American marrying French citizen

[susanet]

Sorry if this question has been answered but we all know this stuff is confusing!!
I would like to marry a French man and be able to live and work in France. Would it be better to marry in France or in the US?

As I understand it, if we were to marry in France, we would both then need to return to the US for me to apply for a long term visa and then I could get a carte de sejour upon our return to France. Question - Can I marry in France on a tourist visa?

If we were to marry in the US, we would have to register the marriage with the consulate and the marie of my fiance and then apply for my long term visa.

Since my fiance cannot spend an indefinite amount of time in the US waiting for paperwork to go through, I think the best would be to marry in France and then come to the US only to apply for the visa.

Any ideas/advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!
Susan[/b]

[archigabe]

Yes, you can marry in France on a Tourist Visa...make sure the applications are set up in the local mairie by your fiance before you arrive there.

[Hexy]

You can marry on a short stay visa as long as you have not exceeded your 90 days. You will need a notarized birth certificate and its french translation and prior marriages you will need the divorce decree and its french translation at a minium. Same for your fiance if you marry in the US you will need the english translations of that information.

I would personally tell you if you can, to marry in France if that is where you will be living. From what I understand, and this is not from my own experience as of yet. You can apply for a carte de sejour once you are married. I am myself going the long route by applying for a long stay visa as I am bringing my son with me and it is required as he needs to attend school. Otherwise I would be going the short stay visa route and marrying and applying thereafter. That came from the French Consulate himself here in NY.

I hope I helped a small bit because I know I have gotten a lot of good and bad info off of forums. The bottom line is this. If you are in France, go to both the American Consulate/Embassy and the French mairie and gather the info first hand. AND GET IT IN WRITING!

Best of luck!

[pierre75]

Three possibilities :

1) tourist visa + mariage in France + back to US + ask of long term visa to the french Consulate on the basis of spouse of French citizen.

2) tourist visa + mariage in France + stay in France for minimum 6 months (it means at least three months illegaly) + ask long term visa from France (Préfecture) on the basis of minimum 6 months living with a French citizen in France and married with him (6 months all together, whatever before or after the mariage).

The official circular of the French government about this procedure (in French) :
http://multinational.leforum.eu/t20-Cir ... ommune.htm

3) tourist visa + mariage in France + your husband go immediatly to another EU country (for exemple Belgium) and register there as European Citizen + he makes you to come to Belgium immediately + Belgium authorities deliver you a 5 years residence certificate + you can choose to stay together in Belgium or to go back together in France while keeping the preferential treatment linked to the European citizenship of your spouse.

The official booklet on the Freedom of movement for the European Citizens and their families (in english) :
http://multinational.leforum.eu/t140-Le ... peenne.htm

[Papa M]

Hi everyone.

Short question, I am in the same position as susanet. I found Pierre75's response succinct and helpful. That said, his solution #1 is an expensive hassle, while solution #3 is basically impossible. That leave solution #2: tourist visa+marriage in france+overstay visa for at least 3 months+request long term visa from prefecture

(Pierre75 gives the link to the circulaire defining this procedure: http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a ... 4920603.04)

So, my question: does anyone out there have recent (i.e., post sarkozy/hortefeux regime) experience with this route? I ask because this circulaire was published in the waning days of Chirac's government, and I wonder if it is still valid. Perhaps more importantly, I wonder if Sarkozy's jack-booted immigration thugs are going to deport me if I show up at the prefecture and ask for the long-stay visa in this fashion, thereby essentially admitting to having broken immigration law.

Be well,

Thanks for your posts,

Papa M

[Hexy]

well when I went to the French consulate in New York to apply for my long stay visa along with my son applying too. My reason to go to France was to live in France with my fiance and marry. He looked at me and told me this is not a reason. I thought hmmm its not? He said to make it easier you need to go there, get married, or have him come here and get married, then apply for your long stay visa. I told him logistically with two families in two countries that wish to attend would not be a good idea to just basically elope. (Elope is not in the french vocabulary apparently)
So he said OK I will submit it this way. Still no word pushing week 3 so far. OK so for your question. From what I am told, you must be in posession of a long stay visa to apply for your carte de sejour. That is written everywhere, married or not. I would suggest the easiest is to get married in France, go online and make an appt with the visa dept in your area, take the plane back the day before and turn in your app with all required docs. It should be given on the same day free of charge. If you wish exact questions I can give you an email to the supervisor that I dealt with in NYC and you can directly ask him the proceedure. He is very knowledgeble .. maybe a bit cold but very fair.
I wish you all the best of luck in the world as I empathize with your heart completely.
send me a private message if you wish that email and I will gladly provide it to you.

[Hexy]

Update:

Long Stay Visa denied. I asked what the reason for the denial was and I was told, "we are not informed of that information". My future mother in law in France called her friend who has a friend in Houston Texas French Consulate and it was relayed to him that I was denied because I am unemployeed at present. I am disabled and can not work, but they never wanted to hear that. And because my fiance and I have been together for so long, all our banking is done from our account in France. So, since I didn't have a bank account in the US in my own name and because I am not unemployeed and can not work in physical therapy as I am trained, my son and I were denied long stay visa to go to France, get married and be a family.

This is just a crushing blow as we have been waiting for 6+ years to be together and now that my son, who I refused to leave him pretty much motherless, wants to move to France we are told no.

I am going on my 90 days and getting married and then coming back and applying for the Spouse Long Stay visa. But Im informed that since I applied and was denied, I will not have the same day visa as any other spouse of a French National. They will have to speak to the Magistrate and they will decide if I can have the ability to live with my husband in France. This time when I walk into that Consulate I will have my husband in tow and he will do all the talking. Hopefully it will flow easily but seeing my luck as it stands now doing things legally and answering honestly, all they want are smoke, mirrors, and lies.

I refuse to do that 3 month illegal stuff until I reach 6 months in country because apparently everyone is talking as if Sarkozy regime is pretty harsh on things like that.

Has anyone successfully done this? So stressed out and worn out but not out of hope!

[GEOFFRO]

Hi all,

I went for Pierre's Option No. 2 and got the refussal letter 3 days ago (10 weeks after applying at my local prefecture)..

I had, to the best of my knowledge, fulfilled the criteria for making the application at my prefecture but was refused without any supporting remarks as to why. All that was said was that I must return to my country of residence and lodge the application there.

Not having the time (or energy) to appeal I booked the first flight back to Australia and am meeting the French consulate in Sydney in 2 days..

This little hurdle will cost me about 3000 Euros.. I think i will send the bill to N. Sarkozy.

Will keep you informed on the outcome of the consulate meeting..

bon courage

[pierre75]

Becoming Hot.

For those who are using option 2, please contact http://www.amoureuxauban.net/
before to go to the Prefecture and ask them to go with you to the Prefecture.

[pierre75]

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