Brexit Brits in Brittany

VISAs

Applications by British national for a French VISA ("titre de séjour") on the basis of the Brexit withdrawal agreement are now closed. British nationals are hence treated equivalently to any third-country nationals for the purpose of applying for French VISAs.

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Citizenship

Applications for French citizenship prior to Brexit were generally on the basis of EU citizenship - a route no longer available to new British emigrants to France. The documents discussed below were required when British zitizens were also EU citizens. Naturalisation applications by non-EU citizens are more complex and may require additional documentation (health screening documents etc.)

As dual nationality remains an option in France, British residents do not have to give up their nationality of origin.

The requirements for French citizenship  vary depending on personal situation. In the following example we will review a relatively standard situation -

• A British individual,
• married to another British citizen,
• with a child,
• and working as an micro-entrepreneur  (previously known as auto-entrepreneur).

Procedures differ between departments hence it is critical to follow those established for the relevant prefecture. Here we will consider an application to the Préfecture d'Ille-et-Vilaine , which is responsible for requests for citizenship status across Brittany.

Requirements

For the personal situation outlined above, the general requirements are:

• 5 years' residency in France
• Knowledge of spoken French at DELF B1 level  
• A clean criminal record
• Financial self-sufficiency

General Points

For British citizens, documents provided in English during the application process will need to be translated by an official translator (a "traducteur assermenté "), but do NOT need apostille certification.

French birth certificates in France are active records of life events. Marriages etc. will be recorded on this document. Hence, when providing a French birth certificate, this needs to be less than three months' old. The same does not apply to British birth certificates which are a static record of birth only.

However, prefecture staff deal with applications from a wide range of nationalities on a daily basis. It is arguably good practice for an applicant to ensure that all certificates, testimonials ("attestations") and relevant translations provided are less than three months old. It important to be organised in the application process, to identify documents that may require delays to obtain, and to process these requests first.

The Application Form

The relevant form N°12753*02  is relatively self-explanatory. If in any doubt, the Préfecture d'Ille-et-Vilaine provide a pre-completed example .

The telephone help-line is 02 99 02 15 04 - open on Tuesdays from 14h - 17h. There is also an efficient email service for dealing with queries at pref-naturalisations@ille-et-vilaine.gouv.fr.

Documents to be Provided

The Préfecture d'Ille-et-Vilaine provide detailed instructions  for the documents that must be included with the application form. It is critical to pay close attention to the requests for originals and/or copies.

We will cover a selection of the most important requested documents under the relevant sections in these instructions.

État civil - Civil Status

You will be asked to provide various birth and marriage certificates (originals and/or copies) for you, your spouse, your children and your parents.

Official copies can be requested on-line from the General Register Office  for England and Wales

*Hint: these copies will arrive much quicker if you can supply the relevant GRO record number which can be obtained on-line via FreeBMD .

All of these certificates must be translated by an official translator .

*Hint: Don't forget the requested certificate of schooling ("certificat de scolarité") for minor children. This is obtained by request from your child's school.

Séjour - Proof of Stay

You must include a copy passport (with copies of all stamped pages) and proof of residency for the 5 years required.

You may supply one document per year of stay - generally your annual French income tax statement ("Avis d'impôt sur le revenu").

*Hint: various documents may be accepted as proof of residence - such as a copy rental agreement for a principal residence, for example. Check eligibility with the prefecture before sending.

Connaissance de la langue - Knowledge of French

Unless you have studied at a French University, you must supply a certificate proving knowledge of oral French at the DELF B1 level in both of the categories of expression and understanding.

The "Test de connaissance du français (TCF) pour l'accès à la nationalité française (ANF)" or TCF-ANF examination provides the required certificate. Do not confuse this exam with other TCF tests for the general public.

Moralité - Character

If resident in France for less than 10 years, you will need to prove good character by providing a UK criminal record check, and also the French equivalent. Otherwise you must provide proof of 10 years' residency and the French check only.

You will also need to provide certificates for any country in which you were resident for more than 6 months.

All of these certificates must be translated by an official translator .

There are currently two types of UK criminal records checks available to British citizens as individuals.

Domicile - Residence

If you are renting you will need to provide your rental contract, last rent receipt and last gas/electricity bill.

If a property owner you will need to provide a copy Act of Ownership ("acte de propriété") with a bank attestation detailing the terms of any mortgage and the last gas/electricity bill.

*Hint: this is not the short "attestation de vente" provided by the notaire on the day of sale, but the longer document forwarded by post often months after the sale.

Situation fiscale - Tax Situation

You must provide full copies of your income tax demands ("Avis d'impôt sur le revenu") for the last three years, or evidence of non-imposition of taxes.

If living with a partner (married or otherwise) you will need to provide their last three years' income tax demands as well.

You will need to provide evidence that you are up to date with all taxes for the last three years. This is done by providing a "bordereau de situation fiscale" (form P237) from all French tax offices at which you have paid tax during the last three financial years.

This is done via your personal, on-line tax portal . You can find instructions here .

Ressources et activité professionnelle - Professional Activity and Resources

You will need to supply a Kbis extract  for your business.

*Hint: order the postal version not the downloadable version.

For a micro/auto-entrepreneur, you will need to supply quarterly declarations of income for the last three years. These can be downloaded from the URSSAF on-line portal  where the declarations were made. You should also consider including the official "attestation fiscale" for each year, which details the total amount declared each year.

You will need to supply testimonies ("attestations") that you have paid all appropriate social contributions ("cotisations"). These "attestations de vigilance" are available to download from your URSSAF on-line account. Originals are requested, but print-outs of the downloads are accepted.

Micro-entrepreneurs are required to pay business tax - the Contribution Fonciere des Entreprises (CFE). You will hence need to supply a "Certificat de Regularite Fiscale" stating that you are up-to-date with CFE payments. This is obtained by request from your local tax office where the business is registered.

If living with a partner (married or otherwise) you will need to provide similar evidence of professional activity for them.

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