Today I lost a little wallet while walking around a market. It contained my titre de séjour, my permis de conduire, and my carte vitale. I reported the loss to the mairie both in writing and by voicemail (since the mairie was closed this afternoon), retraced my steps and inquired at shops, and one nice shopkeeper suggested contacting the gendarmerie. So I went down to the gendarmerie and took a photo of the instructions for contacting them with the intention to send a brief report to the contact provided.
But, I am beginning to wonder if that’s what’s done these days in the case of a minor report like this. After all, I don’t know if I dropped the little wallet or left it somewhere…. My imagination, of course, is feeding me visions of it being taken out of my pocket. When things like this happened decades ago, even in a small town like the one in which I shopped at the market today, or in fact at university, the local police were available. But the contact information directed me to an app, and also to a gendarmerie in a larger town nearby…. It seems to me that the gendarmerie aren’t available as a logical resource for reporting lost items….
By reporting the loss to the mairie (among the other things I’ve done), have I covered all of the bases? I’m now starting the process of reporting to ANTS, Ameli, and France Connect to obtain replacements. So, just curious.
It may be different in other places but the last time we handed in a lost ID card it was to the Police Municipale. They said they would get the card back to the owner.
I dropped my wallet 2 years ago with all my cards in it, and €500! I retraced my steps and even got the shop (Action) where i’d just left to check their CCTV. I then went to the town hall and they sent me to the the Gendarmerie.
I buzzed their door and i said i’d lost my wallet. They said they couldn’t do anything, they only dealt with theft. I told them it could have been stolen, i don’t know, but it didn’t have it any more. They were quite offhand about it and begrudgingly let me in to fill out the Perte/Vol form. When I got home i realised that they only filled in that i’d lost the Carte de Sejour, no mention of the driving license or Carte Vital, so i wrote those on their report too. I’m pretty sure you need the gendarme form fora replacement Permis de Conduire, otherwise it gets more complicated. The Carte Vital was easy and a new one arrived pretty fast. Carte de Sejour was a few months and they gave me an attestation. The Permis was 8 months or so - but i lost a UK license and thus had to apply for a French replacement, so maybe that slowed matters down. It was pretty stressful for me at the time and loads of form filling
It may seem an unlikely thing to report to gendarmes, but the fact you have done so might make getting your replacements easier. And may also be necessary to prove they were not in your possession if anyone does anything wicked with them.
I hope so too, but am not confident. Many years ago Fran and I were walking over the Great Dune near Bordeaux and we found a credit card. At the first gendarmerie I handed it in and the officer seemed totally bemused although he accepted it after taking our details. Never heard a thing of what happened afterwards.
I had my wallet nicked in Barcelona back in 2019. The police were polite but uninterested (I think many police forces in Europe are understaffed, they struggle to deal with murders, let alone minor problems) but they gave me the documentation required to start the process of reinstating all the stuff in it. I sympathise, it’s a real chore.
This is why I like my iPhone. I don’t need a wallet. Everything is on the phone. If the phone is stolen or I loose it nobody can use the cards, ID, etc on it. So I don’t need to cancel anything, just zap the phone, buy another and restore to from the Cloud. I only have physical cards for backup, I don’t carry them.
No credit cards were rare in France, any that were offered by French banks were debit cards with ridiculously low limits and very high annual charges.
In 1981 I had one from my bank, SocGen, and tried to withdraw some cash one night and the ATM ate it. The Bank never contacted me and that was that. I have a French debit card but I only use it for French App Store purchases. Otherwise I use free credit cards from non French banks Some even give me (small amounts of) cash back based on purchases. Every little helps.
My son lost his wallet last year in Leroy Merlin, he thinks so he went to the gendarmerie because he still had a CDS in it, his CV and bank card pls other items but not his permis. The gendarmes said that the CDS was no good to anyone else and as he has dual French/brit citizenship they would take the details but not to worry as it was noted. He rang the CPAM and they sent another CV and the bank cancelled his debit card and renewed it with a different one. The gendarmes were helpful but not overly concerned and now he uses his phone for most things especially banking and buying. One thing I would never carry all the time is a passport, there is no need unless you are going over the border or need a second piece of ID along with your permis or CDS and that is more of a pain to replace
I never normally carry my passport either but on a couple of occasions I have been told that permis and CDS are not acceptable as ID, only passports will do. At my last hospital visit I was told quite sternly to bring my passport next time.
The time before it was not needed and they had my phone number on file, this time they said they did not have it and as it was a big hill away at the bottom of the car park they let me off but I must bring my phone next time (I never remember my phone number)).
I just wish they would all get their act together.
My sister was a cleaner in Makinson Arcade in Wigan for several years. She used to find so many things people had dropped or lost every week and always handed them in to lost property. They were kept for I think six months before being given to the finder. Only one thing she was given was ever worth anything and that was a gold ring which she kept as it fitted perfectly. Most of the lost property she found was reclaimed and she did get a reward from the owner many times, which she always donated to the Salvation Army.
A year or so ago, a friend received a call from a pharmacy in a nearby town (not her local one) telling her they have her purse. Apparently someone had found it in the street and as it had her CV in it thought the pharmacy could access her details.
She hadn’t even realised she’d lost it!
Reminds me of an old Judge Judy episode where a woman found a little Yorkie wandering on the street, took it to a vet who found its details via its chip. She was given the address and took it to the owner who was very glad to get it back. Four or five months later she saw a poster elsewhere advertising a reward of $4000 for the return of the same dog so she tried to claim it off the owners who refused. Judge Judy said no way because she knew nothing about such a reward when she originally found and returned the dog out of the goodness of her heart and that she would not have known anything about a reward. To try and claim it months later upon a chance seeing the old poster was unacceptable especially as she had refused any reward originally. She looked a greedy old bat too!
Good news! The vendeuse at the epicerie where I bought some delicious mint tea, found my little purse with the docs intact. She called the mairie of the market town, and that mairie contacted my mairie, who just sent me an email with the contact info for the vendeuse. So I have left a message with her, asking her to let me know when it’s convenient for her, for me to come by and collect it.
I wonder what a suitable thank you might be, to offer to the vendeuse for her kindness. Of course, it goes without saying that I’ll be her customer for life….
Careful. The woman in the post office only accepted my driving licence as an exception, telling me that I really needed an identity card or passport to pick up a parcel.
I think that is automatically printed on some collection tickets, either ID card or passport. I take mine with me if I am going to be spending a large amount of say, over €500 or am renting a vehicle to get materials home, otherwise its kept safe at home
Great news. I’ve managed to leave my wallet at the supermarket checkout a couple of times , and once dropped it in the car park of a hotel. I got it back totally intact each time. Maybe just lucky or found by very honest people (I do try to be more careful nowadays)
One time, I’d not got anything with me and the Postmistress was adamant.
but you know me, I was protesting… yes, but I have to tick to say which item I have seen. Do you want me to lie???
No contest!
Passport is “the” piece of identity for Brit in France. French offer the Card d’Identite(? spelling?)
Sometimes the DL is a lower-key option but, if push comes to shove it’s our PP which is the required item.
(and the CdS merely states one has the right to be here.. blah blah)
Some even give me (small amounts of) cash back based on purchases. Every little helps.