[travel_phil]

Travel with Récépissé for Carte de Séjour

My wife (Canadian) received a récépissé for her first carte de séjour a couple of days ago. The good news is that our appointment is in one month! But they also told us at the préfecture we are not allowed to travel while waiting for the CdS!

We have a trip booked to North America for the week before our appointment. Do you think there is any chance we'll run into problems at the border?

Fortunately we first entered the Schengen zone in early August, so my wife will have stayed for less than 90 days by the time of our trip. Also, I am EU citizen and we will travel with our marriage certificate.

Still, I am wondering. The lady at the préfecture (who was understanding) thought that if we show our récépissé at the border, or get a new entry stamp in France, we'd have to start the whole CdS process over again...

 

[Bevdeforges]

At this point I don't know what to tell you. This issue has started cropping up just recently - and it seems to be limited to situations like yours, where someone is requesting a CdS as the non-EU spouse of an EU national.

Is there any way you can put off your trip - even if only for a week or two until after your appointment?
Cheers,
Bev

 

[travel_phil]

Thank you, Bev. Unfortunately I need to be at a conference, so I can't delay the trip.

Has anyone here been in this situation or know more?

 

[95995]

The Prefecture is not the same as border control and well-meaning staff are not always correct re matters outside their area of responsibility. Your wife has her récépissé. If she has no written advice from the Prefecture that she must not travel, then I would go with that récépissé and the passport. After all, as the wife of an EU citizen (with a nationality that enables her to enter for 90 days without a visa and that is not considered a threat terrorism-wise) she will be allowed to re-enter. That said, the decision has to be yours, but the only alternative would seem to be that she stays in France and you go to the conference.

Edit: I would have thought that worst case scenario is your wife's situation would be that she have to return as a 90-day tourist and start the cds process as the spouse of an EU citizen all over again.

 

[travel_phil]

I appreciate your reply, EH! We certainly didn't receive anything written that we aren't allowed to travel.

I am concerned about the possibility of having to restart the whole process, since we have another long-distance trip booked for November... I did have the impression earlier that since I am EU citizen there shouldn't be any travel issues.

 

[95995]

I appreciate your reply, EH! We certainly didn't receive anything written that we aren't allowed to travel.

I am concerned about the possibility of having to restart the whole process, since we have another long-distance trip booked for November... I did have the impression earlier that since I am EU citizen there shouldn't be any travel issues.

TBH I would not expect you to have issues, especially since you will have your passports, marriage certificate and récépissé with you. Certainly being an EU citizen shouldn't make you less able to travel. As I said, if it were me, I would travel (because I really can't see the risk). I honestly think the lady at the Prefecture has it wrong. However, only you can make the decision re whether your wife should accompany you or remain in France.

 

[Bevdeforges]

I agree with EH here. I don't really see any way they can deny your wife entry on her return, and frankly, I don't see how or why her being gone for a few days would re-set the process for obtaining the CdS as the family member of an EU national.

Take the extra documents with (i.e. marriage certificate, receppissé, etc.) but "play innocent" at the immigration desk both on departure and return. I'm betting that the officer will simply stamp her passport and be done with it. The entry stamp on which her CdS application is based is still in the passport and chances are no one will bother looking for additional stamps.

Only produce the réceppissé if questioned for any reason. But as I said, this sort of thing has only been raised quite recently and may well be a misunderstanding by the prefecture employee.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[travel_phil]

Ok, I'm glad you feel that way, Bev! We will certainly take all important documents with us, including the traduction assermentée of the marriage certificate, the récépissé and convocation and hope for the best.

I very much appreciate your practical advice and will follow it!

When you say this has only come up recently, are you referring to posts on this forum or other information you have?

Finally, what are the next steps if nothing goes wrong? At our convocation (at a different Paris préfecture) in a month's time, will we receive my wife's CdS, or is there an additional step?

 

[Tigerlillie]

My wife (Canadian) received a récépissé for her first carte de séjour a couple of days ago. The good news is that our appointment is in one month! But they also told us at the préfecture we are not allowed to travel while waiting for the CdS!

We have a trip booked to North America for the week before our appointment. Do you think there is any chance we'll run into problems at the border?

Fortunately we first entered the Schengen zone in early August, so my wife will have stayed for less than 90 days by the time of our trip. Also, I am EU citizen and we will travel with our marriage certificate.

Still, I am wondering. The lady at the préfecture (who was understanding) thought that if we show our récépissé at the border, or get a new entry stamp in France, we'd have to start the whole CdS process over again...

