Carte de sejour again(sorry) even more confused

[benson]

After trawling back through the relevant posts I have ended up even more confused.Could any one put me straight on just a few points please.

So a carte de sejour is no longer required when you live perminantly in France.

You can still be issued with one if you really want one.

Is it worth it (pros and cons)

What are the necessary documents required if you decide to apply.

Can you use it instead of a passport.

(my passport is in my maiden name which I was told would be OK in France as French women tend to keep their maiden name anyway but my French cheque book is in married name(joint account) and is always refused as I.D when I write a cheque and my husband has to produce I.D instead)

Thanx

 

[Tourangelle]

If you want a carte de séjour you should be able to get one.

I have had carte de séjour from two different prefectures in different régions and the documents required were different. Basically they required passport and proof of address, but then last time they wanted my contract from work, but I don't know what happens if you are not working. When I applied, a carte de sejour was not optional.

Anyway I have ten year one and I find it very useful as ID so I don't have to carry my passport around and it has my address on which is a plus as obviously UK passports don't. Also in shops and so on it is a document that is easily recognisable, unlike the British passport where people tend to look at the wrong end! People will tell you that they have mananged to travel to the UK using the carte de séjour, but you are not supposed to.

The cons are those of any encounter with French administration, probably despite your research they will tell you you don't have the right documents and so on. Back and forwards to the prefecture in my experience.

In terms of name change, legally married women in France never actually change their name, in the sense that a married name is only ever considered to be nom usuel, the name you use, so generally all documents have both names on so a carte de sénjour would solve your cheque problem. Rather than keeping their maiden name, what seems to be the fashion here at the moment is married women adding their husband's name to theirs.

Hope this helps.

[Will]

In a few words:

So a carte de sejour is no longer required when you live perminantly in France.

A carte de sejour is still required for non-French nationals staying for more than three months. However, this requirement has been waived for nationals of most other EU states (including UK).

You can still be issued with one if you really want one.

Yes - though apparently some prefectures are reluctant to do so.

Is it worth it (pros and cons)

Tourangelle has, I think, answered this very well. It is also useful when becoming employed or registering as self-employed (though there is, or was, a bit of a Catch 22 situation in that often employers would only employ foreigners if they had a carte de sejour).

What are the necessary documents required if you decide to apply.

Basic requirements from my experience - Evidence of identity and address, birth certificate, marriage certificate (if applicable), divorce papers (if applicable), evidence of employment and/or income, evidence of health insurance cover - the actual documents required and whether or not translations are needed are variable. Some prefectures might ask for additional items.

Can you use it instead of a passport.

As a general rule, No - most airlines or ferry companies will not accept it. It does not carry the same status as a French national identity card.

[Kazanton]

This is what one looks like!!

[Tourangelle]

Mine doesn't look like anything like that! It is from 1999. Yours must be more recent.

[Mistral]

Mine doesn't have as much pink on it as that either. Maybe they have different ones for EU and non EU? (or it could be an age thing, mine's from 1997)

Anything is better than the orange cardboard things they used to use.

 

[Will]

Mine looks very much like Belinda's (the picture isn't as nice) - I'm a UK citizen.

[Tourangelle]

I'm a Uk citizen too, but my carte de séjour is kind of blue and beige rather than pink and the photo is on the right hand side. It is 6 years old now, so perhaps they have changed them, or maybe as it is a ten year one, a pink one is permanent?

[Teamedup]

The cards did change. Not only the colour, but the title on them. Our youngest son's card is called a titre de sejour and looks like the one shown on here. I'm not sure about his brother's which was issued two years earlier.