Hi I wondered if anyone had any good ideas. Very sadly my beloved father died last week and I am writing this from sunny Torquay. My French husband and daughters are at home and were planning to join us next week for the funeral.
Fred realised at the beginning of the week that his passport ran out 3 months ago. Yes i know stupid but typical. I paid nearly £100 getting a death certificate translated into French by certified translators in London and off he went to the prefecture!
What was he told.... that a father in law is not a close relation and they could not do an emergency identity card or passport for him. We are all devastated and not sure what to do other than I go back and get the girls or he tried his luck at the shuttle!
He is so angry as he lived in the UK for 20 years and stayed French out of national pride. A Brit could camp out at the passport office and get one in a day even if it took all day.
Does anyone have any bright ideas other than smuggling him in the back of the Zafira?
Thanks in desperation
Jen
x
So glad that the border folks had some compassion.
Hi Nick, I have been meaning to reply to you for ages but have been so busy back and forth to the UK helping my Mum out that the time has just passed. I thought you might like to know the outcome of our problems that we had back in May.
My mother very kindly stumped up £800 for the girls to fly UM with Air France to Birmingham as we had no joy with the authorities. Fred then drove up to the tunnel, bought a ticket and drove up as only a French man could to the French customs. They looked at his passport and informed him that it was 3 months out of date, he replied that he knew but that he had spent a week trying to get a new one, it was his father in law's funeral in the morning and he HAD to be there. They let him through saying that as he wasn't 'sans papiers' they would accept an out of date passport for quite a long time but they weren't sure of the British Customs. He pulls up at the Brits window and goes through the same process and they just said go on we understand. First we knew about it was a text saying he was on the A1!! Tears and laughter all round and it wa so right for him to have been there. On the way back with all four of us in the car neither of the customs even opened their Windows.
So thank you for trying to help us and your concern, you will be pleased to know he now has his ID card finally!
jen
x
I'm really sorry for you. I can't think of what else to try.
Nope the British Embassy, whilst shocked that father in law does not constitute close family, only can help British Nationals. They would have done it for me! More reason to keep my nationality I feel. He is going to ring the French Embassy in London as we did all our Livret de Famille etc through them. They may have more sympathy. x
I hope it all works out and you can find a solution. Awful situation to be in so bon courage.
He is ringing them now, you are right when we come over here the French customs do not even look at our cards/passports. Maybe they may feel a father in law is a close relation. Many thanks Nick for the suggestion x
Oh dear. Do you think the British Embassy could help because in reality it's just his getting into the UK which is posing a problem. I would assume France would have to let him back into France, him being a native French national.
Sadly he only had a passport as he left France in 1988 and only returned 5 years ago. It was on the list of things to do and none of us thought that Dad would pass away. My daughters have identity cards too as easier than passports. Thanks though for the suggestion.
Has his French ID card expired too. My wife travels to the UK using just her French ID card.