Jump to content

carte de sejour


margie
 Share

Recommended Posts

Frontier police? Sure this wasn't  a day trip to Spain Maureen? You must have gone on a late night ferry or shuttle to the UK , there is no way that you would get into the UK on a T de S through an airport these days.  The French can travel in the EU without passports by using their ID cards but that is not the same as using a T de S.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 57
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

[quote user="maureen"]

 I was told, "but you HAVE to have a passport", which of course I do not !

[/quote]

Why 'of course'? 

If are a UK citizen then you must have a UK passport in order to travel and live abroad.  If you don't, then you are most certainly a 'sans papiers'.  You should arrange to obtain one as soon as posssible....

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Ron Avery"]The French can travel in the EU without passports by using their ID cards but that is not the same as using a T de S.[/quote]With respect, I don't think this is right.  I don't believe a Frenchman has the right to enter the UK without a passport.

France is a signatory to the Schengen agreement, so the French can travel without passports to and from the other Schengen countries, but this group is not the same as the EU.  I think there are 15 of them now, and they include at least two (Norway and Iceland) which are not members of the EU.  On the other hand, they don't include Britain or Ireland.

Of course, as in many other things, the immigration officers may have some discretion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have travelled into the England with only my French ID card.

For example Ryanair quote (my bold):

All passengers must present valid photo identification at check-in for

all flights.The only acceptable forms of photo-ID on Ryanair flights

are:
  • A valid passport
  • A valid Government issued

    National Identity Card issued by a European Economic Area
    (EEA)

    country. Only the following countries from the EEA issue National

    Identity Cards which are acceptable for carriage: Austria, Belgium,

    Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Cyprus, Czech Republic,

    Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

    Netherlands, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia,

    Spain, Sweden (for travel within the Schengen area only) and

    Switzerland.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Identification is needed when travelling between countries by at least two bodies. The carrier, who is held responsible if illegal immigrants are caught trying to enter the country - which is why airlines and ferry companies always insist on seeing photo ID or a passport - and the country's customs/immigration officers. Although I believe that legally British immigration could refuse entry to somebody travelling on an identity card only, in practice they do usually accept national identity cards as a substitute to a passport. A carte de sejour is acceptable as photo ID, but is not a national identity card and so, as correct;y stated, should not be used as a substitute for a passport. I have travelled within the Schengen countries, showing only a French carte de sejour when asked, and although it raised a few eyebrows (it does not look quite the same as an identity card) it was always accepted. I did have my passport as well, but I tried the CdS at places like checks on international trains and hotel check-in. I certainly would not risk it travelling to or from Britain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Will"]Although I believe that legally British immigration could refuse entry to somebody travelling on an identity card only, in practice they do usually accept national identity cards as a substitute to a passport. [/quote]

From http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/comingtotheuk/enteringuk

[quote]

What travel documents do you accept at passport control?

Your

document must be valid and issued by a recognised Government or

Authority. The most common examples of travel documents we accept are:

  • national passports; or

  • 1951 Convention travel documents for refugees.

We also accept national identity cards for citizens of the European Economic Area.[/quote]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I travelled backwards and forwards France-UK-France once a month for a couple of years and my CdS was usually accepted at Limoges airport, apart from a couple of occasions when they insisted on seeing my passport. At Stansted it was always my passport that was required.

I find my CdS still very useful here as identity is often asked for in shops when writing cheques over 100 euros, and at the bank/post office when withdrawing money over the counter, or transferring money. I still have the old paper driving licence, so no photo on that.

Incidentaly if you need to renew your UK passport try and do it while visiting the UK. It costs 185 euros to do it through the British Embassy in Paris as we have just found out to our cost![:(] Apparently there is an additional charge to cover the help the Consulate give UK citizens who may find themselves in need of help while in France.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Mel Prett"]

Dare I say it. What about getting a French driving licence? Problem solved in one you have to carry your licence so why not let it be a French one. By your posting you live here full time so I can't see a problem.

Mel

[/quote]

Are we obliged to carry our licences? I had always thought so until yesterday. I'd pulled over to re-secure one of the brats after she'd managed to undo her seat belt (the little tinker!) and looked up to find a couple of France's finest alongside. After a few words to check that nothing serious was amiss, they asked to see the carte gris, CT and insurance (my car being a complete heap of s**te I'm not surprised that they wanted these) and my licence "if I had it with me." A few moments of ferreting revealed that I didn't have anything whatsoever to identify myself, no permis, passport, Tuffty Club membership or even my Brent Library card (this last one has come in useful in the past in the Middle East when I didn't want to leave anything of real value behind a hotel reception and no-one could read anything apart from Arabic) as my dear wife had left ahead of me with my wallet. So they just asked me if I'd been drinking and on receiving an answer in the negative they wished me a pleasent fin de journee and waved me on my merry way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Mel Prett"]

Dare I say it. What about getting a French driving licence? Problem solved in one you have to carry your licence so why not let it be a French one. By your posting you live here full time so I can't see a problem.

