Embassy wants to hear about carte de séjour problems
The British Embassy in Paris is asking that people who encounter difficulties in obtaining a French carte de séjour residence card should contact them.
An embassy spokeswoman said: “We have had a few residents saying they are having difficulties as local officials are saying as EU nationals they don’t need one.
“This is correct but EU nationals can still apply if they wish to. We have suggested that anyone having local difficulties can let us know as this will allow us to build up a picture of any particular problems where it may be helpful for us to remind the prefecture of the situation.”
While not obligatory for EU citizens, many experts consider having such cards would be useful after Brexit. This is because they certify that a person has been living in France as a resident, on a ‘stable and legal’ basis – either for more than three months (for a basic card) or for more than five years (for a ‘permanent stay’ card).
Permanent stay cards are also proof that a person has met the qualifying requirements for maintaining their rights after Brexit as so far defined in the UK-EU negotiation for the Brexit deal.
The embassy can be contacted on: France.Enquiries@fco.gov.uk
- For more about what the embassy has been doing this year and priorities for 2018, look out for our interview with British ambassador Lord Ed Llewellyn in the December edition of The Connexion newspaper. Lord Llewellyn was formerly the Downing Street chief of staff under David Cameron. You can also sign up for their Voisins Voices newsletters here.
