Carte de Sejour - documents required for application

General Discussion
#1

As I understand it the documents required for the on-line request for a CdS - in October as we now know - are as follows: This is based on my loose translation of the relevant gouv.fr website on my last visit…

• Copy of? Passport (UK / EU / Other?) with visa - what visa?
• Birth certificate
• Certified French translation of birth certificate.
• 3 identity photos in black & white.
• Proof of residence in France – e.g statutory bills / house ownership etc
• Medical insurance / Carte Vitale
• Tax Return / Avis for past year

And apparently there is now no French language proficiency test - not for retirees anyway?

And presumably the Passport and Birth Certificates required are e-copies - with accompanying formal attestation to them being copies of the originals?

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#2

There never has been. That’s only required if you are going for a French passport.

#3

…woops - plus I was forgetting - evidence of financial independence - full UK pension or other etc…

#4

I think that you are over complicating things. They are asking for photocopies/photos so will hardly want proof that it is a copy. You will probably need to include a few bank statements somewhere along the line.
Don’t forget the government has paved the way for non French speakers.
https://brexit.gouv.fr/sites/brexit/accueil/vous-etes-britannique-en.html

#5

Whilst waiting for more knowledgeable comments, …

Visa? Presumably if from a country requiring a visa to be in FR

Proof of res? Could be tricky for late arrivals, such as I may well be.

Anybody care to comment on the ‘hébérgement’ attestation? It’s my fond hope … staying with a pal. Saves all the grunt of renting.

Tax Return / Avis. If one has had no financial dealings in FR prior to arrival/application, how does that work?

e-copies. What are e-copies? The only copies of p/p I have been asked to supply for various institutions are photocopies or jpgs of the actual p/p. The UK p/p is now so thick with holograms etc that photocopies or jpgs are well-nigh unreadable - which is the point, of course.

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#6

France has stated that anyone fulfilling the basic requirements for residency by 31/12/2020 will be able to apply for a CdS. That means having been established here for at least three months and having applied to enter the health system and have proof of meeting the threshold for income. There are however different cards. If you have just squeezed in you will be applying for a short term, probably one year card and will have to re-apply next year. They have also stated that they will allow people who meet the standard and continue to do so to be able to reach the five year point and apply for the permanent card. People who are more established, perhaps two or three years, will possibly be able to apply for a card that will take them up to the five year milestone. They will be expected to supply proof of tax returns in addition to the basic requirements. People who have already established the five years residence will be applying for a ‘permanent’ card. Those people who already have a permanent CdS (UE) will only need to provide a copy of that and a copy of the relevant passport page. Any members of the last group who applied online last November don’t have to do anything.
It’s not a case of one size fits all and the French authorities have organised things to support ‘us’ as much as is possible.
An e-copy is a scan or photograph sent as a digital file.

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#7

I think there may be some confusion re the 90 day thing. This is what I have come up with:

"Every EU citizen has the right to reside in another EU country for a period of up to three months, without any conditions or formalities other than the requirement to hold a valid identity card or passport."

This is the crucial point. You can be in any EU country for up to 90 days without having to jump thru’ any hoops, have any papers other than a p/port - just be there.

Then, depending on the EU country, formalities and an application MAY kick in. In Spain, this is the case. After 90 days, I had to register as res.

FRANCE HAS NEVER HAD THE STIPULATION TO REGISTER AS A RESIDENT UNTIL BREXIT MADE IT NECESSARY BECAUSE ON 31/12/2020 BRITS LOSE THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT.

So, although it would be advisable to get to France tomorrow, under the conditions that apply today, 30/12/2020 would do if you can demonstrate the intention to stay.

My assessment above is based on this:

"The withdrawal agreement concluded between the United Kingdom and the European Union provides for a transition period to run until 31 December 2020. During this period, British citizens and their family members already living in France or wishing to move to France before 31 December 2020 retain their rights as European citizens and are not required to hold a residence permit.

Pursuant to this agreement, these citizens will need to apply for “withdrawal agreement” residence permits. However, they have a long timeframe in which to make their application since they will only be required to hold a residence permit as of 1 July 2021."

from https://brexit.gouv.fr/sites/brexit/accueil/vous-etes-britannique-en/droit-au-sejour-en.html

My italics.

So, one does not have to have got one’s feet formally under the FR table by 01/10/2020, by my reading of the above.

