So, I had this note in my calendar - make appointment:
Check dossier needs
For December +/-
http://www.herault.gouv.fr/Prendre-un-rendez-vous
Read: http://southtosud.com/renewing-my-visa-carte-de-sejour-in-france/
And, October 27, I went online - sure enough, all slots were full except December 15 (mornings only, 12 minutes each!). I grabbed one, and started getting my dossier together.
I kept re-reading SouthToSud's posts - our situations are very similar, so this detailed accounting was very helpful!
This is the starting point for finding the all-important list of items required for my dossier: http://accueil-etrangers.gouv.fr many clicks later, my list looked like this (Someone else's list will, of course, be quite different):
- Visa page of passport
- Justificatif d’état civil et de nationalité :
-- passport id page and entry stamp
-- birth certificate
-- marriage certificate (we could order the French version, for free!)
- Justificatif de domicile = electric bill (less than 3 months old)
- Justificatif d’acquittement du droit de timbre au moment de la remise du titre.*
- 3 recent photos (no copies)**
- Medical cerificate from when I went to OFII for my vignette. ***
- Marriage certificate (again)
- Rick's French ID card
- Communauté de vie = a form letter stating that we have actually lived together as a married couple. Also, any documents that will help prove this, such as rent receipts or utility bills in both names. Twenty-five years is a long time to have to prove...
-- maybe also tax returns, old USA house mortgage, bills, bank statements...
Other items to include:
- All other OFII documents, Class certificates, DELF certificate
- appointment printout
- list printout
And, make sure everything on the list is an original, and include a copy to leave with them.
~~~
* So, I misread one item - I thought I had to have the stamps (timbres) for my dossier appointment. We looked online (as we were able to buy them this way for my visa), but! look at what happened - the official website that says what timbre we need links to where to buy them. And they aren't listed as a choice!
Well, not to worry; "every" tabac sells them...
We ran all over town asking at tabac after tabac for them. Each and every one said "no, we don't sell those - try the one just over there!"
I finally remembered that I had seen a similar question on one of my forums, and searched - bingo! You can buy them
And, the post definitely said (confirmed by a more careful translation of the list) that the timbre is needed to pick up the card, not to request it :-)
** I also needed another set of official photos. I kept putting it off, thinking that it was a good excuse to finally get my hair cut, then putting off the haircut (haven't decided on a place to try; ok, I'm intimidated by the whole process). Time was running out, and my bangs were getting out of hand; with a party to go to on Sunday, I broke out the scissors and made a chop or two (yeah, the coiffeuse can fix it; I can hear the tsk tsk tsk already). Now I have less than a week till my appointment - busy Monday and Tuesday, maybe aim for haircut Wednesday, photo Thursday, appointment Friday. Plans are meant to change - Tuesday, I woke up a little under the weather, Wednesday was worse. Then Rick got it. And we're low on sicky food. Thursday, I convinced myself I was not so bad, and hoofed it to the grocery store - where there is a photo booth :-) I got my photos! My hair behaved, and I *hardly* look sick at all! Good thing, because this is what I'll be carrying around as ID for 10 years (if I'm lucky) =-O
Oh yes, I also got food. And yes, there is a photo booth at the préfecture, just in case.
*** This was listed. But fortunately, not only did I remember that my OFII agent had told me that I would need the other documents (especially the contract of integration) from that day as well as my Class certificates and any language certificates (yay, DELF diplôme !), but my go-to blogger also mentioned it.
~~~~~~~~
Day of: it's a cold, windy, grey, miserable day, I'm still sick. It takes all morning to get to Montpellier when you have to be there at a given time (just in case any of the buses or trains are late), and I got there about an hour before my appointment. I had plenty of time to ask all sorts of administrative questions (no, the préfecture no longer sells the timbres needed for a card, but the tabac across the square does) :-) Then! it's my turn. And they ask where my husband is?!?
Apparently, they need to witness his signature on the yes-we-live-together document...
Well, after I got my jaw back in place, I explained that he was sick; I showed his ID and the signed document, but, no, they need to witness it. No budging. OK, well the good news is that I don't have to try for another appointment waaay out there. They arrange for us to all get together the next week (this time in the afternoon - yay!). And I snapped this on the way out of town
~~~~~~~~
The Other Day of: it's a significantly nicer day - sunny, and less wind. There was still a lot of waiting-around time, but we were together. We had about an hour to kill in Montpellier, so we investigated the tabac near the préfecture - sure enough, the cashier confirmed that I could buy my timbres/stamps there when the time comes (and a credit card is fine).
At the préfecture, we sat and relaxed - I set an alarm for 5 minutes before the appointment time so I wouldn't constantly distract myself watching the clock. Well, our appointment was pretty anticlimactic - we showed our IDs, then spent a few minutes tossing documents around. She took all the copies, hardly glanced at the originals (quite the opposite of my original visa appointment), and didn't care at all to see any of our life-together documents (I had a scattering of documents from 1998, 2005, and 2015). I goofed on my visa though - I had a copy of my original visa, but not of my vignette! (that's the second half, put in my passport by OFII). "Pas grave" (not a bad problem), madame took my passport and made her own copy. We signed the we-live-together document, and madame asked if Rick was feeling better (yeah, she remembered he was sick!). A few minutes later, she returned with my récépissé (receipt and temporary document). I asked if I could apply for the 10 year card, and she said it was up to her boss. So I didn't get an appointment for an interview, unlike she-who-has-gone-before. On our way out, I apologized for putting her out, and thanked her for seeing us on an irregular basis - she said, oh no, it's my job! It's not a problem! :-)
~~~
What's next? I expect a few bumps along the way, so these are some things that might happen:
- maybe/hopefully an interview for my 10 year residence card. Probably in about a month. I'm not sure if I'll get a text for it, or how they'll tell me about it. I'll have to brush up on all things French... (UPDATE: it was less than 2 weeks, and I'm approved! Read about it here)
- UPDATE: Because I live in a town outside of the territory normally covered completely by the préfecture, I also had an interview at my Mayor's office. Read about it here.
- a "surprise visit" from the gendarmes (police), so they can assure themselves that we really are married. But this would only happen if/after I have my 10-year interview (UPDATE: This also happened quickly - read about it here)
- possibly a visit to the préfecture to ask what's taking so long (I've heard of this happening, so I'm mentally prepared) ;-)
- possibly a visit or two to the préfecture to get a new récépissé (receipt and temporary card that says I'm waiting for a real card - it lets me legally stay as well as travel). My current one is good through (almost) the end of April (and I have a trip planned for May). (UPDATE: yep, here's how my 2nd récépissé trip went. I will be so glad when this is settled!) (UPDATE 2: My second récépissé is nearly expired - here's what they said...)
- an hour or two waiting in line at the préfecture (fortunately in the afternoon, 1:15-3:00, and only one line now) to pick up my card. This would follow a notification text from them, and a visit to a tabac (in Montpellier, not Sète! And not at the préfecture!) to buy the stamps. Possibly 3 months (no 10-year card), possibly 6 months if/after the 10-year interview. Possibly earlier (holding my breath?).
(FINAL UPDATE! I got my carte! The 10-year one! Seven months after my appointment! Details are here :-D)
~~~
Another update (7 January 2018): they fixed their website! Now you can buy the timbres online:
https://timbres.impots.gouv.fr/pages/achat/choixSeries.jsp
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