French Nationality Progress!

 French Nationality Progress!

Or - Oh, the things you think you know...

And, Oh, how quickly things change!

It's amazing how much anxiety you can have when you don't know whether your dossier is continuing down the path, or whether it's been put on a shelf somewhere along the line. Everyone seems to feel this way (OK, there are a few exceptions...). So, naturally, we all grasp at information about *finding out!*

Waaay back at the end of 2019, there were various bits of advice on how to follow the progress of your dossier, your request for French nationality. Included:

1) when your dossier is accepted, you get a préfecture number. You refer to this for follow-ups.

2) note the tracking number of the envelope you included in your dossier; it is there for 2 reasons (1) to return your paperwork to you if it is insufficient, and (2) to forward your dossier to the interior minister for the next step. You can check on this via the website for La Poste.

3) some time after your préfecture interview, email SDANF, with a very specific format, and ask for your ministerial number. This tells you it has been sent to the next step, and the number gives you an idea of how much longer you have to wait. Sometimes, but not always, you will get an automatic email from SDANF when they receive your dossier, and you will have your ministerial number that way.

4) at some point, SDANF forwards your dossier to SCEC - they create your French birth certificate. They may contact you for clarifications, but not always. Once you have your ministerial number, you can email (BR2SCEC@diplomatie.gouv.fr) or call SCEC to find out if they have your dossier.

5) for requests by décret, the naturalizations are published in the Journal Officiel (JO) - the ministerial number contains a series number that indicates the timeframe that it was received by SDANF, and you can see the series numbers of those who have become French. If yours is close, you have some hope that yours will be soon.

6) Recently, the process changed so that new citizens are automatically entered on the electoral rolls. *And* there's a way to check your status online! Many people are finding out they are French because they receive their election cards well before they appear in the JO.

7) And, of course, you can follow others in the nationality forum, checking on timelines for people in a similar situation.

Well, times change.

1) I did get my préfecture number - because the préfectures were closed due to covid for 2-3 months in 2020, I didn't hear from them for 5 months (they're now back to 2 1/2 months). 

2) After my interview, I occasionally checked my tracking number - I always got this notice, basically saying that it hadn't been used. So, clearly that is not a valid method now.

3) I tried the format that others had used, but SDANF no longer allows the request for information on the current status of your dossier - two emails bounced (one bounced spectacularly, with 30+ auto-responses in my spam folder!), and one email remained unanswered. I waited a while longer, and finally used a different format, and mentioned that I wasn't sure they had my correct email address :-). This morning, I got a reply! According to the series number (2021 - 006), my dossier had in fact been forwarded very soon after my préfecture interview! Whew!

4) I haven't heard from SCEC, and I probably won't contact them.

5) I checked the latest JO, and saw a few from my series. Since my request is by déclaration (marriage to a French national), I won't be listed there - but now I know that some people in my timeframe are done.

6) I have been checking for my name on the electoral rolls periodically, so we'll see... Today, no: 

7) The latest data point is from an e-friend who had her interview about a month before mine, and is now French! So, I'm hoping to hear any day now...

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links to recent JOs: https://www.easytrangers.com/t/liste-des-decrets-de-naturalisation-2021/6199

electoral rolls website: 

https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/services-en-ligne-et-formulaires/ISE

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SDANF email format that worked (DD/MM/YYYY is birth date):

Sujet : 

[préfecture number]-[SURNAME]-[FirstName]-DD/MM/YYYY-envoi de pièces/renseignements complémentaires 

Pour : sdanf-accueil@interieur.gouv.fr

Bonjour,

Je me permets de vous contacter concernant ma demande de naturalisation par déclaration.

Je souhaiterais savoir si mon dossier a été transmis à votre bureau d'accès à la nationalité française, et connaitre si possible mon numéro ministériel s'il vous plait ?

Numéro préfectoral :  [préfecture number]

Nom, Prénom : XXX, Julie [middle name]

Date de naissance : dd month yyyy

Entretien d’assimilation : dd month 2021

Adresse e-mail : Je ne suis pas sûr que vous ayez mon adresse e-mail correcte - c'est mon nom, tout ensemble, alors, J...@GMAIL.COM

Je vous remercie par avance et je reste à votre disposition pour toute information complémentaire.

Bien cordialement,

Julie XXX

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My post on my dossier, timeline, and links to all updates is here:

http://slowtravelin.blogspot.com/2020/01/julies-french-nationality.html