#8

I would be very surprised if the photos were required to be in b&w. Normally the requirement in france is colour photos to standard format that are less than 6 months old.

Attestation d’hébergement work fine, and there are many templates online.

#9

i had to produce a full list of all jobs and positions held - inc addresses and durations, plus personal addresses even for countries where i did short term contracts; as this covered some twenty countries and more than forty addresses this was a major task;
as many of these companies no longer existed didn’t help, but i doubted anyone would seriously check each one, it was also a bit frustrating; still, it was done;
getting married in a restaurant in moonee ponds in melbourne might have raised the odd eyebrow in the uk (being edna everidge territory), but all went ok; even the lack of info on my father was no major hassle, although i thought it might be;
lot of work but worth it!

#10

Norman - I think that was for your nationality application, not your carte de séjour (which of course you don’t need because you are french :grinning:)

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#11

In simple terms up to 90 days is considered being on holiday although you are resident from the first day if you are intending to stay. The difficulty comes when they start to use words like stable and regular.
If I was planning to arrive in France hoping to apply for a CdS I would make sure that I was in place before the end of September. This has been a long time coming, I would be a fool if I thought that turning up on New Year’s Eve was the same thing.

#12

And following from David’s point; given the variation in approach of préfectures even if legally you could rock up on 31 Dec, and apply for your CdS sometime between then and June 2021, you could be faced with an intractable functionnaire who wants absolute proof that you were living legally and stably in France before the 31st Dec 2020. And if you don’t have that to their satisfaction there isn’t a time machine that will allow you to backtrack. Some french functionnaires you just don’t argue with.

So for last minute newcomers having electricity and water bills showing consumption, handfuls of receipts for basic necessities and all that sort of thing may be worth keeping just in case.

#13

oops! doesnt take much to get me confoosed these days! sorry about that

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#14

So, as predicted, the French web site for us expat Brits to register as legally being resident here will not be ready in July.

It is “expected” to be ready in October.

More prevarication and dithering from the French Government, all the while denying us proof of our right to reside and work in France.

This is ignoring the implications of the EU’s failure to protect not just those of us that are permanently resident in the EU27 (and can comply with EU27 governments requirements) but thoe who have habitually been part-time residents (often for more than 6 months), own property or businesses, are cross-border or posted workers or simply have relatives who are resident in an EU27 state,

Yes, I am banging on about the same thing that I have been banging on for several years, but that is because the problem still exists after several years.

Grahame.

#15

I’m confused.
Why do you live here if you don’t think the French Govt is looking after your interests? The prevarication and dithering comes from your UK roots courtesy of an inconsistent and frankly incapable UK Govt.

Utter and complete bollocks as well you know (or seem not to want to understand).

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#16

… et tout ce bordel, c’est la faute de qui… les Britanniques ! Et de toute façon, pour le moment il n’y a pas de problème et il n’y en aura pas non plus, t’inquiète pas, ça va le faire ! :wink:

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#17

For heaven’s sake have you not noticed that there is a pandemic going on? I am perfectly happy that the French have prioritised dealing with that crisis and kept number of fatalities at around 50% of the UK’s appalling toll. Sorting out a minor admin matter for a few thousand immigrants is really not that important in the scheme of things. Why should we be a priority when it is a mess caused by the UK.

Anyway if you have the proof that you are a legal resident then whether or not you have a small rectangle of paper to show this quickly is not actually essential. There are alternatives for many things in France (apart from your birth certificate).

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#18

You might find this reference enlightening :wink:

#19

There has been a little problem called COVID-19 which has caused governments a few problems. The French government has let us know that they are delaying the opening of their online portal, that shows that they are organised. Logically if it had opened they would have been flooded with applications at exactly the time that many of the prefecture staff go on holiday so it’s unlikely that many o& those applications would have been processed before September. September, that’s the month when the portal will open so has that much time been wasted?
I’ve met a few people over the years who make me want to ask the question, What made you voluntarily choose to live in a country that you hate? I’ve never know; anyone who is more deserving of that question than you.

#20

Graham,

Here you go again.

No positive contribution just slagging me off.

Why don’t you get with the program and do something positive?

I am entitled to a CdS UE from the French Government for 20 years or more, they have refused to issue one. How is that the UK government’s problem.

Some facts from you would be appreciated.,

Grahame Pigney

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