Carte de Sejour - Translation of Documents

[MarkPDC]

Hello,

I am about to make my appointment at the Prefecture in Arras for my (and my wife's Carte de Sejour).

Their website (http://www.pas-de-calais.gouv.fr) states that the documents listed below (among others) are needed when I go:

***- extract of birth certificate with filiation or full copy of birth certificate;

***- marriage certificate extract (documents corresponding to the situation at the time of application).

I have ordered copies of these in the UK, however on an unrelated visit to my Notaire, he suggested that I will need to get them translated by an authorised translation agency in France.

My questions:

1. Have any of you had to do that - should be get them all translated?

2. If yes, do you have any recommendations for good translation agencies that I can use in France?

Thank you for your help!

MarkPDC :-)

[andyh4]

You should not need any translations according to EU regulations; however a number of prefectures are demanding them. I would check with yours to see if they require said translations.

If yes, then it has to be with an authorised translator. You cannot just use any old translator - or indeed do it yourself. Look on the web for traduction assurementee - translation under oath.

[nomoss]

The only translation we offered - one copy for each of our dossiers, after negotiating a price for the two with the translator - was that of our marriage certificate, as birth certificate details are repeated on passports, which have French translations of the entries.

All the paperwork was accepted without question.

[Cathar Tours]

In Aude it was birth and marriage certificates. This is the person my Father used having been recommended to him.

Cecilia Opsomer

[email protected]

It does not matter that she is not in your department.

Scan your certificates and email them to her and she normally does them in 24 hours. She was very nice and his cheque and her translations crossed in the post. The translation is stamped with her officialy recognised translation stamp.

I know they are funny about advertising here so to say it's a person my father used and nothing more.

[nomoss]

I just checked, the list of documentation we were asked for by the Prefecture in Carcassonne.

We took those required for "non actifs" and nothing we were not asked for.

For married people they asked for birth certificates OR marriage certificate, so we took the latter plus copies and translations for each of us.

We made our appointments simultaneously, were given successive 15 minute slots, and went in together for the interview.

[NormanH]

It's one of those things that is at thz whim of the various préfectures..

[MarkPDC]

Thanks everyone for your feedback - especially the advice of where to get the translation done.

Once again - this forum proves to be (and the people on it are) fantastic!

Thanks,

MarkPDC

[Cathar Tours]

I helped my father get his and used Nomoss's information in one of his previous posts as my father got his at the same Prefecture. The only thing I would say, bearing in mind that it seems to vary from one Prefecture to another, is that "interview" is not the word I would personally use.

I say this because we arrived at the correct time and had to wait a few minutes to be called. The folder with all the paperwork was produced and my father was asked to fill in a form while the lady went through the documents sorting them in some particular order. Once she had done that and my father completed the form they took his fingerprints and that was it.

No questions were asked and we were in and out in around 10 minutes. They have a system where you receive an SMS message when your card is ready, in his case about three or four weeks later. Have to say I was pretty impressed with the efficiency of the whole procedure.

He didn't need an appointment he just went and picked it up. His only issue was that in his excitement he went on a day that the department for CDS's was closed so had to return the next day. He should have read the sign on the door. Still it got him out of the house for a few hours.

[NormanH]

The 'Interview' is more something that is reserved for those applying for Nationality and is quite stringent.

As others have said the CdS procedure is more routinely administrative

[nomoss]

[quote user="Cathar Tours"] ............... the lady went through the documents sorting them in some particular order.............[/quote]

I put all or bits of paper in the order in which they had asked for them, and joined them together with treasury tags - (I didn't know what those were until I looked it up after someone on here mentioned them in the same context) - This rather confused the young lady, as she didn't have to sort them[:)]

[quote user="Cathar Tours"]  ...............His only issue was that in his excitement he went on a day that the department for CDS's was closed so had to return the next day. He should have read the sign on the door. Still it got him out of the house for a few hours ..............[/quote]

We did the same thing [:D]

[Lehaut]

When I was young they were known as India Tags, a term that appears not to be PC now, hence Treasury Tags!

[idun]

Well, we had ours done in the year 'dot'. And very handy they were too over the years. AND way back then they cost a fortune.

Bearing in mind that when the UK leaves the EU, France may insist on certified copies in french, (it is France, after all), so why not just get them done as you are living in France.

