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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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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 - A Tutorial - Part One

Despite a fair number of websites and message boards out there in Internet Land, I receive several emails every month from Americans who are interested in moving permanently to France and don't know how or where to begin.
After spending hours composing individual, dissertation-sized emails explaining the process, I've decided to simply write a series of posts about what it takes to actually get here.

Voilà: A Short Tutorial on Moving to France.

The process of moving to France as a legal resident is not easy, nor should you expect it to be. There are several stages required and many of them can be fraught with headaches and delays.
Patience Is Key.

I believe that it is France's intention (maybe in a somewhat demented way?) to require its future residents to jump through countless hoops and prove resiliency and determination for the opportunity to live within her beautiful borders. I've heard it is just as difficult to get residency in other countries, but since I have no experience in this matter I can't comment.

Or maybe I should say that the process wasn't easy for us.* Months of searching for information followed by NO answers, followed by confusing and often incorrect answers, delays, difficult fonctionnaires, etc.

I hope that this Short Tutorial will offer some help.

Please remember though that I am not, repeat NOT, the last word on this subject, nor do I have control over French Consulates or French bureaucracy in general. If you have trouble with any of the steps (or people) involved in the process, all I can tell you is to keep trying and not get too discouraged.


The first step: Answer the following question.
Why do I want to live in France?

I recommend that you don't just pack up and move for la vie en rose, the markets, the bread, wine and cheese, (well, maybe for the cheese) and expect every day to be filled with idyllic three hour lunches, strolls along the Seine or pastis soaked games of pétanque in the shade of the plane trees.
Because the day will come when you'll find yourself wasting several hours at Bricomarché fighting for your right to return a toilet seat that doesn't fit your toilet and trying to convince the manager that no, you didn't bring the toilet with you from England because you're not English, so that is not the reason the French seat doesn't fit your French toilet, and no, you don't want to come back in 10 days for another toilet seat because you live 30 minutes away and you just want a refund. Now. Today. An hour later you will finally get your money back because they just want the crazy anglaise/américaine out of their store.**
Or you'll discover that the piles of paperwork you provided three months ago for your Carte de Séjour renewal has been misplaced and you'll be called into an office only to be told that it is your fault that your Carte has expired because you didn't reapply for it on time. Exhausting arguments in French will ensue.

Believe me, I'm not trying to burst your bubble. You will have time for those delightful, leisurely lunches and hours will be spent enjoying a game of pétanque, strolling along riverbanks and soaking up some sun at the local café. However, there will be moments when you'll wonder why things always have to be so damn difficult.
That's why the wine is so important - you'll need it to keep calm.

So before the tutorial continues, I want you to answer that all important question. Why do I want to live in France?

Part Two to follow...


*If you had a better experience, then bravo and félicitations. And we wish we had been you!
**This exact situation probably won't happen to you, but you should expect similar kinds of hiccups. Pin It

How I Got My 10 Year Carte de Résident

As fellow Americans who have been living in France for about as many years as I have, Walt, Ken, David and Sam were all very excited when I announced that I had received my 10 year Carte de Résident. Sure, they were happy for me, but they were more excited at the prospect of being able to apply for one themselves!

The big question: how in the heck did I get this coveted Carte?
Here's the story, in a nutshell.

1. 2002 - Decide to move to France
2. Spend 6 months gathering the appropriate paperwork and getting translations for the Long Stay Visa
3. 2003 - Arrive in France with said Visa in hand and apply for a Carte de Séjour within 8 days of landing. This will require a medical visit that is arranged for you by the powers that be, and all of the same documents as the Long Stay Visa, only this time they will need to be translated by an Official Translator at an astronomical price for each page
   
4. 2004 - Receive first Carte de Séjour
   
5. Spend endless hours of your life over the next five years gathering, photocopying, sorting, translating and begging for paperwork to reapply for each consecutive Carte de Séjour. The process gets more difficult and confusing every year
6. 2008 - Decide that the Carte de Séjour process just isn't torture enough and apply for French Citizenship
7. Receive a phone call from the newest fonctionnaire at the sous-préfecture in Béziers who tells you to come in for a meeting
   
8. Meet the woman who will prove to be your personal savior and best friend at the sous-préfecture. (if you don't have one of these, find one!) She will single-handedly get her co-workers asses into gear when dealing with your paperwork
   
9. Receive a document stating that you are to appear at the Bureau des Étrangers in Béziers. No idea why
10. Go to the Bureau des Étrangers at the break of dawn and find out after waiting in the December cold for a hour that you're being interviewed for your 10 Year Carte de Résident
11. Go home and drink a celebratory glass of Champagne
12. 2009- Receive your 10 Year Carte de Résident
    

So there you are.
It only took six years, seven if you count the Long Stay Visa process. The time seems to have passed by in a flash.
And it was definitely worth the wait!

