Suandpete Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Our first 5 year Titre de Sejour has just exppired and so we went to our Mairie yesterday armed with print-outs of the appropriate legislation from the Government web site to ask for a new 20 year one which would no longer show us as inactif. The "responsable" rang the Prefecture in Niort (we heard her end of the phone call and she told them that we were specifically requesting renewal and read out to them the relevant paragraph) they said that we could not have one but that she should issue us with an attestation signed by the Maire which shows the date we came to live in the Commune.Has any one (from a European country) managed to get a renewed Titre/Carte de Séjour from Niort? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Just a thought, and I apologise if this is a ludicrous suggestion, but if you've been here for five years could you not apply to be naturalised? That would presumably get you past any further problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 There are a good deal more hoops to jump through though Riff-Raff, not least the language fluency, which may still prove a barrier to some, even after five years! Although, it's the route I plan to take myself, it may seem a step too far for others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Us too - we're planning to gird up our loins, step up to the plate and many, many other clichés next spring. Can't say I'm looking forward to the Hydra like bureaucracy, but hey-ho the children have been here since infancy, regard themselves as French, even if their passports state otherwise, and we're certainly not planning on leaving so it would seem to be an approximately sensible idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 What a load of nonsense. Only for the kids is it worthwhile. The rest is WIND. Pistols at dawn in the Marais Jon. Or booze somewhere[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Yes, evidently that fluency problem can be a real swine [:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 [quote user="Suandpete"] Our first 5 year Titre de Sejour has just exppired and so we went to our Mairie yesterday armed with print-outs of the appropriate legislation from the Government web site to ask for a new 20 year one which would no longer show us as inactif. The "responsable" rang the Prefecture in Niort (we heard her end of the phone call and she told them that we were specifically requesting renewal and read out to them the relevant paragraph) they said that we could not have one but that she should issue us with an attestation signed by the Maire which shows the date we came to live in the Commune.Has any one (from a European country) managed to get a renewed Titre/Carte de Séjour from Niort?[/quote]Write to the préfect and ask him to explain why his staff are refusing to comply with Article L122-1 of the code de l'entrée et du sejour des étrangers et du droit d'asile concerning the issue of titres de séjour to EU citizens acquiring permanent resident in France. Address your letter to Le Préfect des Deux-Sevres and send it by registered post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Just a little acid indigestion, thanks - not wind.So what is it to be - handbags at 15 paces or a pint? You didn't reply to my e-mail...The French passport will, as you say, make most difference to the assorted offspring and blisters, but I'm damned if I'm going to be a different nationality to the children. Anyway, I'd quite like to be able to vote in France since the blighters here are spending my tax euro. Also, the process could be amusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastet Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 [quote user="Sunday Driver"] [quote user="Suandpete"] Our first 5 year Titre de Sejour has just exppired and so we went to our Mairie yesterday armed with print-outs of the appropriate legislation from the Government web site to ask for a new 20 year one which would no longer show us as inactif. The "responsable" rang the Prefecture in Niort (we heard her end of the phone call and she told them that we were specifically requesting renewal and read out to them the relevant paragraph) they said that we could not have one but that she should issue us with an attestation signed by the Maire which shows the date we came to live in the Commune.Has any one (from a European country) managed to get a renewed Titre/Carte de Séjour from Niort?[/quote]Write to the préfect and ask him to explain why his staff are refusing to comply with Article L122-1 of the code de l'entrée et du sejour des étrangers et du droit d'asile concerning the issue of titres de séjour to EU citizens acquiring permanent resident in France. Address your letter to Le Préfect des Deux-Sevres and send it by registered post.