Have you managed to see any of the RIFT information. If so you should have a better idea of the issues involved in sorting out your CdS paperwork.
I have. The documents needed are relatively straightforward. What yet isn’t clear is were to get an application form; whether Niort are/aren’t only accepting postal applications; and whether these postal applications result in a summons to produce our assorted docs…or whether these have to be sent along with the application form.
I thought that you had to contact Niort by email to get an appointment.
No. Because I have no idea yet whether that’s the right path to go down.
I suggest that your Mairie will be able to point you in the right direction… ask them, when you trot along there…
It was five days ago.
If Birth/Marriage certs need translating, do those translations then need to be ‘legalised’ by a court/notary ?
Drafting a note in my finest French asking for an appt when we’re next in the country to finalise our property purchase in mid-Feb…
That again is a leading question. Officially none have to be translated within the EU but some prefectures insist that they are, some accept non official translations. La Vienne and La Charente do not require translations for CdS applications from Britons, you will have to ask Niort. I think RIFT has templates for self translating.
I may have misunderstood your post, but if you’re not moving here until March then I think trying to apply for a carte de séjour in February would be a bit previous. To qualify for a cds as an EU citizen, you do actually have to be living in the country in question (“correctly exercising your right to freedom of movement”). Owning a house here is not sufficient in itself, otherwise tons of British holiday home owners who live in the UK would be applying!
Have a look at the list of documents required by your prefecture but for instance normally they insist on proof that you do actually live here, eg a utility bill showing your name and address in France. Submitting an incomplete dossier would be a waste of time.
I’d read that as an appointment to meet the Maire, as Stella suggested.
Oh right, yes you must be right.
It would never have occurred to me to make an appointment to see the mayor about something like this - our mayor wouldn’t deal with it personally, he would send you off to see his delegated minion, and I doubt the delegated minion would say anything other than ‘you need to deal with the prefecture’. But getting the ball rolling can’t do any harm, and I imagine mayors around Niort are more clued up about the prefecture’s requirements for Brits than mine is.
Sorry there seems to be some confusion.
You live in a small hamlet,one part of the Commune which has its Mairie in yet another hamlet.
When you visit your Mairie… I would expect you to find a Secretaire cum Receptionist… who is a contracted government employee… and maybe other staff, but possibly there will be a Maire (lurking) who is elected every 6 years.
Now, the Secretaire needs to be up-to-date with all info re folk/property… and it is this person…who needs your info… and who will be able to advise you on a wide variety of topics… .
Many Mairies have computers for citizens to use to do on-line stuff…
The Secretaire will be “in the know” with what is happening about all the bits and bobs, to do with establishing residency etc etc… Advice is freely given… even if the folk at the Mairie themselves cannot physically do whatever it is you need…
The Maire may only be in attendance from time to time… who knows… but at some stage I am sure your paths will cross… and I am equally sure the Maire will delighted to welcome you to the Commune.
You do NOT need to make an appointment…to speak with the Secretaire… just go along in opening hours and chat…
(locally, when new folk visit, IF the Maire is in attendance and free… he will be fetched to say Hello… )
We have 80 " lieu dit" hamlets in our commune… it is not easy keeping tabs on the comings and goings…
Just going into the local Mairie to say Hi during the mid-Feb purchase trip…
Not the Prefecture…
Hi- In your area you will be able to find an authorised translator registered to your locality who will be able to do this for you.
Remember to have new copies of your certificates [ within 3 months of your arrival ] you can apply on line at GOV.UK
Do you have an S1?
Kind regards,
Jacqueline
Thanks - useful info. Yes…have ordered birth certs before…good service. (Is Marriage needed too ?)
We’ll see if the Mairie knows of local translators.
S1 requests not entertained until a month before you actually need it - so that’ll have to wait a few weeks yet. But we got S1’s when we enrolled in the Italian health service, so won’t be a problem.
Ah - confused now, I thought you said you would be on S1s issued by Italy, so I assumed you’d been working there.
If you’ll be inactifs and will be applying to join PUMA in due course, might be a good plan to have a private health policy lined up as Plan B, ready to make a quick and seamless switchover after Brexit if necessary.
IIRC @fabien suggested some time ago that starting a policy before coming to France works out cheaper than if you start it when you are here…
Allegedly our Italian State Health Card is an adequate substitute for private insurance.
The Pensions people in Newcastle will send us a new S1 to use in France.