[Themayor]

Hi there,

I am a British man and I am applying for French nationality which I believe I can obtain because my father is French.

My question is:
Assuming I am granted French nationality, will that mean my 10-year-old daughter -- she currently has British nationality, British parents and was born in the UK -- will also be eligible for French nationality?

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks!

 

[EuroTrash]

I am a British man and I am applying for French nationality which I believe I can obtain because my father is French.

My question is:
Assuming I am granted French nationality, will that mean my 10-year-old daughter -- she currently has British nationality, British parents and was born in the UK -- will also be eligible for French nationality?

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks!

I believe the answer is No. In order to claim French nationality by filiation, at least one of your parents has to be French at the time of your birth. Since at the time of your daughter's birth you hadn't claimed French nationality, I think that means she was not, technically speaking, born to a French national.

 

[Bevdeforges]

Probably the safest thing would be to wait until you've gotten your French nationality sorted out and then see what the situation is for your daughter. Technically speaking, if you're claiming your French nationality through your father, you're actually only "claiming" your French nationality (from birth) - in which case your daughter should be able to claim French nationality in a similar manner. But whether they will want her to wait until she reaches her majority to do so is in question. In any event, you'll need to get your French birth certificate set up and most likely establish your French livret de famille so that your daughter's birth is properly recorded in the records at Nantes. As with many things here, it will take a bit of time.

Tried to check on Service Public, but it appears the site is not available (maintenance?) at the moment. You could just ask at the consulate where you are processing your own nationality.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[Themayor]

Hi EuroTrash,

Your answer is what I suspected as well.

Thank you for responding.

 

[Themayor]

Hi Bevdeforges,

I agree, I must first wait to see if I can get French nationality and then perhaps contact the consulate as you suggest.

Thanks for answering.

 

[95995]

I believe the answer is No. In order to claim French nationality by filiation, at least one of your parents has to be French at the time of your birth. Since at the time of your daughter's birth you hadn't claimed French nationality, I think that means she was not, technically speaking, born to a French national.

I don't agree. See Bev's post - the OP has actually been French since birth, however that needs to be formalised. Once the OP has done that, he/she can arrange to register the marriage and his daughter's birth - that will mean she will indeed have French nationality.

The French Consulate in London is the starting point.

Edit: I suspect the daughter will indeed need to confirm her nationality when she turns 18 - if she is still in the UK at that time, she can do so at the French Consulate.

 

[Themayor]

Hi EverHopeful, I have just sent this question to the French Consulate in the UK by email, and I will post their answer here so other people can refer to it.

Many thanks!

 

[EuroTrash]

It will be interesting to find out. I may well be wrong. I suspect the key is whether you have to make the same engagements if you claim nationality by filiation as you do for the naturalisation process, and I don't know if you do or not - is it yours to claim unconditionally, or do you have to engage to uphold the values of the Republic and all that before it's given to you.

 

[Bevdeforges]

The French Consulates don't have the greatest reputation for responding to questions by e-mail. If the London Consulate is the exception, then good for you. But worst case, just get all your paperwork out of the way first - and then start over again for your daughter.

I know that there are some age related requirements to taking or claiming French nationality, though I'm not sure exactly what they are. As a minor, she has a right to object to her parents doing it for her, I think from the age of about 12 or so. Obviously, at 18, it's her call all the way. But honestly, it can take "a few" years to get everything sorted out for your situation. Once you have all that, her situation becomes much easier and more direct.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[95995]

It will be interesting to find out. I may well be wrong. I suspect the key is whether you have to make the same engagements if you claim nationality by filiation as you do for the naturalisation process, and I don't know if you do or not - is it yours to claim unconditionally, or do you have to engage to uphold the values of the Republic and all that before it's given to you.

No, you don't have to make those engagements.

 

[95995]

Hi EverHopeful, I have just sent this question to the French Consulate in the UK by email, and I will post their answer here so other people can refer to it.

Many thanks!

This is the correct email address for such enquiries:
[email protected]

Cheers

 

[95995]

The French Consulates don't have the greatest reputation for responding to questions by e-mail. If the London Consulate is the exception, then good for you. But worst case, just get all your paperwork out of the way first - and then start over again for your daughter.

I know that there are some age related requirements to taking or claiming French nationality, though I'm not sure exactly what they are. As a minor, she has a right to object to her parents doing it for her, I think from the age of about 12 or so. Obviously, at 18, it's her call all the way. But honestly, it can take "a few" years to get everything sorted out for your situation. Once you have all that, her situation becomes much easier and more direct.
Cheers,
Bev

The London Consulate definitely does reply to emails (although I believe they are current very busy so they might not respond quite as quickly as they used to) - they in fact prefer such queries be posed via email.

 

[Themayor]

Hi All,

Just as a follow-up to this thread, the French embassy in London never replied to my email (sent 3 weeks ago), so this question remains unresolved. I will think about it again if and when I get my French nationality. Thanks to all who replied!

 

[95995]

Hi All,

Just as a follow-up to this thread, the French embassy in London never replied to my email (sent 3 weeks ago), so this question remains unresolved. I will think about it again if and when I get my French nationality. Thanks to all who replied!

Worth waiting as, until you have your French nationality resolved, the question is very much hypothetical.

Cheers