over 60 and you will not need an official “language certificate”, but the interview will be in French and they expect a good level.
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Once again I thank you for the sympathetic and helpful responses. Aside from the issues of passion and commitment I am aware that I should decide on a course of action and not rely on the fact that I have lived permanently in France for more than fifteen years as a guarantee of future security.
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Hello Damian, I applied for nationality, sent off the dossier beginning of Feb last year, had my interview in september and am officially french as of mid feb this year. I applied by marriage but a friend of mine applied for naturalistaion at the same time as me and it didn’t take any longer. Live in Brittany so had interview in Rennes. Had to do french exam as under 60 , need to be level B1 minimum. Interview questions things like where did I know in France and what French food did I like, did I have french friends and if I was involved in any associations. Honestly think hardest part is just getting all the paperwork together. Was stressed about Brexit before, now relaxed. I have been in France for 20 years , husband and daughter French by birth. Glad I have done it finally (been putting it off for years but brexit gave me the push to do it) I have dual nationality . I would say go for it.
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Only the inheritance issues stopping me Louise, Wife, French and I’m over 70!
don’t know much about inheritance laws - Is it not that if the proprty is in france then it falls under inheritance laws here and if in the UK then there?
That’s the problem Louise, I have an English Will, but no one has an example, of a definitive outcome, of how/if UK Law would be successfully applied to our French property, assets.
just started looking into the EU inheritance laws etc; quite complicated and obviously have no idea what’s in your will but it seems that you can opt for the british laws to cover your whole estate, english and french even if you have dual nationality; any property etc in France is subject to french tax but if you leave everything to your wife she doesn’t pay inheritance tax. Uk going out of the EU might change things I suppose and if what I read is true I bet it’s a nightmare trying to sort it out . You must have seen a notaire- do they not know?
They don’t Louise, it was them, two of them, said, the law has not, to their knowledge, been tested, that’s what concernes myself, I don’t have any UK estate, (except a Uk bank account), only French my only concern, is that my French Wife inherits ‘All’, as is my wish.
Histoire vécue
Nigel est Britannique. Retraité, il vit depuis plus de huit ans dans sa maison en France. Sa compagne, Anne, habite avec lui depuis cinq ans.
Nigel vivant en France, il serait pratique pour ses héritiers que sa succession soit exécutée par un notaire de ce pays. En principe, c’est la loi française qui régira sa succession , car la France est son dernier pays de résidence. C’est elle qui déterminera les héritiers, la part de la succession réservée aux enfants de Nigel et les droits concernant Anne, étant donné que Nigel et Anne ne sont pas mariés.
La loi anglaise donne davantage de liberté pour désigner les héritiers. Nigel décide donc d’indiquer dans son testament qu’il choisit la loi anglaise pour régir sa succession et désigne Anne comme héritière de sa propriété en France.
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I’ll have to get Babeth to look at that Louise 
I just read through this thread quickly.
I have only a passing knowledge of these issues but I see that Inheritance Tax Laws are of interest/concern to you,
I am sure someone here can fill in the details, but the ‘gifting’ options (ie. permanently giving away a percentage of your estate per year to another person) are more generous in France than they are in the UK. This allows portions of your assets to be passed over to another person so they will not then be part of the Inheritance tax equation. Perhaps this might also be an option to look into, regardless of your citizenship status, if your main concern is passing over benefits to your wife?
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Hi Loiuse - I thought both you and @Bill Morgan would find these interesting. I have written a Will with the help of our Notaire in which l opt for the UK succession regulations to apply once l die. We made reference to Regulation 12 and have registered the Will. The Notaire assures me that it will be effective post Brexit. The link below gives the rationale.
The Regulation
Where the Regulation applies, when an individual dies, the default position is that the law applicable to the succession of that individual’s estate, regardless of where the assets in their estate are situated, and whether moveable or immoveable, will be the law of the country where the individual was habitually resident at the time of their death. The intention is that only one succession law will apply. The default position can be overridden by an election in an individual’s will for the law of the individual’s nationality to apply instead. Multi-nationals can choose any of their nationalities.
https://www.ashtonslegal.co.uk/owning-assets-in-the-eu-post-brexit-an-inheritance-law-perspective
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Thanks Dan,
That’s reassuring, but I would like to see a case of it all, actually being applied, I have made a will, with a Notaire, stating I wish UK law to apply.
Can anyone familiar with Paris and its environs advise me on the best way to retrieve Mme Goble who is arriving at Gare Du Nord at 1350 by Eurostar on Thursday next 04/06/2020?
I intend to drive from Sourdeval (50150) to the outskirts of Paris in the early hours of that Thursday, and pick up a local train somewhere outside the périphérique to get to GdN in one hop, and make the return trip in mid-afternoon with my wife, picking up the car where I left it, so as to get home relatively unfrazzled.
I can’t drive into Paris, as I have a 2009 diesel car and no Crit’Air vignette, plus I’m not really up to unfamiliar big city driving at age 82. I can manage Caen and Rennes but Paris is major league stuff.
Any suggestions for a relatively hassle-free itinerary will be very gratefully received 
Peter, regretfully I have no ideas for you… just wanted to say how pleased I am that you will both be reunited…
take care…
cheers
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Thanks Stella, we are both very happy after the longest separation ever in nearly 50 years, but the Internet has been a blessing as we have been able to ‘stay in (virtual) touch’ throughout. 
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I suggest you start a new topic Peter. There is likely to be plenty of people who know but won’t see your question here.
Good luck
Izzy x
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Thanks Izzie, I did contemplate that but wasn’t sure how to title it. If anyone could make a switch with an appropriate title, please do that and make this miserable git momentarily “happy” 
I suppose ‘Travel advice Paris/Île de France’ might do it, but damned if I know how to effect the switch… 
You’re going to have to get the Metro at some point as no trains from your side go direct to GdN, best bet is somewhere like Fontenay le Fleury to Montparnasse and then Metro.
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