Moving to France Tutorial - Part Six

Today's topic, the 10 Year Carte de Résident. 

A daunting subject, I know.

Translated from the www.service-public.fr website:
"A carte de résident bearing the words "résident de longue durée - CE" may be issued to any foreigner who has resided legally and continuously for at least 5 years in France.
This card is valid for 10 years.
The applicant must meet several conditions."

Sounds pretty straightforward, doesn't it?
I'm afraid it isn't. 

French bureaucracy never is.


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A Charmed Life?

When I traveled to California for my nephew's wedding last October, something happened that really made me think.
At a 'meet and greet' event before the big day, I was introduced to a member of the bride's family. As soon as she realized who I was she said, "Oh, you're Aunt Jenny* from France! I hear you lead a very charmed life."

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

I plastered a big smile on my face and responded with the appropriate, "Very nice to meet you. Yes, I live in France," all the while thinking to myself, "A charmed life? Is she joking?"


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Moving to France Tutorial - Part Five

I know it's been a couple of months since my last Moving to France post, but this one was a bit of a challenge to put together.  

(Update: Check out this article)

Once you arrive in France and get your Carte de Séjour sorted out, you will want to join the fabulous French health system.  Actually you must join the French health system.  All permanent residents in France are obliged by law to have national health insurance, which comes in the form of a little green card, the Carte Vitale.
The information on this topic is rather extensive, so in the end, instead of painstakingly re-wording the material from the French government websites, I have simply copied the relevant sections of the Sécurité Sociale guide.  

So, without further ado...how to join the French health system.


As it states in the Livret de Santé:
"In France, everyone is entitled to health insurance to cover the cost of medical care. It is preferable to apply for it before becoming ill. The first step is to apply for “basic” public health insurance, which can be extended by paying for private supplementary insurance ("mutuelle"). For people with a low income, supplementary insurance is available free of charge and is known as supplementary universal medical cover (CMU-Complémentaire).

Who is entitled to “basic” public health insurance?
“Basic” public health insurance (including “basic” CMU) is an entitlement for anyone legally residing in France for at least three months before the request for healthcare (except asylum-seekers who are exempt from this condition).

Where should I apply for public health insurance?
Go to the public health insurance centre in your neighbourhood (ask for the address from the Town Hall’s CCAS, or social assistance centre). If you are using a government-assigned address, go to the public health insurance centre whose address is listed on your certificate of domiciliation.

Documents required:
- Identity: the preferred document is birth certificate, otherwise a passport, identity card or certificate of registration with the OFPRA (French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons) for asylum-seekers or any other document giving proof of your identity;
- Address: certificate of accommodation (with receipt for rent or EDF bill) or government-assigned address registered with an approved organisation. Important: make sure that letters actually reach this address;
- Legal residency in France: any valid residency document issued by the Prefecture: residency card, temporary stay card, proof of receipt of application, temporary approval for stay, appointment/summons, asylum notice, etc.;
- Income: written proof of all income received from January to December of the previous year (wages, welfare benefits, etc.).
 
Using the Public Health cover System
As a general rule, the public health insurance system reimburses two-thirds* of your healthcare expenses (except on glasses and dentures), but the patient must pay the entire sum first. In healthcare centres, hospitals and certain doctors’ offices and pharmacies, patients may pay only one-third of the expenses (known as the “ticket modérateur”), by showing their health insurance card (paper certificate or Vitale Card). Supplementary CMU insurance or mutual and private insurance companies cover the additional amount.
Important: the “100%” is not free in all cases: those with certain chronic illnesses can be exempt from paying the ticket modérateur, and are considered “100% covered by the public health insurance system”. However, the “100%” applies only to the care received for chronic illnesses."

The French Government Website (in French)

I have to add that the following documents may or may not be asked for (some have already been listed above) but you should have them ready just in case.

• Passports
• Details of place of birth (as well as your partner's and children's information)
• Marriage and birth certificates of all family members
• Proof of address in France with proof of ownership (deeds) or rental agreement
• Date of permanent arrival in the departément
• Proof of residency in France for at least three months (in the form of three months EDF or France Télecom bills, rent statements or mortgage payments or a notarized statement of your home purchase)
• Proof of income for at least the previous 12 months, whether in France or elsewhere or an avis d'imposition or latest French tax bill.
• A RIB (Relevé d'Identité Bancaire) provided by your bank

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Our Carte Vitale story just goes to show that doing your homework when dealing with French bureaucracy will (sometimes) get you everywhere!

We went to the local CPAM office in Béziers to apply as soon as we got our Cartes de Séjour, as we had been informed to do.  Luckily we had armed ourselves with knowledge of the current law, because even though it had passed a few years before, the powers that be obviously forgot to send the memo down south to the CPAM office in Béziers.
The man behind the desk told us quite confidently that non, we couldn't join the French health system because France had no reciprocity with America, which is true - France and America do not have reciprocity when it comes to medical care.  In turn, we confidently and patiently told him that it didn't matter, because (at the time) the law stated that anyone legally residing in France for at least three months of the year must join the system.
He sat there for a moment, staring at us with a kind of deer-in-the-headlights look, then suddenly grabbed the telephone and made a couple of calls.  When he hung up he looked at us with a smile and said oui, you are correct."
Phew!
Thirty minutes and a mountain of paperwork later, we were official Carte Vitale carrying residents of France.

