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French ID Card and UK Border Agency


Ian
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I'm mulling over the idea of getting (or trying to get) a Carte de Sejour for myself and my wife. They're acceptable to the likes of Easyjet and Ryanair, so since we'd always carry them in wallet or purse, it would solve any problems with forgetting passports. Or carrying the wrong one.....

My question is, will I get into the UK with it? Or, as I'm a UK citizen, will the Border Agency prefer/insist that I use a UK passport?

Thanks

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I think you're mistaking a Carte de Sejour for a French ID document and to get one of those you would have to take up French citizenship.

If you had one either that or your UK passport would be acceptable for entering the UK.

Where have you seen that Easyjet or Ryanair accept a Carte de Sejour ?

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Looks like I've been stupid, then.

Both airlines said they accept french national ID cards, so I searched for "French ID Cards". All the hits I got were for Carte de Sejour. I assumed they were one and the same - so they're not?

(Never assume, it makes an "ass" out of "you and me")

I thought it as too good to be true. Hay-ho, another bright idea bites the dust.

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I had a carte de sejour for the first five years I was here - quite useful for things like ski hire but no use at all for crossing borders. The prefecture was a bit reluctant to issue it, as I didn't need it at all as I am a UK citizen. The dossier was pretty thick, of course: a wad of bank statements inter alia.

I suspect that they would be quite happy to do one for me now, as I believe you now have to pay a lot of money for them (€125 springs to mind, but that may be just my poor memory). The first one I had was free.

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[quote user="Araucaria"]I had a carte de sejour for the first five years I was here - quite useful for things like ski hire but no use at all for crossing borders. The prefecture was a bit reluctant to issue it, as I didn't need it at all as I am a UK citizen. The dossier was pretty thick, of course: a wad of bank statements inter alia.

I suspect that they would be quite happy to do one for me now, as I believe you now have to pay a lot of money for them (€125 springs to mind, but that may be just my poor memory). The first one I had was free.

[/quote]

Maybe the carte de sejour are that much, I don't know, but is that how much they are charging for titre de sejours for people who are from member states of the EU? We had carte de sejours for years and years and then in the early 2000's if memory serves (it might not) they changed them to titre de sejours.

Initially we had to buy timbre fiscale for our carte de sejours, but in the end they were free.

Never valid for crossing borders.

Quite a lot of the french people I know travel within europe with their french ID cards and have not got a passport.

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As we're on the subject of UK border Agency, we traveled from Folkestone to Calais yesterday; as normal through the tunnel. We expected to be held up because of the new exit checks, no problems at all apart from a one minute examination of our passports. Speaking to the guy at the control he said so far very few hold ups, we did fill in the name checks on line. Also we were surprised that although it was Easter Sunday we did the fastest run ever to our destination on a journey we have been doing for ten years and at least 6 return journeys a year.

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If, as has been comprehensively reported, there are worries about people illegally entering UK, would it it not make sense to have more rigorous entry checks ?

How are exit checks going to solve anything? Surely the UK Govt is not really concerned about who is leaving, after leaving such people cease to be a problem or a concern - until they try to return.

Too simple ?
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I understand that one of the problems HMG has is that it does not know whether people who have been granted limited stay in the UK have actually left or not.

I suppose also that there is the bureaucratic belief that if people who are granted limited periods of stay in the UK know that their departure will be monitored it may make them less inclined to stay.

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[quote user="Clark Kent II"]

I suppose also that there is the bureaucratic belief that if people who are granted limited periods of stay in the UK know that their departure will be monitored it may make them less inclined to stay.

[/quote]

It is a bit nicer than driving around with a lorry and saying go home but if they don't want to go home you still have to find them and I am just guessing here but they won't be at the address they registered at?

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[quote user="Théière"][quote user="Clark Kent II"]

I suppose also that there is the bureaucratic belief that if people who are granted limited periods of stay in the UK know that their departure will be monitored it may make them less inclined to stay.

[/quote]
It is a bit nicer than driving around with a lorry and saying go home but if they don't want to go home you still have to find them and I am just guessing here but they won't be at the address they registered at?
[/quote]

Like I said "bureaucratic belief".  Like that rather stupid expression beloved of politicians and officials:

   ... it sends a message ...

If nobody's bothering to listen it does not!

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[quote user="powerdesal"]If, as has been comprehensively reported, there are worries about people illegally entering UK, would it it not make sense to have more rigorous entry checks ?

How are exit checks going to solve anything? Surely the UK Govt is not really concerned about who is leaving, after leaving such people cease to be a problem or a concern - until they try to return.

Too simple ?[/quote]

Unfortunately too many people these days take notice of the "PC" brigade. Hence we had the ridiculous situation of police having to apologize for not stopping three stupid girls going to Syria.

 Now they've got there I just hope they're having a good time. If I had my way a coach would leave Rochdale or where ever every Friday; with a big notice on it free ride to Turkey but leave your passport behind.

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Well obviously I am not PC. I'd have let them go and maybe insisted that their whole families followed, at least they could keep an eye on their offspring, something they don't seem to have done in the UK.

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They aren't planning any passport checks on people leaving the UK by land to the Republic of Ireland, nor for people sailing their own boats (or, I think, flying their own planes) across the Channel.

Window dressing I'd say. A totally pointless waste of time.

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[quote user="Araucaria"]They aren't planning any passport checks on people leaving the UK by land to the Republic of Ireland, nor for people sailing their own boats (or, I think, flying their own planes) across the Channel.

Window dressing I'd say. A totally pointless waste of time.

[/quote]

The border agency may not, but RyanAir and EasyJet certainly do.

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I may be missing something painfully obvious but what exactly is the point of checking passports of people leaving the country ?

There was some mention on the news this morning about catching visa overstayers but to do what with them, stop them from leaving ?

That seems a tad counter productive to me !

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[quote user="AnOther"]I may be missing something painfully obvious but what exactly is the point of checking passports of people leaving the country ?

There was some mention on the news this morning about catching visa overstayers but to do what with them, stop them from leaving ?

That seems a tad counter productive to me !

[/quote]

Considering you spent considerable time commuting between Luton and Scotland, I'm surprised you are asking that question? As said previously ask the PC brigade who made the police apologize for not stopping some stupid kids going to Turkey, and on to Syria

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ANO wrote

I may be missing something painfully obvious but what exactly is the point of checking passports of people leaving the country

There was some mention on the news this morning about catching visa overstayers but to do what with them, stop them from leaving

UNQUOTE

It has been suggested (and I have no idea about the veracity or extent that this occurs), that there are a number of people whose visas have or are about to expire, that leave the UK for the rest of the EU. They then claim asylum in another EU country and having received it can legally return to the UK. There is supposedly a trade in smuggling illegals out of the UK that mirrors the trade in smuggling them in. Not sure how border controls will help in finding illegals in the bck of an HGV.

Catching them at the border means they can be expelled from the EU (not just the UK).
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