Well - The Foreign Legion certainly accepts, always has done....foreigners!
I've been looking at the naturalisation papers recently- they are enormously complicated.
Our children having dual nationality has advantages as we find, neither of them being French of course but actually retaining some of the pre-EU bilateral agreement stuff. That is something hang on to, although I believe denunciations are rarely accepted so perhaps one is stuck with it.
The son of a British family, who have lived here in France for many years, was born in the UK and is British, but was educated here and got his Masters ticket in the French Merchant Marine. Working for a large shipping company he was excluded from civilian contracts involving access to French military installations. You can join the Foreign Legion though!
Oh yay, I heard those type of things non-stop. The worst in those days was names. FiL was Ghjuvanni Paulu but because he was born when Corsu names were forbidden his documents such as passport had Jean-Paul, so used to argue with officials constantly. MiL was Lesia which was Élisabeth on hers and my one's name was Arletta Marieva which was Arlette Mariève in her documents. I spent a very uncomfortable half hour mediating at the English registry office we got spliced in where FiL wanted only Corsu but documents did not correspond... Then he went off on how the English should have made Corsica independent after sending the traitor into exile.
I spent years crossing the road if I ever saw the registrar in question...
A'reet then, so I would take it he would prefer the citizen as north of the border to subject south, anyway the prospect of eventually being a subject of Charlie Windsor should be packaged as a serious health warning...
Yes, he wxas featured on french télé during one of the municipales if Iremember correctly - a retired chap but he had French nationality - the proof that even if you go through the naturalisation process and get the nationality, you still remain what you really are! I too have teh dossier printed off for naturalisation - there's soooo much to fill in and provide re certificates that whilst I don't need to (UK still in the EU), I can't be bothered even though I'd like to one day since my life is here. Oh and you keep your british nationality too ;-)
Did he also "rabache" about how the English, when they had possession of Corsica, "forced" Pasqual de Paoli (Pascal Paoli) to forsake his beloved isle ? How many times did I have that hear that, I wonder, when I lived there ?
Don't worry Brian he has got a kilt and sporon and all the Paraphernalia! ;-)
When my wife and I married in 1982, we each took the other nationality. I had to prove my suitability to be French - clean criminal record, educational qualifications, ability to speak the language etc. I was then put on 6 months probationary citizenship (subsequently confirmed!). There was no fee. My wife had to go to the British Consulate in Bordeaux with her marriage certificate, raise her right hand, swear allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen - and pay £100.
More generally, to return to the original question "What rights do WE have? - I suppose that "WE" refers to expat Brits who have not taken French citizenship.
The answer is lots. You have all the basic human rights and obligations and a large proportion of the citizenship rights - particularly as governed by European law.
Some of the details are complex - and local officials don' t always know (or want to apply) some of these details. Hard cases often end up in the courts.
A couple of examples:
Elections: European citizens resident in France can vote in the Municipal elections of the town they live in, and in the elections for the European Parliament, but they can't vote in National Parliamentary or Presidential Elections.
Jobs: Civil Service (Fonction Publique) jobs such as school teaching are open to qualified European Nationals, BUT those European Nationals have to go through the same recruitment process as native French. This is usually by competitive examinations (Concours), with a limited number of posts available each year. Just because you were a teacher in the UK doesn't mean you can walk straight into a post in a French school. On the other hand once you are in the Civil Service, you have (in theory) a job for life BUT you are likely to be posted somewhere you don't particularly want to go!
There is also a problem of equivalence between qualifications - which is clearer in theory than in practice. The general principle seems to be : all European qualifications are equal, but French is best!
Test him on the need to wear a kilt though. I have had a few French friends squirm at the thought! :-) ;-)
My first father-in-law considered Napoleone di Buonaparte a traitor, he being a Corsican nationalist who still considered the sale of the island by Genoa to France as high treason and the di Buonaparte family having sold out. He used to give me an earful each time I went to visit. I doubt he would have liked the EU any more than he liked France or the little general.
Naturalised, yes but the starting point included that 'not born in France' bit that I have never heard but one hears of. So Anne Hidalgo who became a French national in 1973 but is still a dual national, is allowed thus pooh-poohing that 'not born in' nonsense. Maires-adjoints must also be French, the reason being the same as for the president and most ministers, that they are also the representatives of the state in their commune thus almost the same as diplomatic status. The same goes in most of the EU. There is an interesting discussion paper on the topic the EU have in their archives where they tried to use the Netherlands and UK where there are/have been mayors with other nationalities as examples for getting it opened up, however since then the annexe shows that Germany has now had non-national mayors and candidates have stood in other countries. Anyway that is unlikely to budge in the near future, perhaps never.
Thanks Andrew. I am sure I read about a Brit mayor in the north of france a few years back, but perhaps he had taken french nationalite. I am thinking of doing that too as long as I don't lose my being subject to the Queen status that is ;-)
Lucky the vertically challenged Corsican was around before the EU then lol
Rights are fine, but how does it work in practice? The secretary of our major was clearly not amused when we came to register ourselves as voters 10 years ago. "a cause de l'Europe vous pouvez". We registered, voted and had fun. I'm sure it will influence your chances on a job, for better or for worse.
Hee hee, thanks Brian, he will be delighted! ;-)
Hello Ted you do have rights just like any French national. You can vote in the local elections for your village, but not the general election to select a government. If you are retired you get the same health care entitlement as French retirees, but paid for by the UK from your contributions.
If you are working then you are entitled to health care if you are paying contributions. Even French people have to qualify for their health care. We have a neighbor, her daughter is a single mother, and she has to work for at least 6 months in order to gain 4 years health care. I have never checked that out for my self, but she has told me that is the system here.
We have lived here in Provence for the last 12 years, and the only problem we have had with anything to do with the system, was getting my UK licence changed to a French Licence. My daughter in law is French, and my son was married here, he just complied with the requirements of the legal system, no problems.
In fact, we live just like any local French residents, I have not encountered any other problems, I have been into hospital for an operation, and I was not treated any different than any French National. Do not worry, just enjoy life here.
I would be happy to donate him my citizenship of the realm Rachael ;-)
councillors, yes, but not maire :-(
3. Les inéligibilités liées à la nationalité
Le conseiller municipal qui n'a pas la nationalité française ne peut, quand bien même il serait ressortissant d'un pays de l'Union européenne, être élu maire ou adjoint, ni en exercer même temporairement les fonctions (art. L.O. 2122-4-1 du CGCT).