BECOMING FRENCH

At about this time six years ago I initiated my first French visa application. As a retiree from the US, it wasn’t difficult. One simply submits the requested documents to qualify for residency to the nearest French consulate via an in-person appointment, and, within two weeks of that appointment assuming everything is in order, the visa is in hand. 

The first requirement is to have to identified a place to live. It could be a rental or it could be a purchase, but one needs to show a contract. I spent 15 years traveling around the country, deciding where I wanted to live, and then when the time was right, I had my criteria lined up so that when I found the perfect house, it was an easy decision. I actually saw my house posted on Facebook Properties For Sale in France, and after confirming its availability, flew over the next week to take a look and bought it. But then it was another eight months of planning to make the move. 

I flew over again five months later to sign the papers to purchase the house bringing a few fragile items with me that I didn’t want to ship. I  lined up contractors to fix the house up to my specifications like screens for the windows, installing air conditioning (climatisation), a hand rail for the basement stairs, and, after recently having had spinal surgery, stability bars for the shower and toilets. I was also thinking ahead in terms of aging in place as this is my last stop. 

After several weeks here, I returned to the US, packed up, sold my business, etc., and moved for good a little over two months later. 

If one has the time and the luxury to take the time and do it right, it works well because in the process of looking at regions and houses, one refines their vision and minimal criteria. Multiple trips make it a bit more expensive, but it definitely smooths the process.  

Back to the visa application, with a sale contract on the house in hand, I had met the first requirement. 

Next is the demonstration of income. The current monthly minimum requirement is around  €1400. So it’s a matter of providing proof of income via Social Security and any pensions one might have.

They also want to know that the applicant is financially secure. This entails providing copies of one’s bank account(s) and financial investments. As I recall, printed documentation for the three prior years was necessary.

Once here for three months, it is possible to apply for healthcare. In the meantime, one needs to show a valid health insurance policy that will cover services in France. In other words, travel insurance. The length of time of this policy varies. When I applied, the requirement was for 4 to 6 months. The last I heard they were asking for a year’s policy. But these policies can be cancelled once into the French healthcare system thereby securing a refund on the remaining time period.

Finally, one must write and sign an attestation that states they will not work. This is a self-drafted document stating the reason for moving to France (retirement in my case), and that there is no intention of working. The government rightly so doesn’t want people coming over to take jobs from the French. 

It is important to note the desired start date for the visa. That is, what is the planned arrival date in France? The visa application and appointment should be timed with this in mind.

With all of the above documentation, an interview will be scheduled at the consulate to physically show and leave your documents. Following that, the collective file will be submitted to the French Embassy in Washington, DC. In usually less than two weeks, the visa will be in hand, stamped into the passport. It feels like a real accomplishment at that point and marks the beginning of the actual adventure of living in France. 

Once here, the visa needs to be validated at the regional prefecture. This includes an appointment where a chest x-ray will be taken (screening for tuberculosis), and blood tests for HIV and hepatitis. They will also evaluate French language skills based on their interaction and may recommend French classes if they think they are necessary. It is an easy appointment and very welcoming. But it’s just one more step in the process on becoming a permanent resident. For my region, the appointments are in Montpelier.

After three months, the next step is to apply for the Carte Vitale which gives free access to healthcare.  This can also be done online.

Then, the focus is on getting a French driver’s license. For permanent residents, the foreign driver’s license is good only for the first year. If one is fortunate to come from a state where there is reciprocity, the process is relatively easy. 

 If the driver’s license is from a non-participating state, it is a more difficult and expensive process requiring both written and driving tests. My recommendation is that one do everything possible to secure a driver’s license from a state that does have reciprocity before coming to France if it is at all possible. 

The first year is a busy one getting settled. As if the move itself isn’t stressful enough (I was physically exhausted for 10 months), one needs to establish the utilities in your name, open a bank account (not always easy), and register any house pets with the local vet. By the time it seems all is under control, it’s time to renew the visa again because for the first five years, the visa is only valid for a year at a time. 

The process of renewal is pretty much the time. Initially, renewals required an appointment at the local sub-prefecture, mine being in Carcassonne. Now it is all done online. They still want proof of housing (eg, a utility bill), banking, income and health care plus updated e-photos obtainable at most supermarchés. They encourage reapplying up to four months in advance. I’ve just completed my seventh visa application even though my current visa doesn’t expire until late February. Receipt of the new Carte de Séjour can take up to eight months simply due to backlog. Armed with a recipisée (a submission receipt), even if the previous Carte de Séjour has expired, one is still legally resident. Everyone knows about the bureaucratic backlogs.

