[nguyenp]

Hi all,

Just wondering if you could help me answer the following questions.

I am Australian and my fiancé is French. We are currently doing a long-distance relationship but I will be moving to France in January 2018 to be with him. I am pregnant and this has changed some of our plans. The plan right now is for me to still move to France and have the baby there. Unfortunately, my fiancé can't move to Australia because he has to finish his last year of uni and has to work for the French Government for the next 8 years. He is locked in a contract with them because they paid for his uni fees and living expenses.

Here are my questions:

1) if we get married, will I benefit from the French Healthcare system immediately?

My fiancé spoke to someone and was told if i don't work in the first 3 months I will not be able to benefit from the healthcare system immediately and will have to wait after the 3 months. However, if I do work (even if it is only for a day) i will be entitled to the healthcare benefits.
Is this weird or what???? I thought being married, i will be able to access the healthcare system right away and so I could have the baby in France.
Apparently the law changed since 2016???

2) If we marry in Australia, how long does it take to get my livret de famille? (a rough time frame is possible)

3) If i do decide to have the baby in Australia, and then move to France a month later. Will it be easy for my child to be a French citizen and have the French passport?

Thanks in advance!
PN

 

[Bevdeforges]

If you get married in Australia it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for you to get your livret de famille. (And be sure to contact the consulate BEFORE the marriage is to take place. The Sydney Consulate can be really picky about posting the banns for the marriage before it takes place if you're going to apply for a livret de famille.)

Basically, you'll benefit from the French healthcare system as soon as you become resident in France. Then again, it can take a bit of time for the paperwork to pass so that you have your Carte Vitale and are registered in the system. Worst case might be that you'd have to pay for some of your care in France until your registration is processed, but then you'd be reimbursed back to your entry date to France. However, the health care system here is usually pretty good about treating first and worrying about the payment/coverage later, especially with maternity cases.

If you have the baby in Australia, he or she will be French from day one as long as Daddy's name is on the birth certificate (indicating his nationality). There should be no real problem getting the baby a French passport, though you may have to check the consulate website for the details (i.e. whether or not you have to take the baby in to the consulate or not).
Cheers,
Bev

 

[95995]

Of course, if the baby is born in Australia, you will need to register the birth with the French Consulate - in those circumstances you will have no issues getting him/her a French version birth certificate plus passport. Check with the French Consulate in Sydney. If you do this, you will save yourselves/your child lots of future headaches, albeit your child will be French from birth if the father's name is on the birth certificate (and the father has acknowledged paternity).

Conversely, if the baby is born in France and you want him/her to have Australian nationality, you will need to ensure the birth is registered with the Australian Consulate - check with the Australian Consulate in Paris.

 

[PecheLaura]

Congrats on your baby and big life decisions! Just offering a few lines to say you will not enjoy waiting for a carte vitale, the green plastic card hospitals/clinics use to register and bill for services.

My card took a full 18 months and I was working and paying into the socialized system.. so the delay was pretty disrespectful. My friend who was a dependent on her husband's insurance took the same amount of time.

The good news: no doctor can deny you care and 1-hour office appt fees are not predatory. However, if you do not have a card and number, do not expect an easy billing or reimbursement process at any time, and especially not for the big event. Depending on your tolerance for bureaucracy, consider using Australian services. As others have noted, the child will be a dual national regardless of his birth country.

 

[95995]

My CV took a couple of months - from application to CPAM, receipt of attestation of coverage, to the actual card. The process seems to be somewhat more complex/lengthy sometimes for those working. I believe most of the PUMA backlog has been cleared and qualification for coverage is much more straightforward for those not actually working, however potentially add 3 months or so to the wait time (though this should not be the case for those married to someone who is covered). BUT waiting times do vary across the country.

 

[95995]

. As others have noted, the child will be a dual national regardless of his birth country.

I haven't checked, but I'm not sure that would be the case if the baby is born in France, UNLESS, of course, the birth is registered with the Australian Consulate (Australia can be a bit funny about nationality). Of course, it's worth bearing in mind that transmission of citizenship of any country can change over time, sometimes even retrospectively,, which is why I always advocate that people register overseas births with the relevant consulate.

 

[nguyenp]

thank you for all the replies!!!!
We are considering all our options at the moment. My fiancé has a meeting next month to discuss the social support and i will be ringing the consulate in Sydney to clarify further information.

If we get married in Australia, I get my livret de famille and then my spouse visa.....is there a certain time frame that i must be in France by? i need to take this into consideration because of pregnancy and travel.

What is the process of becoming a resident of France and how long does it take?

We are still leaning towards me moving and giving birth in France. Hopefully i'll get the healthcare quickly...they can't turn me away especially when I need to give birth (but i might be a bill for it later) lol

 

[Bevdeforges]

If we get married in Australia, I get my livret de famille and then my spouse visa.....is there a certain time frame that i must be in France by? i need to take this into consideration because of pregnancy and travel.

If you get married in Australia, timing will depend to a huge extent on how long it takes for the livret de famille to come through. (Don't forget to arrange for a posting of the banns through the consulate before the wedding takes place! We've had any number of folks through here who have had all kinds of problems due to "not bothering.") But the livret can take months to come through and you can't do anything until you have it.

Once you have your livret de famille, getting the visa is a fairly quick process, so you arrange for that when you're ready to head for France. (And indeed, the application form will ask you for the date you plan on traveling, so you're fairly flexible on this.)

After you get to France, you'll have to register with the OFII and go through their processing (basically a series of meetings and/or classes). I would think all that would be easier to do after the baby is born - but that is up to you.

What is the process of becoming a resident of France and how long does it take?

There isn't really a "process" involved in becoming resident. Certainly not if you're married to a French person. What you do have to do is to move in with your French spouse and get on with the OFII processing (so that you'll have your "residence permit" - titre de séjour).

You might have your fiancé ask the question of his employer about how and when he would be able to add you to his health coverage. The sécu is more or less automatic (though also rather bureaucratic) however if he has a mutuelle (top up health insurance) through his work, it might be best if you were covered by that, too, as soon as possible after your arrival if you're planning on having the baby in France.
Cheers,
Bev