Well that was a waste of time!

[Antonia]

So after post about my carte vitale saga, here's a new one, the carte de sejour.

Hubby & I had our rendezvous beginning of December last year. All went well, so we thought. Fast forward to end of February and we received letters through the post saying we needed to have our birth certificates & marriage license translated by a court translator and present said translations to the guichet before the end of March. ( Hubby was born & we were married in Jersey so the certificates are not "the norm" ).

Finds translator who completes the work the day before Hubby dies.

Week after Hubby death I travel to the prefecture to present said documents at the guichet. End of March comes & I hear nothing so go back to prefecture to see if there's a problem. Turns out there is, Hubby is dead and they need a copy of the death certificate to close the file. Man at guichet very sympathetic, it's a long journey, you can email it in instead. Go home & send death certificate to the email address given.

Cut to today & I've still heard nothing and my récépissé expires Friday so back to the prefecture I go. Different man, email unacceptable, must have original document. No can't renew récépissé until Thursday, come back then & no can't say if there are any outstanding issues.

I just wish they'd come clean and say they're not going to issue one. It's not as if I don't have anything else to do.

[NormanH]

Sorry to hear of all that hassle at this very difficult time for you.

I don't even think that they have the right to demand translations of the certificates for the CdS, although they do for people taking nationality.

Mine werel done a long time ago when it was still compulsory, but I believe people who have obtained their CdS more recently have not had to provide translations.

[Cathar Tours]

Way back in time in this forum in one of the many discussions about CDS somebody, it may have been Norman, gave a link to the official French government website on which there was all the information, documents etc. that were required for a CDS which included that birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates needed to be officially translated. Likewise, certainly in Aude, when you request an RDV they send you the same list via email stating that the same documents need to be translated. I am also led to believe that the translated documents have a "life span" something like 6 or 12 months after which they need to be done again.

If I had the time I would try and find the post, it will more than like be in this section somewhere.

[NormanH]

You are right and that certainly used to be the case, but I have the feeling that there was a relatively recent relaxing of that perhaps based on a European directive...

In any case this is not something that can help the OP.  I was just trying to be sympathetic by saying that I think they were being over fussy.

[BritinBretagne]

The Jersey connection might be the problem when it comes to translations.

[Daft Doctor]

When we went for our CdS interview in November, it so happened that we already has our birth and marriage certificates translated from 2013 (I think). They were happily accepted of course, but at the time I did ask the very pleasant fonctionnaire if it was indeed necessary for the documents to be translated. She told me that it depended who was sitting in front of you and whether they understood enough written English to correctly transcribe the terms used on the certificates to your electronic record. To me that means it is not compulsory, merely a convenience for certain members of staff. I think that if there is an authoritative online source which states that translations cannot be insisted upon, it would be wise to take a copy along to the rdv if your documents are presented in their original, untranslated form.......

[Alan Zoff]

I find time and again in France that it can really pay to establish a rapport with the official before getting down to business. They seem quite capable of bending all sorts of rules in your favour if you can get them on side. I seem to have got away with, well not quite murder, but things I was told were unavoidable.

[peppermint patty]

I think the problem is that your husband was born in Jersey which is not a member of the EU. It is part of the single market for the movement of goods but in all other matters it is considered to be a third country, so free movement of people does not apply. The hoops you have had to jump through are the same for people from say the USA or Australia. If you were born in the UK then I think it would be easier to apply again in your own right as a UK citizen.

[Antonia]

Believe me I know all about Jersey's relationship with the EU! Hubby was born in Jersey to one French parent & one English so had full rights of access to the EU. I was born in the UK to Jersey parents both of which do not have a right to "live & work". Neither does my brother.

I think it's more likely that the format of the relevant certificates was unfamiliar ( being a translation from the original French!). Once the CdeS was obtained we were going to apply for French nationality for his nibs on behalf of bloodline. Then I was going to apply as the spouse.

His death means all that's gone and I'm left with just the CdeS based on being an EU citizen & time in France. If they allow me one.