendly lady there was really only interested in our last 5 years of tax avis - as she said they proved that we are resident and have sufficient resources and confirmed our address. It is free of charge.
I am certain that you will have no difficulty.
On the other hand , friends who have gone for naturalisation, have found the process expensive, and long-winded , and at least one , although quite wealthy was turned down , because , living solely off bank interest , he was deemed to have no secure income.
Me too Patrick - surprised to say the least! I found the whole process really simple, efficient and quick - one day short of 3 weeks from start to finish, cards in hand. Iāve always found it invaluable to ask the Prefecture what they want before going off at an unnecessary tangent! Easy paperwork, easy meeting (finger prints etc) - totally stress free! Vive lāAriĆØge!!
OK well as an inactive in the Charente, divorced twice and with three children under my charge, the combination of the briefcase and box file I had to carry to my prefecture was quite heavy!
Nine months from making the appointment to getting the card!
Iām really impressed when I hear of people have a simple and quick procedure and just wish all the prefectures could have that. Still, at least I got one and only needed the two visits (one to supply all the paperwork and one to pick up the card). Iāve read some awful accounts of experiences at other prefectures. The guy in the Connexion who is writing a diary of his procedure is an example - though at least he got a card, albeit only with a yearās duration. Many have simply been sent away with nothing, their application not even considered, because their prefecture refuses to issue them to EU Citizens or even specifically British people.
My sonās dossier for his application for naturalisation was comparatively simple.
Just nuts isnāt it Debra! :-
Yep!
I was told I needed translations of all my certificates etc, so at great expense I got them all done - but the guys who handled my application (one was in training) didnāt actually look at the translations but just entered the details from my originals (which werenāt less than 3 months old). Yet since then, people who have applied at my prefecture have been told they need the translations - and turned away if they didnāt have them. Seems odd when that EU rule about not needing them has supposedly been implemented in France, even though itās not mandatory yet.
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