by Nick & Jill, Collioure
Today we attended our rendezvous at the sous-préfecture in Perpignan for our carte de séjour. (READ HERE ABOUT PAPERWORK AND PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW IN ADVANCE)
We received the date of 12th November 2018 for our rdv way back on 20th July 2018. We believe that the waiting time is even longer now.
The key points from our rdv which might be of interest (and we emphasise that everyone’s circumstances are different, so there will always be variations) are:
- Our rdv was for 10h45. We arrived at 10h25 expecting to have to wait in a queue quite a while but, once through a swift but thorough security check at the entrance, there was was someone triaging arrivals and we were quickly directed to a nearby waiting room.
- We were summoned to a guichet at 10h44 and had a very helpful, knowledgeable and business-like lady behind the glass screen.
- We are a married couple applying for a carte de séjour each in our own right. We are both retired. This dictated what pièces justicatives we had to provide.
- We were dealt with consecutively (rather than simultaneously).
- We were each asked for two piles of documentation – one with all the originals and the other with all the copies (not, as we had done, which was to have one pile with the copies immediately under the originals!).
- The Interior Ministry list of Pièces Justicatives specifies three ID photographs – but Perpignan only uses two and gives you back the third one. Nevertheless take three!
- YES – even though they are not on the Interior Ministry list, we were asked for our birth certificates and our marriage certificate (right up front in the rdv). Make sure you take them.
- Another Perpignan requirement that’s not in the Interior Ministry’s instructions is for married couples to have a photocopy of their spouse’s passport in their dossier.
- Both parties need to be present to sign the Declaration de Communauté de Vie(consult the linkhttps://droit-finances.commentcamarche.com/faq/23659-communaute-de-vie-definition for what this means) on the back of each Demande de Titre de Séjour form.
- We offered our cartes vitales (and copies) and our Attestation de Tiers Payant (mutelle)card (and copies); that seemed to be useful and they were accepted willingly.
- For the Justicatif de la continuité de résidence pendant 5 ans, one document per semestre (i.e. every half-year/six-month period) is required.
- No translations were required of any documents in English.
- Their e-mail giving us the appointment date and time stated “Pour l’obtention d’une carte pluri-annuelle, vous devez impérativement présenter votre Contrat d’Accueil et d’Intégration (CAI) ainsi que vos diplômes”. We had never heard of these and after some research on the Internet, decided that they were not applicable to EU citizens. So . . . we took the risk and ignored the requirement. We were not asked for them – thank goodness!
- Finally, after many smiles and the exchange of vast amounts of paper, we walked out at 11h10 having been told that we would be granted a 10-year carte which should be ready in one month. On verra !
We hope this helps.