I would simply get them done.

[MarkPDC]

Hiya,

Good advice! I have already got the ball rolling.

Do you generally have to *give* the department the certified translated documents, or are they happy to take a copy (i.e. should I get a few copies of each translated, or just the one of each?

My accountants letter (I am self employed so they wanted proof of income) has been translated locally as I don't think this needs to be done under oath...

Thanks for your advice :-)

[nomoss]

[quote user="MarkPDC"] ............

Do you generally have to *give* the department the certified translated documents, or are they happy to take a copy (i.e. should I get a few copies of each translated, or just the one of each?

My accountants letter (I am self employed so they wanted proof of income) has been translated locally as I don't think this needs to be done under oath...

Thanks for your advice :-)[/quote]

You have to take the original of each document required, plus a copy.

The official interviewing you will verify that the copies are true to the originals and return the originals to you. They will not make copies, you have to supply them.

As certified translators normally charge per copy (ours charged €50 each), I don't suggest you get "a few copies of each", as this is not required.

They will keep the originals of the certified translations, so you may wish to make and keep copies of them for yourself.

I don't quite understand why your accountant has not written a letter in French, but if it is not in French you will require at least a certified translation of it. However, I think that an accountant's letter would have to be notarised, in

French, and from an accountant registered to operate in France.

For self employed applicants, our Prefecture required all documents relating to the regular, effective and durable pursuit of the activity, according to its nature: inscription on legal registers (of commerce, societies, etc), affiliation to professional organisations, insurance subscriptions, factures for material purchases, contracts for sales or services, etc.

They did not ask proof of actual income, which is established by bank statements and proof of other regular resources (and I think we also included copies of our income tax advices for five years.)

[Cathar Tours]

My father asked for six copies of each certificate. All she had to do was stamp 12 pages (Each translation was attached to the English version and each was stamped as well hence 12. She charged him 40 Euros for each original, no charges for the duplicates or postage.

My fathers originals were bigger than A4 so he had to scan and reduce them to A4 before he emailed them to her. These scans are the ones that are also stamped by the translator. When we went he took the originals which the lady just looked at and compared to the reduced ones and handed them back.

He also asked her to translate his letter from the DWP telling him his monthly pension for the next 12 months for which she charged 20 Euros and no postage.

So all in all it cost him 100 Euros. Like IDUN says when you do these things it's always worth getting extras just in case. You never know when somebody may ask in the future.

That's cheap, I only needed my birth certificate translated here in Germany and it cost me 90 Euros.

Oops looks like NOMOSS beat me to it except his translator sounds far more expensive if they charged extra per copy. That's a bit stiff if you ask me, it's only hitting print a few times then stamping them.

[nomoss]

[quote user="Cathar Tours"]My father asked for six copies of each certificate. All she had to do was stamp 12 pages (Each translation was attached to the English version and each was stamped as well hence 12. She charged him 40 Euros for each original, no charges for the duplicates or postage.

My fathers originals were bigger than A4 so he had to scan and reduce them to A4 before he emailed them to her. These scans are the ones that are also stamped by the translator. When we went he took the originals which the lady just looked at and compared to the reduced ones and handed them back.

He also asked her to translate his letter from the DWP telling him his monthly pension for the next 12 months for which she charged 20 Euros and no postage.

So all in all it cost him 100 Euros. Like IDUN says when you do these things it's always worth getting extras just in case. You never know when somebody may ask in the future.

That's cheap, I only needed my birth certificate translated here in Germany and it cost me 90 Euros.

Oops looks like NOMOSS beat me to it except his translator sounds far more expensive if they charged extra per copy. That's a bit stiff if you ask me, it's only hitting print a few times then stamping them.[/quote]

I suppose it's a good idea to get extra copies for the future, but I probably wouldn't be able to find them again when the time came[:)]

The translator I found was only 1500m away, in the next village. We had only one document to translate, so I just phoned her and went that afternoon. She said she usually charged per person, but for our marriage certificate she agreed to provide two originals (both stamped and signed in blue ink) for the price of one.

I'm not sure that copies with just an original stamp would have been accepted.

