SEVERAL readers say they will take French nationality as a result of the vote.
Justin Whittle, 44, from Les Landes, said: “I swim internationally for France and have been thinking about taking French nationality for years but Brexit has pushed me to want it more than ever.
"I’m very upset, especially as it seems the over-65s made the decision for the youth.
“I feel French, and people I know in my swimming club have taken me under their wing and made me feel at home. This is my way of saying to Britain ‘if you guys want out, I do too’.”
Nicholas Whitehead, 62, a mediator and aid worker who shares his time between Wales and the Brittany home he inherited from his father, is one. He said: “It’s as if I’ve been betrayed by my countrymen and stripped of my European citizenship.
“I have no idea what difficulties there might be for someone who owns property in France without any automatic right to live there. But apart from the practicalities and bureaucracy, there’s something else – a sense of belonging. I’ve been going to France since I was nine. My father loved France and so do I.”
Art gallery worker Clare Comrie from Sainte-Mère-Eglise already has a ‘permanent’ carte de séjour, but made an application for French nationality on the day the Leave vote was announced. She said: “Nobody can answer any questions about what’s going to happen – that’s the main reason I’m doing it. It just wasn’t good enough.”
She added she hoped that having a French grandma might also benefit her grandchildren in Britain in terms of moving freely and studying in the EU.
John Round, from the Vendée, is seeking French nationality to participate as fully as possible in public life. A former town councillor who has also sat on school parents’ committees, he might want to stand for council election again and wants to be able to vote – including in mairie and European elections [as EU citizens can] as well as national ones.
“I feel it’s especially important when you consider the likely rise of xenophobic politics, and why not open myself up to all the options that there are as a citizen of France?”
Travelling in the EU would also be simplified, he said, and he thought his French nationality might benefit his daughter, who lives in the UK, if she wants to study in France.
Advantages and disadvantages of taking French nationality
Applying for French nationality is more complex than for a ‘permanent’ carte de séjour. However, it is a realistic prospect if you have been at permanent resident of France for five years or more and speak reasonable French. You do not have to renounce your British nationality unless you want to.
Advantages
- You can vote – and stand – in all French elections
- Access to all professions
- Simplified paperwork
Disadvantages
Experts we asked did not see significant drawbacks, with the proviso that it might make the choice of British law by a French resident under the new EU inheritance regulation weaker. Under this, you choose the law of any nationality you hold, however Gerard Barron, an honorary avocat in Boulogne-sur-Mer, said if a disinherited child tries to challenge the choice in the French courts (particularly with regard to French property), they may try to take advantage of the fact you are French. There have been no court decisions on this to clarify.
How to do it
You submit an application form to your prefecture (see www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/N111) which will consider it at their discretion (contact them for the exact details of where and how), with a €55 fee.
The process is simpler and more certain if you have been married to a French person for four years or more.
Essential requirements include
Being aged 18 or more; having been in France as a permanent legal resident for at least five years; proof of sufficient ability in French; criminal record extract showing no listing of serious crimes; showing integration in terms of work in France if you are of working age.
You should be able to express yourself to the level of a French 15-year-old and may prove this with a diploma of French
studies to a suitable level delivered by a French-speaking country or by taking a test with a body accredited for Français Langue d’Intégration (FLI). Over-60s do not need to sit a test, but your French is assessed during the prefecture interview which is part of the process. During this you will also be assessed on awareness of French culture and values.
Many documents are required and the prefecture needs to see originals and have photocopies. Any official documents (birth, marriage, death certificates; criminal record check) in English must be translated by a sworn translator. Find one here: tinyurl.com/sworn-translators (some advertise in Connexion). The deadline for submitting them all is six months from putting in the form.
- A more complete explanation of the process appeared in our September 2015 edition (you can buy a .PDF version in the back issues section)
