Many thanks Jane
Its more or less my interpretation of things as well. I will wait until the situation clears itself up, if ever, and then go for a permanent Carte de Sejour. Yes, I pay taxe fonciere as well, and taxe d’habitation and any other taxes we get thrown at us…
Lets keep scanning the English and French news to keep up to date on all these shenanigans !!
My French nationality just came through last month. I sent off the dossier June 2015, had to postpone the interview two months because of a broken foot so it was held in January. The gendarmes called me for an interview a few days later (much easier than the préfecture (Limoges) one). In about May one of my sae’s came back with the sae suivi inside, no explanation.
I had started putting the application together in 2011 so used sworn translations I’d had done then, plus a couple more. When the “Projet d’état civil” form arrived from the centre in Nantes, they asked for my parents’ birth and/or death certificates - I think that’s for the Livret de Famille, but I hadn’t needed them for the nationality.
I got the impression that working for associations is A Good Thing and helps. The Bordereau thing you just get (or I got) from the local Trésorerie. They asked for 3 years’ worth but I was told that’s not possible. I wrote a little noting explaining this.
At first I used the instructions from the national government site to put it together, then I checked with the Limoges préfecture site and there were some subtle differences, so I think it is worth checking both.
For any anomoly I thought needed an explanation, I just did a polite note.
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Elizabeth Macpherson - I’m about the same age as you and have also a complicated working life. I used the list sent to me by the French sécu when I retired and the one I used for my UK pension. If you don’t have those, I would try putting what you remember in a Word Table or spreadsheet and see what comes back to you. If after that there are gaps, just explain that you’ve done the best you can.
Elizabeth Macpherson - the bordereau, as I wrote just now, is only available for the past year (or at least that was the case when I asked for it). It confirms you’ve got no outstanding household bills - taxes foncières, rubbish collection, etc. As it has to be less than 3 months old, get it just before you plan to send the dossier. It’s nothing to do with your tax returns, pay slips (pensions in your case I suppose) - you should have 3 years’ worth of those.
Yes, my mind kept going a blank at the interview and I had a lot of difficulty spitting what she wanted out. I just about remembered 1789 but took refuge in medieval history which I know better and she seemed happy with that. She was shocked when I was asked about music and I could only manage German composers, but Saint Saens came to mind and she seemed happy (where did all those pop singers go?). I got the feeling lists in answer to “what do you know about …” was what she was after. My French friends said no one they knew would have been able to answer many of the questions she asked me.
But each interviewer will be different. I checked for accounts of interviews on the internet beforehand but mine was nothing like the ones I read about. I think all you can do is read up a bit - especially that booklet they send - try to remember something about what interests you and try to relax.
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A word of caution about a possible unintended consequence of taking French nationality. Who pays your health bills, France or the UK?
I don’t know the answer but I could see that France would take over that responsibility. At the moment, if you are retired, the UK foots the bill (and if you haven’t done the necessary at the Secu you should.) But if France does then you will have to pay social charges on your UK pension income, and that can come as a huge shock. For example, my monthly tax bill soared from €17 to €282! An accountant explained to me that this was because Les Impots suddenly assumed France was paying my health bills.
All I had to do was to take the attestation of my health rights, with its all-important mention of “Code 70”, to the tax office and I was back to normal straight away. But if getting French nationality meant I had to pay the higher figure in future … ouch!
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Thanks so much Margaret. Hope you passed the “test”! Just starting to investigate the process…
Wasn’t aware there was a booklet available. The Prefecture sends it to you? If you wouldn’t mind sharing where you found accounts of others’ interviews?
Is the interview compulsory for everyone, regardless of age?
Thanks again!
Yes Judy, sorry I didn’t make it clear, I got my French citizenship a month ago. Yes the Préfecture sends the booklet before the interview. And Yes I think the interview is compulsory for everyone but that it’s not the language test. As for accounts of intervews I think I just did a search like “naturalisation entretien préfecture”. Most of them came from people with arabic names so I supposed they have a strong self help sense … but didn’t wonder any more about it.
I think the interview must be essentially to fit the person to the dossier presented. You don’t have to be Mother Teresa, just yourself.
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Paul, my neighbour (born here but now resident in Canada but spends her summers here) told me that all French citizens have automatic access to health care here without having to pay extra - she said that was introduced this year. I’ve no idea what impact my getting citizenship would have on which country is responsible for that basic. As for tax bills, I’d like to have tax problems as it would mean my income was more than it is.
Congratulations! Thanks alot Margaret for your quick reply. Have a year yet before I can apply. Curious how long it took to actually get your citizenship status after you submitted all docs and had your interview? Hear it can take up to two years?!
Thank you Judy. As you can imagine I’m thrilled to bits. I sent in my dossier June 2015 and they telephoned to make an appointment for November. But I’d broken my foot so had to postpone it till January 2016. From it took till November - 10 months plus 6 minus 2, so 14 months in effect. The delay is even more of a shame now as I might not get the ceremony before the end of this year so unable to get on the national electoral list. The secretary at the mairie is finding out if that’s the situation or whether I can get it on the back of the announcement in the Journal officiel.
I’ve heard that the length of time can depend on the number of applications a given préfecture has, and that Limoges has fewer than most - though whether that still holds I have no idea.
So if I were you I’d get all my certificates translated ready and as much of the rest as you can, wait till it’s time (given the last 3 years’ worth of pay slips and such) and just relax till it’s time. If there’s no obvious reason for them to reject you, the chances are they’ll be happy about it. I wish you the best.
WOW! thanks Catherine I have been stressing for weeks about how to afford the french exam (103€) we are struggling again with a 20% loss of income after brexit - 90% of our stoves are exported to the UK
and lo the Winter angel arrives and quotes “You are also excused from having to prove your inability to speak French if you are over 60, handicapped or suffer from a chronic health condition.”
which, not thankfully, but in reality unfortunately is me. SO glad you are here supporting us all. Big Hugs
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Greetings. Currently trying to complete a dossier to apply for French nationality. What is the age threshold when it comes to the French language and the knowlege of france
AFAIK the age limit for a formal language certificate is 60. You need a knowledge and understanding of France and the rights of responsibilities of being a French citizen, regardless of age.
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My eldest son was born in South Africa. We registered his birth, at the time, at the British Embassy and got a consular birth certificate. (Copies of this can be ordered in the UK.) I don’t know if there is a time limit on registering.
For all of you wanting a first-hand account of the naturalisation process please read the related blogposts on my blog (there are several and it’s not hard to find them n the list on my site) Start with documentation http://francesbigadventure.blogspot.fr/2015/10/how-to-become-french-part-1.html
Good luck from someone who finally ‘got there’.
We’re talking about the EU … Common sense doesn’t exist.
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Thanks Frances for all the info via your blog. So do you have French citizenship now? If yes, how long did it take? Many thanks!
Hi Judy - check out this entry - has everything you want. http://francesbigadventure.blogspot.fr/2016/10/how-to-become-french-part-3.html