I have saved the details of your translator for the next time[:D]

[lindal1000]

We had to get certified translated copies for our certificates when we did our PACs. I've got a copy of them and will just reproduce all of that if necessary. To be honest, the paperwork we supplied for the PACS was far more complicated than we will need for a CdS

[Un autre Gallois]

Hey - who's the long winded one now? As one long winded one to another - it takes one to know one!! Long winded Taff

[idun]

WOW.......

Here is some very good advice:-

Don't even joke about not looking after paperwork in France especially something as important as birth certificates etc and their official translations. They are supposed to be kept 'permanently'.

In fact keep just about everything pertaining to paperwork for a very long time as you never know, because, and it has happened to us, things can end up being asked for that you wouldn't imagine they would want to see years later.

Also, translating your bookkeeping? What interest have you having them other than in french, in France. That is so odd that I can only believe that I misunderstood what you wrote.

[MarkPDC]

"Also, translating your bookkeeping? What interest have you having them other than in french, in France. That is so odd that I can only believe that I misunderstood what you wrote."

This question has come up a couple of times in various helpful repliesso I will clarify. My apologies for confusing anyone.

I am self employed. My business has been operating only in the UK. I will be living in France but commuting to the UK for work a number of days per week. I am required to show that my business is/has been profitable for a period of time, and has the ability to support my wife and I when we move permanently to France (but continue to work in the UK).

Until recently, my only accountant has been a UK based accountant for the reasons above.

He has written an attestation and confirmed my income for the past 10 years, but this was in English. It has now been translated and placed on his letterhead (as a courtesy) so that it can accompany the English version.

I hope that makes it clearer? :-)

Thanks again everyone...

[Doodle]

We emailed our prefecture (Laval) asking if they wanted our birth & marriage certs translated - reply no not necessary. We took the originals and photocopies. They kept the copies but took their own set as well! We also took our parents birth and marriage certs and photocopies which they again copied. We were told that there is far more information on a french birth certificate than on an english one and the parents certs were gratefully received. (we sat and thought of everything that might be wanted and took it all except the kitchen sink!) Why not email and ask about translated certificates as it could save a few euros.

Wishing you well for the rendezvous. Mrs A

[chessie]

Nothing really to do with this subject - but intrigued by comment that French birth certs contain more info than British ones.

What is the different info - and would the additional info on French birth certs mean family/ancestor tracing would be easier in France than in UK ?

Sorry - I know it's a diversion - but interested.

Chessie

[Doodle]

[quote user="chessie"]Nothing really to do with this subject - but intrigued by comment that French birth certs contain more info than British ones.

What is the different info - and would the additional info on French birth certs mean family/ancestor tracing would be easier in France than in UK ?

Sorry - I know it's a diversion - but interested.

Chessie

[/quote]

Yes, we'd like to know also but didn't ask at the time as we wanted to get in and out asap whilst the going was good!

[Cathar Tours]

Mark there were a couple of things my father was told years ago when he moved to France.

Functionaires (Tax people, Prefecture or wherever) cannot give "advice" or an opinion so always ask a question that can give only a yes or no answer.

When you are asked to produce documents like the list you have for your CDS give them only the exact things they have asked for. By all means take other documents with you which you think they may ask for but under no circumstances offer them without being asked. If you feel some of what is written here contradicts what's on your list then be aware prefectures interpret the legislation individually and that interpretation can vary by quite a bit across France. My father has been caught out more than once on that one over the years.

An example, my father, having read the forum, took five years of bank statements yet I told him it said "A" bank statement. He gave them his last statement and they didn't ask for any more and he still got his CDS.

He was told to take his Attestation for his healthcare so he offered that but also took his Carte Vital but kept it in the bag and was never asked for it. Again got his CDS. Indeed they never asked for anything other than what was on the list they sent him.

So again if they don't ask don't tell them or don't give them anything, only what they ask for.

I can't remember if you said but if your looking to become a resident in France and are under state retirement age you will not only have to support yourself via an income (which you do) but your going to have to pay tax and social contributions for your healthcare etc. You can't expect to become resident anywhere and except that state to look after your for free (except in the UK if you believe the newspapers).

[lindal1000]

"can't remember if you said but if your looking to become a resident in France and are under state retirement age you will not only have to support yourself via an income (which you do) but your going to have to pay tax and social contributions for your healthcare etc. "

I think if you pay tax and NI in the UK then you are entitled to a workers S1 and that covers your healthcare in France doesn't it?