[kjstinson]

Hi everyone,

Well, we are here in Carcassonne and settled in nicely and love it! Bank account and new phone service went easily and fairly swift. But.....

I sent in my OFII stamped form and copies of what was requested on the form. I received back the following letter:


(In part) <Le visa qui vous a été délivré est bien un visa long séjour mais temporaire. Celui-ci vous dispense donc de toutes formalités auprès de nos services que se soit visite médicale ou paiement de taxe OFII. >

Has anyone heard of this? They say according to an act of 2009, so it isn't new. Should we send back with a cover letter saying we plan on staying here and renewing? Will this cause an issue when we try and renew?
:help:

Thanks for any info.
Karen

 

[kjstinson]

104 people have viewed and no replies? Please help!!!!

Karen

 

[expatgal]

Hi everyone,

Well, we are here in Carcassonne and settled in nicely and love it! Bank account and new phone service went easily and fairly swift. But.....

I sent in my OFII stamped form and copies of what was requested on the form. I received back the following letter:


(In part) <Le visa qui vous a été délivré est bien un visa long séjour mais temporaire. Celui-ci vous dispense donc de toutes formalités auprès de nos services que se soit visite médicale ou paiement de taxe OFII. >

Has anyone heard of this? They say according to an act of 2009, so it isn't new. Should we send back with a cover letter saying we plan on staying here and renewing? Will this cause an issue when we try and renew?
:help:

Thanks for any info.
Karen

Hi Karen,
I'm one of the many viewers and I wish I could answer your question. I'm sure Bev, Everhopeful and others will be around to give you the appropriate answer.
I'm also interested in what it means.

 

[Bevdeforges]

If you're on a visitor visa I don't think there is much (if anything) in terms of the OFII formalities. I thought there was still a medical exam, but I could be wrong about that.

This is the OFII page that indicates the categories of visas where an OFII visit is not required.OFII - Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration Though it does say that a medical exam is still done.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[95995]

Hi everyone,

Well, we are here in Carcassonne and settled in nicely and love it! Bank account and new phone service went easily and fairly swift. But.....

I sent in my OFII stamped form and copies of what was requested on the form. I received back the following letter:


(In part) <Le visa qui vous a été délivré est bien un visa long séjour mais temporaire. Celui-ci vous dispense donc de toutes formalités auprès de nos services que se soit visite médicale ou paiement de taxe OFII. >

Has anyone heard of this? They say according to an act of 2009, so it isn't new. Should we send back with a cover letter saying we plan on staying here and renewing? Will this cause an issue when we try and renew?
:help:

Thanks for any info.
Karen

You could try phoning them. If that doesn't work, if I were you I would send the letter. AFAIK they stlll do medical exams for inactives on a visa de long sejour. As far as renewal is concerned, a written response to such an enquiry would be your safest bet.

Cheers

 

[Traveler12B]

We too are in Carcassonne and find the staff at the Préfecture to be very helpful and friendly. You wouldn't normally need to go there until a year from now when you want to obtain your carte de sejour; however, you might want to go in there now since that's with whom you'll eventually be dealing.

 

[Keri22]

I have a long term visitor visa and am an inactive. After arrival July 2016 I was required to go to the OFII in Rennes where I was given a medical and they placed a label in my pasport. This all occured in September 2016. They explained that to renew I should apply to the prefecture several months before the date of expiration of my visa, July 2017. This I did and there I was provided with my Carte de Sejour valid for another year. To my initial meeting with the prefecture I brought a letter that had been provided to me by OFII regarding my clean bill of health. I noticed that the prefecture's file on me already had it.

Perhaps different departments do different things.

 

[SoleilCouchant]

Just a random thought, I mean they're all temporary, right (long stay visitor visas)? They only last as long as what's on there? maybe your OFII just words it weirdly. I wish I could find my OFII letter from 2015 to see if it said this or not (when I had a visitor visa)

 

[Diora]

Hi everyone,

Well, we are here in Carcassonne and settled in nicely and love it! Bank account and new phone service went easily and fairly swift. But.....

I sent in my OFII stamped form and copies of what was requested on the form. I received back the following letter:


(In part) <Le visa qui vous a été délivré est bien un visa long séjour mais temporaire. Celui-ci vous dispense donc de toutes formalités auprès de nos services que se soit visite médicale ou paiement de taxe OFII. >

Has anyone heard of this? They say according to an act of 2009, so it isn't new. Should we send back with a cover letter saying we plan on staying here and renewing? Will this cause an issue when we try and renew?
:help:

Thanks for any info.
Karen

AFAIK only those with visa viee privee et familiale will get the medical check up done and the tax stamp thing because these will be needed for renewal. I havent had my renewal yet but I was able to open up a bank account as well as get a phone line easily

 

[SoleilCouchant]

In 2015 on a long stay visitor visa (not marriage or work, just random), I got the chest x-ray and visit with the doctor.

 

[Bevdeforges]

What's that about "not looking a gift horse in the mouth?" The OFII has said that you're free of all obligation to meet with the OFII and even the medical exam. The procedures change over time and it's fairly clear that they have been trying to simplify things, if only to relieve some of the back log.

Hold onto the letter just in case you need it at some point, but otherwise get on with your installation. Contact the prefecture 3 or 4 months before your visa/titre de séjour expires and see what they want you to do to renew the titre de séjour part. (Check their website if you're curious now, but with the proviso that something will likely change between now and when you need to start the renewal process.)

If anyone questions the validity of your visa as a titre de séjour, you have the letter to fall back on.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[kjstinson]

Thank you everyone. We have been debating what to do and decided to go and ask at the prefecture. We went today and found out you need an appointment and the lady handed me the web address printed on a piece of paper. So I go home and go to the website and see the link for appointments....and.... it takes you to another website about French taxes and no appointment information anywhere I can find. LOL

So they do have morning sessions with no appointments, so we will try next week. I have my French classes in the mornings now, but they end this week. I am not someone who can wait and see, and the current Prefecture website says we need medical and a tax stamp, so I think it best we get it sorted out. I'll let you know!

Karen

 

[kjstinson]

Update: Finally had a chance to go to the Prefecture yesterday morning. Arrived at 9:00 with no appointment. We only had to wait until 10:00 to see someone. They had never seen such a letter before, nor had they seen a visa that said "Long Sejour Temporaire" on it (they are all temporary after all) and after much discussion, and talking to superiors, and copying of the letter - they said to make sure and keep the letter and to just do nothing until I make an appointment in May with them for renewal.

It figures I would have something no one has seen before - always happens to me. LOL

Well, looks like no medical or interview or tax stamps - so save some money there. We'll see what happens when it is time for renewal.

Karen

 

[SoleilCouchant]

That's bizarre!!

 

[Bevdeforges]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. The OFII procedure has only been in place for the last 10 or so years (I think) and during that time things seem to change pretty frequently. You may just be caught in the latest and greatest of the changes - or perhaps whatever memo it is that has been issued on this hasn't reached your prefecture yet.

You get used to things like this after you've lived here for a while. You did your due diligence, so now just hang onto the letter and follow the instructions they gave you. It kind of makes sense (in a strange sort of way).
Cheers,
Bev