*To cover the 30% of costs that are generally not covered by the system, we purchase a Top Up, or mutuelle from a private company.  The price for the two of us is about €130 a month and although many people we know choose not to have the added expense, we like that it gives us the freedom to go to private doctors as well as state doctors.


The next installment of the series will be about obtaining the elusive 10 Year Carte de Résident.  Some of the stories I've heard on this subject have been real doozies and would love to hear from more of you if you want to share your experiences.

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Moving to France Tutorial - Part Four

In Part Four of the Tutorial I would like to introduce you to the Residency Card, the Carte de Séjour.

The Carte de Séjour rules have changed since we arrived in France seven years ago. If you're staying in France less than one year, i.e., the length of a Long Stay Visa, as long as that visa is valid, you're fine. Once the clock strikes midnight on the 365th day however, you will need a Carte de Séjour in hand.

If you have one of the following visas and want to reside in France for only 12 months, then you will not need to apply for a Carte de Séjour. Lucky you!

• long stay non-working visa (visiteur)
• long stay visa to work in France (assistants, lecturers, full time and temporary workers)
• long stay visa to study in France (students, au pairs, interns)
  
• long stay visa for spouses of French nationals

However, that doesn't mean that you are exempt from a little meet and greet with a French fonctionnaire. You are still required to register with the Immigration Office.
Upon your arrival in France you will need to send a registered letter with return receipt (une lettre recommandé avec demande d'avis de réception) to your local offices of the OFII: the Office Français de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration.
The letter will need to include the following:

• the application form, stamped by the French Consulate when they granted your visa
  
• your visa number
• your date of entry in France or the Schengen country
  
• your address in France
• copies of the ID pages in your passport and the immigration stamp received when you landed
  

You will then be requested to appear for an interview and medical exam with the following:

• your passport
• proof of accommodation in France
• one ID picture
• payment for the processing fees - 55€ for students, 70€ for workers, 300€ for visitors

When your dossier is complete, a registration stamp will be added to your passport.

If your plans change and you need to stay longer than one year, you need to apply with your local Préfecture, Sous-Préfecture or Préfecture de Police (if residing in Paris) at least two months before your visa expires.

If your plan is to stay for more than a year, then you will need a Carte de Séjour. You should apply in person within two months of your arrival in France at the Service des Étrangers section of your local Préfecture, Sous-Préfecture, or the Préfecture de Police (if residing in Paris).

You will need the following, in their original form, plus two photocopies of each, just to be safe. Also, any certificates (such as marriage and birth) not in French will need to be translated by an official, court-certified translator (names of translators are available from Préfectures, Consulates and police stations). When we had ours translated it was 40€ a page, so make sure that your bank balance is healthy!

• a valid passport
• a valid long stay visa (which is in your passport)
• birth certificate with parents names listed (sometimes it must be issued within the previous 3 months)
  
• marriage certificate
• birth certificates of dependent children if applicable
  
• proof of permanent address in France (EDF bill or the house deed of sale (acte de vente) for a house bought in France or a signed lease agreement for the French address)
• recent medical certificate issued by the OFII- they will send you a notice of where and when your medical exam is to take place and the certificate will be added to your dossier
• three recent ID photographs
  

A few additional items to have ready:

• details of your parents places of birth and your mother's maiden name
• two stamped, self-addressed envelopes are sometimes, but not always, asked for
  

There will be extra requirements for different types of Cartes de Séjour and your local government office will give you a list of any additional documents you must provide. Just don't be surprised if, when you arrive with everything they have asked for, all bundled in a nice little folder, they demand yet another random piece of paper. C'est normal.

There are several different types of Carte de Séjour - assistant/lecteur-visiteur, étudiant, travailleur temporaire, vie privée et familiale, visiteur, salarié, compétences et talents - and the fee for the application depends on what type you are applying for.

Once an application has been made, you will be given a temporary, renewable receipt, a récépissé. This is valid for three months and allows you to stay in France while your application is being processed.
We were never issued a récépissé for some reason. We applied for our Cartes and waited. And waited. They finally arrived several months later and every year we went through the frustrating process all over again.

One of the important things to remember is that, even though there is a basic list of documents that France requires, each Mairie, Préfecture, etc., seems to have its own rules and way of doing things.
So you learn to be flexible, to cajole the powers-that-be with some homemade brownies, to enjoy another glass of wine and another morsel of French cheese. While you learn the art of patience. Infinite patience.

Stay tuned for Part Five of the Tutorial in a couple of weeks. We've got guests arriving and I'm off to Paris for six days, so the Tutorial is going to have to wait!

If you live in France and have a Carte de Séjour story to share, bad or good (do good CdS stories even exist?) please feel free to share them in the comments.

*Please note that the information given here, while believed to be as accurate as possible at the time of writing, is general information only, and no liability can be accepted. Before acting on the information, please ensure that you take expert advice from the relevant authorities.

