October 10, 2006

Bureaucracy

September 19.

The right to have my own business in France continues to elude me.
In addition to the huge dossier I delivered to them in May, just last week the sous-préfecture requested a corporate ID number, called a K-bis, which I cannot have since I have no registered corporation in France and cannot register any business in France until they change the status of my carte de séjour!
I tried to explain this to them but ended up having to go back to Béziers (about an hour each way) to the Tribunal de Commerce to request the K-bis and have them tell me “mais, c’est impossible” to which I replied, “yes, I knew you would say that.” So, back to the Mairie where the secretary asked me to write a letter to the sous-préfecture explaining the situation. She is as confused as I am.

That was 3 ½ weeks ago.


Update
October 9.

The secretary at the Mairie called. Things are moving forward!
I've received a récipissé de carte de séjour which allows me to go, yet again, to Béziers to the Chambre de Commerce this time to request...actually I'm a little confused about what to request. There was mention of a carte de commerçant étranger, but I know I don't need one. I know I need a carte de something which I then take to another office in Béziers to get a number of some sort. Then I take it all back to the sous-préfecture and they re-issue my carte de séjour.
Here's the best part...the date of expiration on the récipissé is December 25, 2006. It took the sous-préfecture six months to get me one piece of paper and they expect me to get a carte de something and a number of some sort from two different offices in just 10 weeks??? Pin It

2 comments:

Katie said...

I can sympathise HUGELY with you - I won't try to repeat our trials and tribulations with the French Bureaucracy - way toooo long - but it's on my blog under French Paperwork. They issued our Carte de Sejour with an expired date....

Jennifer said...

katie
I read your story and cannot believe what you have gone through!