France: Getting the ball rolling..

jolly_roger · #1 (**permalink**) 23rd October 2009, 09:10 AM

Hello Hello
I have been reading this forum for a few days now and found it really interesting, I am still waiting for the reply from the french consulate that is within walking distance of my home.

Here is my case, any help would be greatly appreciated. My girlfriend is a french national, we are looking into getting married in france, We dont know if it is possible to stay in france or whether i must come back to South Africa to wait for the visa. What other things will we need to prove in order for me to be able to get married, live and work in france.

I am studying french at the moment. I have tertiary qulifications, I am within the working age. We are looking to move in a year or so, enough time to get everything done.

Many thanks

Bevdeforges · #2 (**permalink**) 23rd October 2009, 10:26 AM

The way it works these days (and this is a fairly recent change), if you are planning on getting married in France and then settling in France, you must apply for a long stay visa before you arrive in France for the marriage.

If you get married outside France, then you must apply for a visa before coming to settle in France.

Now, you say your girlfriend is a French national - but where is she resident at the moment? If you want to get married in France, she will have to return to France to establish her residency (at least 40 days before the wedding). She will need to contact her local mairie (town hall) to see what documents they will require of you (as a foreigner) in order to marry there. This is separate from your visa application - and may require some strange certifications that are probably more easily obtained in France.

For the visa application you'll need passport, birth certificate and probably proof of your girlfriend's nationality and residence in France (unless you decide to marry where you are). Possibly proof of how long you have known each other, your qualifications and various other documents - all translated into French.

You're wise to start looking at requirement now. Giving it a year will give you the chance to assess how to get the various documents they require and figure out how to get them translated. It generally takes more time than you'd think.
Cheers,
Bev

jolly_roger · #3 (**permalink**) 26th October 2009, 10:04 AM

hi bev

thanks for the reply, we are currently in south africa, but i will check on the info that you have given. i know there was some sort of problem with going to the doctor, because of living in london for 2 years. i will check.

so it will not be possible to tie the knot on a holiday visa, and come back to the south to await visas.

thanks a million.
joel

Bevdeforges · #4 (**permalink**) 26th October 2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolly_roger

so it will not be possible to tie the knot on a holiday visa, and come back to the south to await visas.

There may be a way to do it that way, but it's out of the ordinary and very well could be far more trouble than it's worth. You could marry on a holiday visa, but only if you do not intend to settle in France after the wedding.

The other problem in your case is that you must marry in the mairie where one or the other of you is resident. (Church weddings don't really count in France - only the civil ceremony at the mairie and it has to be the mairie where one or the other of the partners is resident.) If your girlfriend is currently resident in SA, it would be much easier for you to marry there, and then apply for the visa to return to France.
Cheers,
Bev

jolly_roger · #5 (**permalink**) 27th October 2009, 08:40 AM

hi bev

All this is interesting. The main reason for the marriage in france is all the family want to be there, at the marii that is.. return to south africa and then apply for visas and such in our own time, with no hurry or preasure. I have read quite a few of the other threads that you have replied to, it seems that there is alot to apply for before i will be allowed to stay and work in the country, and it seems that i will have to wait for extended periods of time for some of these things to arrive before i will be allowed to move... I think that an extended holiday might be in order.. We can see..

thanks again for the info. will be at the consulate this week.

Kind regards
Joel

Bevdeforges · #6 (**permalink**) 27th October 2009, 09:37 AM

Don't know about your religious persuasion, but you could always do the civil service in SA and hold off the religious ceremony and reception (i.e. party!) until you get to France to let the family take part.

The religious ceremony in France cannot take place until after the civil ceremony, which is the main issue with trying to do something during a holiday visit.
Cheers,
Bev