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Moving To France Tutorial - Part Two

By now you've answered the important question in Part One, Why do I want to live in France?, and you're excited to begin your new adventure.
Now on to the fun part.

Step Two: Find Your French Consulate

Americans cannot legally just jump on a plane, land in France and stay forever without some kind of VISA. There are many kinds - student, au pair, working, internship, the Long Stay Visa for non workers, and the recently created Compétences et Talents card - "You may be granted this card if you are likely to make a significant or lasting contribution, through your skills or talents, to France’s economic development or to its intellectual, scientific, cultural, humanitarian or athletic prestige, and directly or indirectly, to that of your own country."

You cannot apply for a visa once you have arrived in France. It must be done from your home country before you depart.
Here is the French government page with the information to determine if you need a visa.

The French Consulate you work with depends upon the state or area you reside in. Each one has its own set of rules, so don't bother trying to follow those of another Consulate. Get on to their website, make a list of the requirements and paperwork, including translations, photos, etc., and get to work!

Boston - Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
New York - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Bermuda
Washington DC - Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Chicago - North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin
Miami - Florida, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos
Atlanta - Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi
Houston - Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana
San Francisco - Alaska, Northern California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Los Angeles - Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Southern California, Southern Nevada


When we applied with the French Consulate in San Francisco eight years ago we were neither students, au pairs, doing an internship, nor had we been hired to work in France. Also, the Compétences et Talents card had not been invented yet, so that left us with one choice - the Long Stay Visa - which came with these words of warning: "This visa DOES NOT allow you to work or enroll in courses or studies while in France... As a consequence, the proof of sufficient fundings and assets to support your stay in France without working for more than a year will be crucial to qualify for this visa."
Additionally, the San Francisco Consulate had a "special" requirement that we didn't find on any other French Consulate website - proof that you have at least $1800 a month per couple for expenses. Which we didn't have. So we ignored it and applied anyway. Obviously they ignored it as well when they reviewed our application and issued our visas without this requirement.
By the way, it is now $1800 per month, for each person.


Your homework this week:
Have a look at your Consulate's website and see which visa you need.
Sharpen your organizational skills - you're going to need them!
Start your Visa dossier.
Begin taking French lessons. If you haven't already.

Coming up in Part Three: Finding a place to live in France.

*Please note that the information given here, while believed to be as accurate as possible at the time of writing, is general information only, and no liability can be accepted. Before acting on the information, please ensure that you take expert advice from the relevant authorities. Pin It

What We Have to Look Forward to Tomorrow Morning

We have been asked to come into the Bureau des Étrangers at the sous-préfecture in Béziers for an interview. The first time ever. Hopefully it has to do with getting the coveted 10 year cartes de séjours, but we really have no idea.

The thing is, they didn't give us an appointment. That means we need to leave the house by 7AM in order to arrive before 8AM to wait in line outside (morning temperatures are predicted to be about 32-34 degrees F) so when the doors open at 8:30AM we'll get one of the precious few appointments that they dole out to the smallest number of people possible to interview before closing for the day at 11AM.

Looking forward to it. You betcha.

I'm not even worried about the interview part. It's the thought of standing outside freezing while we wait to take a number that sounds so awful.
Layers. Must wear many layers. And a hat.


(of course, if they give us our 10 year cartes de séjours, it will all be worth it! Here's hoping.) Pin It

Life as a Stranger

We need to move.

We love this village and we couldn't be happier with our sweet neighbors, the friendly owner of the épicerie, the great young guy who owns the bar, the patient and kind secretary at the Mairie and the helpful, supportive Mayor. But we need to get out of here!
More specifically we need to get the hell out of this corner of the Hérault département that is tied to Béziers and their hideously xenophobic Bureau des Étrangers.

Whenever I write about my difficulties with the folks at the Béziers sous-préfecture, afterward I'm sent notes of encouragement from other foreigners living in France. They too run into problems and have moments of frustration, and I find it encouraging to hear that others do finally manage to prevail.
Their experiences vary from préfecture to préfecture, but what is glaringly obvious is that Béziers in undoubtedly the absolute worst, most difficult, most evil of them all.

After my entire French Citizenship dossier was unceremoniously sent back to me in June, I haven't properly brought you up to date on what happened.
As I said before, all the birth certificates and marriage certificates have to be returned to the various states where they originated to get apostilles. Then those apostilles need to be translated into French. At €45 a page.
Ok, fine. Expensive, but doable.

But why do I have to wait until the randomly chosen date (in my eyes) of October 22 to turn in the dossier, you might ask? Our Mayor was also confused and sent them a fax asking them why.
Their answer:
you're going to love this...

Because that is when the Bureau des Étrangers sent out our first cartes de séjours. Not issued. Sent out.
Thus, they won't consider us as being residents for a full 5 years in France until that date.
Even though we arrived in March - 7 months earlier.
Even though my carte de séjour was issued in August.


So I have to ask...who lives in a region or city where the people working in the sous-préfecture/préfecture are decent human beings? Does such a place exist?
If so, we're moving there! Pin It