I think it may have something to do with it being your wife's 1st CdS, I found this on service-public.fr:

https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F12189

Documents de séjour ne permettant pas le franchissement des frontières :

Si votre nationalité est soumise à visa et que vous quittez la France, vous ne pourrez pas y revenir librement (ni dans un autre pays Schengen) si vous partez avec :

un récépissé de 1re demande de carte de séjour,
ou une autorisation provisoire de séjour ou un récépissé délivré comme demandeur d'asile.

Si vous êtes dans ce cas, pour franchir les frontières, vous devrez déposer une demande de visa consulaire de retour auprès du consulat français du pays dans lequel vous séjournez.

 

[Bevdeforges]

There have been one or two posts here on the forum, including one that pointed to a page on Service Public - but I can't remember offhand whether the poster was referring to travel outside the EU after the expiration of a carte de séjour where they had an appointment for renewal or not.

What I do recall was that the person in question was NOT from a country where they could visit France on the old "stamp in the passport" type of Schengen visa. That may have been the complicating factor in their case.

Aha! Found it! https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F12189 I think you're good, because they do mention having a réceppissé.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[Bevdeforges]

Our posts crossed, but I think the key phrase here is:

Si votre nationalité est soumise à visa

Technically speaking, a Canadian national isn't soumise à visa (at least not for a short-term stay). The person who posed the original question was from a country that needed a visa even just for a vacation trip to France.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[95995]

I think it may have something to do with it being your wife's 1st CdS, I found this on service-public.fr:

https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F12189

The point being a visa to enter (eg. a Schengen visa as opposed to being able to enter without a visa.

 

[travel_phil]

Do any of you know what happens at our convocation at the prefecture in a month (if they don't object to our traveling inbetween...)? Would we normally receive my wife's CdS then and there?

 

[Bevdeforges]

Do any of you know what happens at our convocation at the prefecture in a month (if they don't object to our traveling inbetween...)? Would we normally receive my wife's CdS then and there?

Have they accepted the dossier yet? Or do you still have to submit your dossier (with the documents and copies of the documents they asked for)?

If they have accepted the dossier, chances are they "should" have the CdS. If not, then the appointment is for you to submit the dossier.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[travel_phil]

Oh, i see. They did not take our documents yet...

Are you saying we need to leave all original documents with them too?? Then we wouldn't even have IDs!

 

[95995]

Oh, i see. They did not take our documents yet...

Are you saying we need to leave all original documents with them too?? Then we wouldn't even have IDs!

They should be able to stamp copies of the originals to indicate that the originals have been sighted. At least, that's been my experience in similar circumstances.

 

[Bevdeforges]

Yeah, normally when you submit a dossier of any sort, it's safest to take the original documents and one or two photocopies. (I don't know why, but administrative offices don't seem to do photocopies and expect you to provide them yourself.) They'll certify that the copies are actual copies of the originals, and then you'll keep your originals and the copies they'll keep for your dossier.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[karthikcrazy]

Hi all, i am into similar situation. I am an Indian, waiting for my CDS. I have gone through this site, service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F12189

I came to France with long stay visa (1yr), OFII stamped and it is expired now. Just before it expires i have applied for CDS, no information about when i receive it. I am planning to travel India on this Mar month with the récépissé .

As per the quote "un récépissé de 1re demande de carte de séjour" one can not travel and come back to France.

My question is whether my demand for CDS is considered as 1er demand or renouvellment?

Now applied for CDS and it is mentioned in the récépissé as " a demand le renouvellment de son titre de sejour......". But, we never provided with CDS since my arrival to France. Just received an OFII stamp for 1 year.

Thanks for your time in responding.

 

[Silversoul]

Hello Travel_Phil,

I was just wondering whether your wife was able to get back into France on her récepissé? My husband and I are facing a similar dilemma as we need to travel outside of the Schengen area next week for 2 weeks. I'm a UK citizen but he is Australian and has his first récepissé. We are concerned that he might not be allowed back into France once we leave... Could you offer any advice?

 

[AnnemarieS]

We had zero issues in a similar situation in the fall: me, eu citizen, husband, non-eu citizen ( plus our European children). We left the Shengen area for 3 weeks with the premiere demanded de cds ( NOT familiar) No one in Paris cared when we re entered.

However, I have a colleague from an African country that did not do so well. He had to leave and start the visa process all over again.