Mel

[/quote]

But our Prefecture would not issue one when I enquired about 5 years ago. "Why do you need it Madame, you have an EU licence already". (This takes us back to an old thread several years ago about changing licences- lets not go there!![Www])

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clair, an interesting point, and as I said, in practical terms, national ID cards are accepted by UK immigration. However, I have been told by an immigration officer whom I know that, although European law says that suitable ID cards can be used instead of passports for travel within Europe, there is some doubt, particularly in the current climate, as to whether the French card (and those of some other countries) is regarded by the UK security services as sufficiently secure, so immigration officers are within their rights to demand a passport or other identification if they are in any doubt. Apparently all will change should France update its card to the proposed INES, which apparently will be much more 'suitable' as it will carry biometric data, much as the planned UK card. Of course, passports can be forged just as easily as an ID card, but...

It's all rather academic as nobody using this forum is likely to be refused entry into Britain if they have a French national ID card, but apparently it is not 100% clear cut.

As far as proving identity in France goes, carrying ID cards used to be compulsory, but under current law "during an ID check performed by police or gendarmerie, one can prove his identity "by any means", the validity of which is left to the appreciation of the law enforcement official. Though not stated explicitly in the law, an ID card or a passport will, in most circumstances, be sufficient. The decision to accept other documents, with or without the bearer's photograph is left to the discretion of the law enforcement officer. Random checks of passers-by's ID by the French police are quite common, especially in poorer neighborhoods. Even though it is not compulsory de jure to carry an ID, not doing so may lead to a de facto arrest ("vérification d'identité") of up to 4 hours according to art. 78–3 of the French Penal Procedure Code ("Code de procédure pénale")."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, the day will undoubtedly come when all French citizens will be required to possess a biometric ID, if only to offer the same level of info on entry to foreign countries that is required by the country's own citizens.

Re a suitable document by which to prove an ID, or here Mr Clair's: like many on the forum, he is reluctant to carry his passport around and, as his UK driving licence is of the old (paper) type, I thought I would get a certified photocopy of his passport for him to carry around.

The secrétaire de mairie said the requirement to have a copy of any document certified was no longer necessary, and even when I explained the reason why I thought this would be helpful, she very kindly refused.

As it happened, one night on his drive home from work (3am!!!), Mr Clair was stopped by the gendarmes. They asked him to show his licence and ID.

They did not bat an eyelid at either the old-style UK licence or at the copy of his passport.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For many years I have carried in my wallet a plastic laminated colour copy of the photo page of my passport on the reverse of which are listed the names and phone numbers of people to contact in case of emergency.

Of course it's worth absolutely nothing in official terms but insomuch as it carries all my details and photo I expect (hope) it would likely suffice in all but the most dire of circumstances although I'd probably never get through an airport with it of course !

I hate carrying my passport unneccessarily because as I still travel to UK and then onwards Offshore to work, where I need it at every step of the way, it's loss could prove not only hugely disruptive but also very costly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There seem to be a lot of doubting Thomas's about, and I object to being called a liar.

I do not HAVE to have a passport, I live in France and have done for 30 years, and if I don't want to travel  abroad, I certainly don't need a passport.

I also entered France & England on my Carte de Sejour, FULL STOP.

Needless to say, I am not quite so stupid as you fellas would wish to believe as I did have my passport packed away and I was "trying it on". It worked altho' I would not necessarily do it again.

And yes, thank you, I have renewed my passport, just  incase I ever have to go to UK, to a funeral for instance, in a hurry.

BUT WHAT I HAVE SAID IS TRUE...............................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have 'arranged' things in the past where we got a work colleague in and out of France and England when he had forgotten his passport. That doesn't mean it is the way things should be done, or that you would necessarily get away with it now in the increased security climate. I don't think anybody is calling you a liar, and I have mentioned the fact that what ID is accepted is basically up to both the carrier and the customs/immigration people.

 I do think it is right though that people should point out that you do, strictly speaking, need a valid passport, in case anybody reads this topic as saying that you can travel around with other forms of identification.

How you identify yourself within France is another matter altogether. If you have a carte de sejour then you probably do not have to have a passport. But if I remember rightly you have to produce a passport in order to get titre de sejour. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Mel Prett"]Please tell me how one can get a British E.U.licence when one is living here in France with no address for it to be sent to in Britain. You need a French one if you have to have points deducted/added for breaking the law.[/quote]Mel, see these threads:

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/998640/ShowPost.aspx

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/948493/ShowPost.aspx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

..... I am not quite so stupid as you fellas would wish to believe as I did have my passport packed away and I was "trying it on.  Why?

You must be the woman always  in front of me in the supermarket queue then who waits 15 minutes to get to the checkout and then after packing her shopping away ferrets down the bottom of a cavernous bag to try and find her cheque book.  If you did manage to enter the UK on a Tde S and you still don't say how, perhaps on a yacht and chucked over the side in Poole harbour, that might work[:D], but through a port or airport, it must have been before 2001 I bet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Without casting aspersions let me see now:

 

  • No Passport (or possibly does have one but still tries to sneak into UK without showing it)

  • In France for 30 years and doesn't use a chequebook.

Could make a person think couldn't it.....[Www]

Come on maureen, what's your real name and did you know Ronnie & Reggie [:D]

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's your problem? Misogonist? 

Looked that up, there is no such word.  If it means people who hate people who tell half truths and then contradict themselves,  well yes I am I suppose.  I think you meant mysogonist, yes I am, but I could also be, I think a male lesbian.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...