My new Carte de Séjour should be valid for 10 years. Once tax resident for five years (meaning that taxe data has been submitted for each of the past five years resident), it is mostly automatic. Assuming it comes through, I will no longer have to worry about the annual renewal for 10 years. 

However, I began the process for French citizenship or nationalité in June. This too requires tax residency of a minimum of five years. It’s an online application and with that, based on individual circumstances, one is directed to secure a number of official documents. These included of course, my birth certificate, but also those of my parents plus their marriage license, a copy of my current Carte de Séjour, my US passport, and a criminal record history from the FBI apostilled by the US State Department. Once in hand, all these documents need to be officially translated into French by an authorized translator. 

I have all documents in hand but one. I finally received the FBI records this week after three attempts. Getting fingerprinted in France is no easy task! I went to the local gendarmerie and they refused to do it. Working through my mairie (town hall), I was able to make two attempts with one of the staff who is on the Police Nationale. However, it seems fingerprinting is a bit of an art because both of these attempts failed. I eventually had to pay €120 to an American woman who has created a business for this purpose alone. On a trip to Paris for a concert in early October, I met her and that submission worked. 

The missing document is my mother’s birth certificate from Canada. I had submitted my request in July via post. The Service Ontario website said to allow eight weeks. When I didn’t receive it by October, I checked their website to learn that, due to backlog, there was an 8-12 week delay. So I let it go. Like with many things in France, sometimes you just have to be patient. 

But four months is enough so I phoned Service Ontario yesterday to learn that my file had just been processed and completed that day. Good news! “But,” he said, “there’s a problem. Canada Post is on strike and we can’t mail it.” I had to laugh. Really! After all this time and it’s the only document I am lacking. And now a mail strike is going to hold it up. What else could go wrong? But honestly, there is no particular urgency. I can’t imagine the strike will last forever. 

I asked if it would be possible to mail it via FedEx or another courier service. The reply was that they could, but only to Canadian addresses. Oh well…

Once I have all my documents and they are translated, I can submit them online. Then it is a question of sitting and waiting. I am told it could take up to two years for processing and approval. There might even be an interview with the local gendarmerie. And it is possible my mairie will be contacted to check me out. 

There may or may not be a language requirement. I have read in different places that once past the age of 65, a language requirement doesn’t exist. On the other hand, the French government is becoming stricter with regard to immigration requirements and it could change. The current requirement is demonstrating a fluency level of B1 (lower Intermediate).

 The last time I was assessed was in 2016 at the Institut de Touraine where I was taking a course. They concluded I was at a B2/C1 level at that time. And of course living here for the past six years plus teaching French to English-speaking transplants has only helped my skills. 

Which actually raises another topic: being fluent vs. being bilingual. Fluency is the ability to get along in most situations. Being bilingual assumes one has integrated all the nuances and social customs to their language capability. According to one definition, being blinigual means there is an identification to the culture.

 It is said that to be truly bilingual, once must have grown up in the culture or be in a family situation where full comprehension and capability arise. I doubt that anyone like myself will ever become completely bilingual. But I can honestly say I can make my way in nearly all situations. I may have to look up a word or two now and then, but it doesn’t hold me back.  

Once my file is processed, I will be called for an appointment in Montpelier. I will have been asked to read the Livret de Citoyen which provides background on French history and the current government. There will be an interview to assess my documents but also my knowledge of this information.  I have heard that the level of difficulty with these questions varies based on the interviewer and their mood. I’m confident, however, that I won’t have much difficulty. I’m an avid reader and know French history pretty well. I look forward to the interview. 

With approval, I will have a French passport, an identity card to carry in my wallet PLUS a French birth certificate. While I wasn’t born in France, the bureaucracy requires I have a French birth certificate. A rebirth? In a sense, yes. Once declared “French” the government will acknowledge I was foreign-born but I am officially French.

People often complain about French bureaucracy. But in my opinion, these complaints are not terribly valid. Yes, there are demands and yes, it does take time to get things approved because of a shortage of staff in the central office in Nantes. But most of it is automated and it is a question of being patient. Their demands are not extraordinary. In my case there is no urgency. La nationalité will provide me stability and the pride of being a French citizen with the ability to vote and participate in the political process. It will be cause for celebration.