“Google can only go so far… and it is understandable that some folk will cling to what they want/prefer/need to believe when using Google to translate”.
Thank you all for your clarifications.
In my case it’s not at all about ‘clinging to any hope’, it was simply to understand what is/is not the real requirement. Had the French further quantified what they meant i.e. an ‘already officially recognised resident’ then I would not have needed to ask. However such ambiguity will no doubt have confused others. Presumably this is the same residency criteria as that which some ‘rich’ people use when then say they live/reside in Monaco, but in reality seldom ever go there.
That said, the issue of actual time residing surely must be of some account inasmuch as if it is perfectly legal to reside in France for 6 months of the year as long as it is not for more than 3 months in any 6 month period.
The bigger picture for me was the 3 months in 6 in the EU, as my time hitherto has been split between France, Spain and the UK, with different size thirds in different years. Hence the time duration limitation was a worry, far more so than where I pay Tax and Healthcare.
The Driving Licence issue is of more concern, and is something I will need to investigate further with hopefully the assistance of kind helpers.
In hindsight perhaps residency in Spain would have been a better option ?
Well, you did not have to be an already officially recognised resident. You could also be moving to France to become a legal resident (venant s’installer en France avant le 31 décembre 2020).
I think that the meaning is clear enough in French, it is a standard term, not just two words that have been put together for the first time in this document. It is a concept that crops up very often in EU legislation, because residence is obviously quite central to the whole Freedom of Movement thing, and all EU countries have their own version of it. In French they say “résidence stable et régulière”. The usual English rendering is “stable and legal residence”.
Monaco has exceptions for rich people! As a principality it is a very odd country in terms of rules.
Spain is apparently being tougher than France on sticking to the rules, and has a higher income threshold, so not necessarily “easier” than France.
People who are carrying on doing the 90/180 pattern are not residing in France, but visiting. If you dig into the details of this it is a “ visitor” waiver scheme.
If this relates to you, rather than just curiosity, then perhaps you do need to make sure your regularise your position. Where do you declare your income tax? The deadline for 2020 French taxes was in June, so you should have an income tax statement now (even if no tax to pay). At some point the dots will be joined up, and will be uncomfortable for those where this exposes irregularity. The issue for you maybe one of the amount of time - but for all the authorities the tax and healthcare issues are critical!
If you like to move around, why not stay a UK resident and spend 99€ on a long stay visa each year?
Exactly my interpretation Jane, I don’t use Google for translation but WordReference.com and faux amis are normally explained with alternatives.
My use of the word normally is a case in point, which even WordReference does not give justice to.
When I started working for a local haulier I was tasked to deliver a load to Bordeaux and then collect another near there for somewhere else, but to ring in as soon as I was empty. When I did so I asked if my loading point was still the same and the reply was ‘normalement oui, mais tout a change, maintenant il faut que aller…’ and then he gave me a totally different address, load and destination.
Thus in this case ‘normalement’ was used as ‘originally’, totally different in English and for a time I assumed that I had misunderstood ‘normalement’, until later I realised that the obvious translation is also correct. Very confusing, and something which even now many years later, slows my understanding of spoken French, and composition of the written version.
As evidenced by the fact that several people have posted while I was writing this.
For the life of me, I cannot fathom why anyone might misunderstand the online application Brexit CdS thingy…
I am British - I have been living in France for more than 5 years: …
If one does not hold a Residence Permit, one is asked to provide a document “indicating the date of my settling in France”.
seems straight forward… “date of settling in France”
and for those with less than 5 years under their belt… there’s a lot of paperwork to provide.
France has been more than fair (in my opinion) but it might be unwise for anyone to test their patience too far.
Hopefully, anyone who has mis-interpreted/misunderstood… will set matters straight asap. No-one needs added stress in these already difficult times.
In theory all countries were supposed to apply the Withdrawal Agreement in the same way. I am not sure this has actually happened.
But I think that whichever country you chose, you would not be allowed to pick and choose and have different residency statuses for driving licence, vehicle registration, social security, taxation and so on. You are resident or you are not. But I suppose what you can get away with, depends how joined up a country’s administration is and how strictly they want to enforce it. France’s administration is quite joined up but it remains to be seen how strict they want to be. As compared to the UK which when you read about the problems EU nationals in the UK are having, it seems their records are not very joined up but they have set out to be very strict, which is probably the worst possible combination.
There is a very interesting members-only article in TheLocal today about France launching a special visitors CdS especially for people like second home owners. It doesn’t have the WA benefits of the “proper” one but does allow people to spend more than 90 days in 180. I’ve copied the gist out of it here -
As part of the French government’s ongoing process of moving more official processes online, a visitor’s card can now be applied for via an online portal.
Who is it for?
The carte de séjour “visiteur” is a temporary residence permit for non-EU visitors who wish to spend more than three months in France without working.
Citizens of many non-EU countries, including Americans, Australians and, since January 2021, Brits, are allowed to spend 90 days out of every 180 in the EU without applying for a visa or residency. However, if you plan to stay for longer, you will need to apply for a visa or residency card.
The card lasts for one year, and can be renewed.
The carte de séjour “visiteur” is particularly useful for second-home owners who may want to spend more than three months in France at a time.
The government’s website also lists parents with dependent children living in France, those who are Pacsed but have been living with their partner for less than a year, and members of the clergy practicing in France as groups who could be eligible.
That’s what I thought! Looks like you need to provide quite a few documents and it is only issued once you have a visa then you can get this when the visa is running out and can renew it easily every year.
Seems complicated but I think it probably isn’t too bad - it’s all on-line so easier to get than a normal visa.
So, one applies for a Visitor’s Visa to spend more than the 90/180 days in Schengen… then, once the Visa is granted and before it runs out… you can apply for a CdS-Visiteur (to renew each year).
Yes I think that is the gist of the rules and yes there is a cost… hang on a minute…
Edited: 225 euros but I think that is for the first one. TheLocal is vague about renewal costs. You can’t apply without a visa as you need to upload a copy of it, but the portal to do this is apparently - Étrangers en France - presumably selecting the titre de sejour icon as you already have the visa
Sounds like a good idea, as for the cost, I think that’ll be for each one just like all the other titres de séjours ( I sell the timbres fiscaux and that’s how it works for everyone else, just like passports and lost id cards etc.)
Doesn’t this exist already? The long stay visa….that you can transform into a CdS once you are here? The news being that you can do it online now, rather than queuing at the embassy?
(Or am I just being too cynical about not believing anything in the Local )
I think you are being cynical, Jane The CdS seemed to me to be a new type of CdS for visitors only - not workers or residents or anything - but I probably misunderstood the previous regulations (wouldn’t be at all surprising…)
My 25 yr old son had his walet stolen this week with all his cards including his carte de séjour.
Hes trying to get a duplicate on Line.
After filling in certain info . He was asked to click européen or non européen.
He has lived her for 23 yrs but is English. The result is he clicked non européen and they Ask for 225 euros for a replacement card. (Européens just pay a small taxe)
He didnt order the duplicate at that Price.
Anybody know différent ?
Thé préfecture at Toulouse said dont know just order on Line ! On Line 225 euros for a duplicate.
just a thought… did he report the theft to the gendarmes…??? and has he contacted his insurance company… might be worth asking them if the theft is covered.
@strudball I think this link might be informative/useful… give it a whirl
)
The CdS seemed to me to be a new type of CdS for visitors only - not workers or residents or anything - but I probably misunderstood the previous regulations (wouldn’t be at all surprising…)