One thing I've learned after living in France for over 2 1/2 years is that things here can be inconsistent, especially when it comes to the French bureaucracy. As an American, it is necessary for me to register with the government to obtain a Carte de Séjour -- a residence permit. My first permit was issued in early 2012, not long after we arrived in France. If you wish, you can read the blog post about getting my first Carte de Séjour: Titre de Séjour -- I'm Official!
My first card was due to expire in April 2013, so in January it was time to start gathering the paperwork I'd need for the renewal. In France, each préfecture -- the administrative office for a region -- does things a bit differently. Here in the Hérault, one makes appointments online, which is a great means of avoiding having to queue up early & stand for hours, hoping to see the right person before the office closes for the day. From the stories I've heard from people living in other parts of France, this is a huge advantage.
Once the appointment was set it was time to get my dossier together, so I went in search of the correct document checklist. The préfecture's website has nearly 50 different checklists, & that's just in the étrangers (foreigners) section of the site. I went through the list repeatedly, & finally narrowed it down to a small handful, but I still wasn't sure which was correct, so I asked a friend who understands French better than I do & who has had more experience with the infamous French bureaucracy, & she was not sure either. Between us, we made our best guess. I had nearly 1 month to get my paperwork in order.
The appointment was set for the day before we left for a holiday in Morocco, so the days leading up to the appointment were hectic. One thing I learned was that one should bring absolutely every piece of paper that could even remotely relate to the process, just in case the fonctionnaire deems it necessary, so every meeting at the préfecture means hauling multiple folders.
When my name was called, Chris & I went in to the small office with the woman who would -- hopefully -- approve the renewal of my card for another year. It turns out I had printed the incorrect checklist, but instead of sending me home with a scolding, she simply went into her computer & used the online version of the list & entered all my information directly. So far, so good. She started coughing, so I offered her a mint for her throat, she accepted with a smile, & then she happily went along, entering my information. In France, small courtesies can go a long way.
In under 30 minutes we were done, keeping fingers crossed that all would be okay. If there was any document we had not provided, or something that needed to be translated, they would let us know by mail (using the stamped, self addressed envelope I provided, saving the government a few centimes). We were very lucky this time because the next notification I received was that my card was ready to be picked up when the old one expired, & I didn't have to pay for it. The card usually costs more than 100€, & this was a pleasant surprise. The only glitch was that I went to pick up the card on the exact day my old card expired, but the new one wasn't ready until after that date, so I had to make a 2nd trip to pick it up.
Fast forward to 2014.....As before, I made my appointment & printed off a checklist, gathered all the necessary documentation, & headed to Béziers for my appointment. This time we were greeted by a grumpy fonctionnaire & I could feel my palms getting sweaty & my heart racing because I was suddenly sure this was not going to go well. He seemed a bit perplexed because I don't fit into the typical immigrant status (American spouse of a citizen of the EU). He was so difficult to understand, both because of his strong regional accent & the fact that he mumbled, & I worried that he would think I was either an complete idiot or had absolutely no understanding of French (not that my French language skills are brilliant, mind you). He asked for something that wasn't on the checklist, but I came prepared & was able to give him what he needed.
About halfway through the appointment one of his colleagues came in to ask a question, the answer to which neither was really sure. They seemed to be making fun of another immigrant's situation, which really made me nervous, thinking what power this guy held over me, an immigrant in his country. Yikes!
At the end of the meeting we left & both of us were sure something would go wrong, but there was nothing to do but wait to see what news we would get in the mail. This time the news was even better -- no fee for the card, & it didn't have to be renewed for 3 years, in 2017! I have heard so many horror stories about dealing with the French bureaucracy, but I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised each & every time, other than one slightly grumpy guy.
We had maintained a caravan at Cap d Agde for 15 years before deciding to buy a house to live here permanently. We moved to France in 1985, and at that time it was compulsory for all foreigners to apply for a Carte de Sejour. We duly went to our Marie, to make our application. We filled in the form and supplied photo copies of our house deeds and also the letter from the EDF to confirm that they had supplied electricity to our previously unoccupied house, it having been a wine cave before.
ReplyDeleteThere had been no earlier applications for a Carte de Sejour at our Marie, and so all they could tell us was that it would be an indeterminate time before we would receive our first Carte. I had read that the first one would be of a temporary nature covering us for three months. We therefore decided that we would wait in our caravan and take an extended holiday.
Several weeks later we received a message at the camp site telling us to get in touch with our Marie as there was a problem. Thinking the worse, that we had been refused permission to stay in France we quickly drove to the Marie where we were met by a grave faced official. We had apparently, through no fault of ours, filled in a yellow coloured form instead of a beige coloured form. Now this is the rub, both forms were completely identical, except for the colour.
One month later we were called back to the Marie, and ceremonially handed our Carte de Sejour, and when I looked, it was due to expire in TEN years.
Returning to the camp site, we subsequently came upon a French friend that we had made during our various stays, who happened to be a police officer from Paris. “Hello Rosbiff, are you still here?
“Well yes, of course I am still here. We live in France now!”
“Sacre Bleu, its not possible. Produce your Carte de Sejour”
Proudly I took our Cartes de Sejour out of my wallet, and handed them to him.
“Merde, it’s not possible” and he threw them on the ground.
Whilst scrabbling about to pick up our newly acquired and valuable possessions, he was muttering French words that I had never heard before.
“Quel pays! Mon pauvre pays, normalement they should only be issued for three months, then six month, then one year, then three years, before you finaly obtain a Carte for ten years. Qu'est-ce que mon pays se transformer en?”
I then realised that he had a glint in his eye and that this was all a Blague, but I was never able to explain why our fist Carte de Sejour was for a ten year period.
Adrian
Adrian, thanks for sharing your experience. It confirms one of the first things we learned since moving to France -- the only thing consistent is that it's inconsistent, & to roll with it. I have absolutely no idea why I only paid for my 1st card, why I haven't paid for either of the 2 renewals, & why this one is for 3 years. Life is full of surprises! We're now in the final stages of getting our Cartes Vitale, so I'm sure there will be a blog post or 2 about that saga.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to find your blog. Mike and I plan to move to langeudoc in May. We now live in New Hampshire. I am writing because you said your husband is Irish and has duel citizenship. that is the same with both of us. was he able to get health insurance being an EU citizen? The consulate in Boston was unable to answer the question. If you could help with your information that would be great! maybe we can meet in person when we come over. thank you Denise
ReplyDeleteDenise, glad you found the blog! Where in Languedoc are you planning to call home? We were not eligible for health insurance based on my husband's citizenship because he had never worked in Ireland or paid into their system. Many of our friends here have reciprocal health coverage based on their years in the UK (or other EU country) coverage. We have been able to get into the system, but via a different route -- a blog entry will be coming soon! There are many great networking groups on Facebook & other venues & I'd be happy to share the resources with you. The networks are a fantastic resource for all sorts of questions. Bon courage with the move!
DeleteI am a UK Citizen living and working in France for the last 2 years. I want my parents to come France. They have been issued a short stay type c visitor visa. I contacted the prefecture if my parents can apply for carte de sejour as they are Parents of EU national. The prefecture says that my parents need to come on type D visa to apply for carte de sejour. This is against the EU Directive 2004 freedom of movement. I also contacted prefectures in other cities, some of them say that my parents can apply for Carte de sejour on type C visit visa as they are family members of EU national (not French national). I can't apply in another prefecture as I have to show proof of residence. Please guide me what shall I do to convince prefecture?
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