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Life in France...

...just got easier.

Woke up this morning to an exciting email from Husband saying that we have both been granted a carte de résident de 10 ans.
Our 10 year Residency Cards.

No more re-applying for a carte de séjour every June. No more back and forth to the Mairie with extra paperwork. No more receiving the carte de séjour 6 months after its expiration date, only to have to start the process all over again a few months later.
The endless saga of the carte de séjour is officially over.

I feel like I've just won the lottery! Pin It

The Boys in Blue

We were told that the Gendarmes would be stopping by the house at some point to interview me as part of the French Citizenship process.

Sure enough, Wednesday afternoon a blue Gendarmes-mobile pulled up in front of the house, with two boys in blue asking if this was the home of yours truly. We are amazed at how quickly this is all happening. My application was just accepted at the end of November so we thought we would have at least 5-6 months before they would show up.
Is it my imagination, or is France becoming more efficient?

I calmly said to my husband, "the Gendarmes are here," as I looked around the house, thanking my lucky stars that I had dusted, vacuumed and organized all the crap lying around the living room only a couple of days before. And trying to remain calm. We had know idea what kind of information they would ask for.

There was no need to worry.

The questions were very basic. They wanted to see my carte de séjour and asked the following:

When did you arrive in France?
How long have you lived in the house?
Why do you want to become a French citizen?
Have you integrated into the community?
What kind of work do you do?
How do you afford to live in France?
Have you ever been involved in politics?
Have you ever been convicted of a crime?

That was it!
He told us he was happy with our answers and that his report would be sent to the next level.

I was literally skipping with joy when they left. This year just might see me becoming a French citizen! Pin It

This Morning in Béziers

Our visit to the sous-préfecture this morning went very well...

They did want to see us for the 10 year cartes de séjours.
The interview included questions to find out if we've integrated into our community and how well we speak French. It was all surprisingly simple and the man behind the desk was really nice and had a good sense of humor.
Don't know what happened to the cranky women who used to work there.

Another step in the right direction.
What a relief!

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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

This Week's TO DO List

1) Go to the Mairie for this year's letter stating my validity as a resident in France. As usual, my Carte de Séjour is late. It expires today and there's no indication that the new one will arrive any time soon.

2) Drop off 5 liter cubie (a plastic jug that holds 5-10 liters of wine) at neighbor's to be filled with his fantastic, 100% Cabernet rosé. If he's not at home I'm to leave it on his windowsill between the flowerpots and he'll fill it and bring it to our house.

3) Tuesday market in Olonzac. Must go early to avoid the August crowds.

4) Price paint for the bedroom. This involves driving to Olonzac, Lézignan and Narbonne or Carcassonne to BricoRama, Brico Marché, Monsieur Bricolage and Tridome. It could be September by the time I find the color I want at the price I'm willing to pay.
Doesn't €60 for 2.5 liters of wall paint seem rather exorbitant?

5) Order 6 cases of Domaine Coudoulet Viognier.

6) Do something with all of these tomatoes. I need my kitchen counters back.

7) Teach kitten to use the stairs so I don't have to keep carrying him upstairs to the litter box.

8) Go to the bank to find out why they haven't moved money from our account in the States to our account in France yet. This normally takes 1-2 days. When I went in last week after 3 days, they shrugged and said, "it's August, c'est les vacances, check after 7-8 days." Unfortunately the direct debits due to come out of the account this week don't know that it's August.

9) Invite summer friends around for a drink before they head back home. Pin It

Hiccup Number One

I wanted the title of this post to be an expletive that begins with an F and ends with a K, but I've calmed down now, so I'll be nice.