[/quote]As per my posting in the Post Bag, I and the secretary of our Maire are going to try and apply for a renewal of my OH's CdS - at Niort. She will include the relevant section on the "vosdroits" site. I will keep your suggestion in mind if they refuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastet Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Suandpete, Have you had any joy with your CdS renewals ?Mr Bastet received his new one a couple of weeks ago, (from Niort) just after his old one ran out. It's taken 3 months but they might have deliberately not have issued it until the expiry date of his previous one. The new one has no expiry date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suandpete Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 No, we decided to let it rest for a while as we had the certificate signed by the Maire but we may go direct to Niort and see what happens there - maybe the new regulations are finally filtering through. Interesting to hear that your husband managed to get one - is he from an EU country? Does he work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastet Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 [quote user="Suandpete"] Interesting to hear that your husband managed to get one - is he from an EU country? Does he work?[/quote]Yup, he's an Essex boy... We had nonactif CdS issued when we first came to France, 5.5 years ago then when he registered as an artisan a year ago, he used his as ID for cheques etc as it was the only thing he had with a photo & address on. As it was expiring at the end of 2007, I went to the Mairie to ask for a renewal which initially they refused to do, following the instructions from the Prefecture that foreigners don't need one. Yes, I said, showing them the printed page from the 'lesdroits' website, but we are entitled to one if we ask for it. I took in his Chambre de Metier registration papers which they copied and sent in along with the application to Niort and hey presto, it was issued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suandpete Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 I guess his situation is totally different from ours as he is "actif" and we are "non-actif". Although sometimes it doesn't feel like that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastet Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Oh right. I thought from your first posting, when you mentioned no longer being inactif, that your situation was similar to my OH. In any case though, I don't see that the prefecture should refuse any request to renew, but maybe in practise they need an extra reason, such as a change of status. My CdS is valid for several more years and who knows what changes might have taken place by the time that expires.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeltus Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Ha! Me too!Following the publication of the process for doing this in the December 2007 issue of Connexion, we decided that we had better try and follow the procedure in order to obtain our titre de resident permanent - we have lived in France over five years, our initial carte de sejour has expired and we liked the idea of having proof of residency, especially when it comes to traipsing down to CPAM to convince them there that we are entitled to stay in the French healthcare system.We carefully printed off the relevant section of les codes (L122-1) at ww.legifrance.gouv.fr, collected together vast amounts of utilities bills, rates bills and other proofs of who we are and where we've been for the last five years, and headed for our Prefeture, which in our case, is in Perigueux.Firstly, it was a case of "Whoopsy, this is a hard one, le Chef needs to be consulted and he is busy" - after a period of patient waiting and perusing our documents, with no appearance from "le Chef", it became "but this is for non-Europeans"After still further waiting, it was obvious that "le Chef" was not going to be available and the excuse became "Connexion has this wrong, this is not the procedure and anyway, this printout (of the legal code) is not right, it is just the short version"Regrettably, we could go no further, I'm afraid our french wasn't up to persisting in arguing. But the two assistants assured us that they would contact Connexion to explain what the procedure was (and I would bet a lot on them not doing that!), that all we needed at CPAM was to tell CPAM to 'phone the Prefecture for proof of our residency (what, two departments in France agreeing to talk to each other?) and that anyway, it is no longer a law in France to carry proof of ID and even if it was, our expired cartes de sejour were enough.Now, much as I love living in France, I am well aware, and have first-hand experience, of this element of the french psyche that does not allow them to admit they do not know what to do (or to apologise for that matter) - but in this case, I don't know what to do next either! A certain bloody-mindedness in me wants to pursue this on the grounds that "I don't care if it is necessary or not, but it is my right to hold such a card, so I want one" - but I really don't know what to do next. Perhaps someone can advise?It may be that there are several of us who want to follow this procedure and we can arrange to visit the Prefecture en masse, preferably, alas, with someone who speaks french a darn sight better than I do.I guess the advice to write to the Prefecture demanding to know, in writing, the reason for refusal, might be a sensible next step, but even when sent by Recorded Delivery, there still seems to be too many cases of such communications being ignored - so I'd like to follow this up on several fronts if I can...Cheers and all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now