French Citizenship Pros and Cons?

FFS
And all I did to be helpful was to add on some extra info to make what you had provided complete…

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Just to bring the discussion back on topic, I have been in touch with my regional deputy’s office. For those of you who have been waiting for a long time or having problems, it is worth contacting your local deputy’s office and asking for their assistance. Once a dossier has been submitted they can then intervene, particularly if it’s taking a particularly long time to process.

Also to avoid the problem with different prefectures requiring different things, I have been advised to do the following:
Download the official list of documents required from the government website.
Tick off each item as you have it and send in the file with this on top and the documents in the same order. If the Prefecture then requests different documents and/or translations supposedly required, contact the deputy office who can intervene in this instance as well.
Just to pre-empt any potential ‘this won’t work responses’, I would like to confirm that this is what I was told on Tuesday of this week and as soon as my file is submitted, I will be handing it over to the very nice deputy who is looking after my case and letting him sort it out.

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Nice one, Dee :sunglasses:, your dossier should take sooo much less time than mine did (the classic 3+ years :scream:)

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I got lucky because I’m a volunteer in the right association and I live in the right place. :wink:

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I suppose my concern would be that getting someone to intervene would so p** off the responsible officer that I would be deluged in nit-picking. But yes, I will give it a while longer and then follow your advice.

Edit, how did you choose which deputy you contacted?

Without any help my application took 14 months, done on the PACA platform based in Marseille.

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You need to contact your regional deputy’s office as they are the ones who deal with anything territorial.

Lucky you! The midi-pyrénées platform in Toulouse was soooo over loaded. Mine should have been a year (over 10 years residency, French kids etc.) but took over 3, which seems pretty much par for the course for many other régions too.

I must have a guardian angel.

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In the good old days of rock and roll it took three months…

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There are 5 deputies in our department…from different parties.

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Can’t help you there I’m afraid. I would ask at the mairie who is the deputy most likely to assist matters relating to your commune/area and see what they say. You don’t necessarily have to tell them why you want to know but it may help to get the right person.

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I fully intend to do my French citizenship ASAP.

I have been in France for nearly 13 years now, I’m 43 so I’ve now spent more time paying into the French taxation and pension system than the British one! All my affairs are in France, house, savings, pension, even driving license, there’s nothing in the UK any more except for a dormant company I set up as a freelancer that I have to file a Companies House return for every year (I’ve kept it open “just in case”). I mean there’s my dad and my sister, but you know what I mean. Nothing ‘legal’, if you will.

But mainly my daughter finds herself in an awkward situation - my kids are culturally French, but my daughter has no technical right to French citizenship, even though we moved here when she was 9 months old! She has no French parents and she wasn’t born on French soil, so tant pis. (Bit different for my son, he was born in Nîmes and, if I understand correctly, if he still lives in France when he’s 18 then he’ll become French automatically unless he asks not to be?) My wife is Italian and has no intention of becoming French (although she went through the French school system - long story) so in order for my daughter to have the right to “Frenchness” I have to become French.

Add in Brexit and all the other reasons already listed, it just makes sense for me to do so anyway.

I’ve got my dossier together, I’ve done the language test (which was quite easy, actually, if anyone’s wondering - turns out I’m C1 for everything except writing - which was a pleasant surprise, couple of levels above the requirement for citizenship!) so now I’m just waiting for my stupid Carte de Séjour, because of course without a valid resident permit you can’t launch the process. Fingers crossed I’ll get it soon and I’ll be trotting to Montpellier to submit my paperwork! :sunglasses:

Can’t really think of any ‘cons’, as far as I know I won’t even have to give up UK citizenship. I just hope I get accepted, but I should imagine as a French ‘chef d’entreprise’ with four French members of staff, good taxpayer, family man and volunteer English teacher/school governor I’m in good stead, as long as I’ve done all my homework… :crossed_fingers:

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You dont’ need to wait - no one has the right to ask you for a residency permit before the 01/10/21 - all rights are retained under the WA until then. You could also submit with your proof of having handed it in at least then they know you have applied.

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I’m sure you’ve checked the details far more throughly than I have but we have Brit friends who moved here when their son was 5 and he told me that because he had been through the French schooling system completely, he could apply for citizenship although it wouldn’t be automatic like it was for his brother who was born here. Have I got this wrong? (He has since married a French girl and has two French children!)

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Indeed, my daughter can APPLY. But it’s not automatic, like my son. And the French government can totally say no. Unlikely, but possible.

Similar situation to mine, Greg, (although my kids are French). There are no “cons” apart from the long wait but you’ll get naturalised sans problème, tes enfants aussi :wink:

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Thanks for the assurance! :slightly_smiling_face: I’m not really concerned for my daughter, but things change. I’d rather have it done, you never know!

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Hi, I am thinking of applying for citizenship as I have a son of 32 speaks fluent french but lives in Uk.
He was devastated to loose freedom of movement for himself and everyone else after Brexit.

He had always wanted to live in France at moment his work is in Uk but could be transferred to France.
If I succeed in obtaining citizenship can he automatically apply for the same if he moves here? If not I don’t see any point in my applying, particularly with Fr inheritance laws. Am I wrong to assume that?

Unforetunately, It won’t/wouldn’t make any difference for your son, Judi, he’ll still have to live in France for 5 years, pay his taxes etc. here before he can apply for naturalisation. Naturalisation par affiliation only applies to children who are here and mentioned in the naturalisation process :

L’enfant mineur devient Français lorsque l’un de ses parents devient français si les 2 conditions suivantes sont remplies :

  • L’enfant réside habituellement avec ce parent (ou alternativement en cas de divorce ou de séparation).
  • Le nom de l’enfant est indiqué dans le décret de naturalisation ou la déclaration du parent.

Il est possible de demander la naturalisation d’un enfant mineur resté étranger alors que l’un de ses parents est devenu Français. L’enfant doit toutefois résider en France avec ce parent depuis au moins 5 ans à la date de la demande.

Si le parent devient Français alors que son enfant est majeur, cela n’a pas d’effet sur la nationalité de l’enfant.

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