This morning a letter from the sous-préfecture arrived stating that I cannot apply for citizenship until October 22 and that I need to get apostilles for seven pieces of paper (birth certificates and marriage certificates for me, husband and parents).

First of all, where the hell are they getting the date of October 22? Did someone close their eyes and point at a calendar? We arrived in France on March 28. My first carte de séjour was issued on June 18. My husband's first carte de séjour was issued October 12.
So, why October 22? The date has no significance to us.

Secondly, the original list I was given for the mountains of paperwork I would need said nothing about needing apostilles. Now all the birth certificates and marriage certificates that I just ordered have to be sent back to various states they were ordered from to get apostilles.

And to add salt to the wound, I have to re-apply for my seventh carte de séjour in two weeks. You know what that means. Months of papers flying back and forth between here and Béziers because they'll either lose the first set or decide they need extra papers in which I have to attest to this or that.
I'm surprised they haven't asked for my first born child yet (which I don't have so they can't have anyway).

Do I sound bitter?
I'm having a really hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Pin It

Carte de Séjour Watch

Have you ever seen the movie, The Jerk, and there's that scene where Steve Martin is jumping around yelling "The new phone books are here, the new phone books are here!!!"

Well, that was me on Friday, only I was screaming "My new Carte de Séjour is here, my new Carte de Séjour is here!"
And only six months late. Pin It

Carte de Séjour Watch

Day 115!

This is getting ridiculous... Pin It

Carte de Séjour Watch

Day 89 Pin It

Carte de Séjour Watch

73 days since it expired...and counting Pin It

Taking a Beating

Yes, here I am, once again complaining about the never ending bureaucracy that is knocking me around, chewing me up and spitting me out.
I won't go into great detail, but my Carte de Séjour has been expired for two months now and just last week I received another letter from the sous-préfecture asking for more papers, more attestations, more justificatifs. Flashback to ten months ago when we were doing the same thing for my husband.

They want to know that we have enough income to live on. I guess being here, paying taxes and supporting the local economy for almost five years hasn't proven our case yet.
They want an attestation stating that I will not work without prior authorization from the authorities. Which they've already granted me. Which I asked for. From the authorities. Obviously they're not convinced in this area either.
They want copies of tax returns from 2006. They already have them in triplicate.

Oh. My. God.
When. Will. This. Get. Easier?

Why do they grant some Americans 10 year Cartes de Séjours with no problems? Is it just our sous-préfecture?

If I didn't love it here so much, I might have given up by now. Pin It

More Carte de Séjour Woes

I just want to lay my head down and cry.
This carte de Séjour crap is really pushing me over the edge.

A letter arrived yesterday (exactly one month after the card's expiration date, I might add) from the sous-préfecture stating that they need all sorts of extra papers, more photos, copies of my husband's carte de séjour (which they already have), tax returns for 2005 and 2006 and a livret de famille.
A livret de famille is a family record book. Americans don't have a family record book. And they already have numerous copies of our marriage and birth certificates.

AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Pin It

The Continuing Saga of la Carte de Séjour...

Well, I applied for the renewal in time. The sous-préfécture states that the renewal must be done 2 months in advance, so I turned in all my papers in June.

Guess what. No Carte de Séjour in sight.
My old one expired last Saturday.

This is my fifth renewal. Every year the same damn papers.

• proof of habitation in the form of an EDF bill or France Télécom bill (the deed to the house is useless)
• copy of passport
• copy of old Carte de Séjour
• 4 pictures in black and white. No, in color. No, in black and white. No, in color. (this seems to change every year)
• copy of my Carte Vitale
• proof of income-they basically want to know I'm not going to leech off the system
• sometimes they want more proof of income in the form of an attestation from the bank
  

Somewhere, in an office out there, is a giant dossier of duplicate copies of all my information.
Or maybe they throw it away every year and start from scratch?

It will arrive someday.

This is exactly why I want to apply for citizenship in March! Pin It

My (un)Favorite Time of Year

Early summer should be an enjoyable time of year. The days are lovely and warm but not too hot yet, and the evenings are deliciously cool. The rosé flows generously, apricots, cherries and peaches appear at the market and barbeques become de rigeur.


Yes, I should enjoy this time of year. But for me, the middle of June is marred by something so awful....
it's almost too painful to mention...

it's time to renew my Carte de Séjour

(cue: screaming) Pin It