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LIVING IN FRANCE

Cars, passports, junk mail and wine: 6 essential articles for life in France

From cities with vehicle restrictions, to travel tips for dual-nationals, via junk mail and the secrets of French supermarkets’ foires aux vin, here are more essential articles for life in France.

Cars, passports, junk mail and wine: 6 essential articles for life in France
Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP

If you’re planning a road trip that takes in a French city, it’s likely that there will be rules in place limiting vehicle circulation.

In order to control pollution levels in France, cities across the country are bringing in ‘low-emission zones,’ called “Zone à faible émissions mobilité” (ZFE).

Some places have complete vehicle bans, while others have bans on certain types of vehicles or restrictions at certain times, while others only implement restrictions if the pollution level is high. In all cases, the system is based on the Crit’Air sticker.

Here’s what you need to know.

MAP: Which French cities have vehicle bans or restrictions?

For many readers of The Local, gaining citizenship of the country where they live helps them feel more settled – but there are also travel benefits, including avoiding the long ‘non EU’ queue when coming back into the Schengen zone.

But the problems associated with travelling while holding dual citizenship came to light, leaving many people wondering what they should know when they are entering different countries.

Put simply – which passport should you use? And do you have to carry both with you?

Passports: What are the post-Brexit rules for dual-nationals travelling in Europe?

All over France people optimistically put ‘pas de pub‘ (no advertising) stickers on their mailboxes, only to often find them filled to overflowing with unsolicited mail.

But now a new scheme, being trialled in 14 areas of France, aims to make it illegal to deliver unwanted post.

France trials complete ban on junk mail

Insulation, ventilation, heating – given the cost-of-living crisis that’s affecting France as much as many other countries, it’s understandable that there is a lot of talk right now about improving energy efficiency in homes.

But, if you’re renting, you might think your options are limited. You can do more than you think.

Tenants in France: How to make your home more energy efficient

Now, it’s a bit niche, but – should you ever get into a discussion with someone over the relative merits of two more more countries and the debate moves to inventions, you can stand up for France with this article.

Because, from technology to medicine, transport to fashion, French inventors are responsible for many of the things that shape the modern world.

12 world-changing inventions that came from France

As always, we’ve saved the best, most important stuff for last.

In France, early autumn is an ideal time to stock up on high-quality French wine, as supermarkets, cavistes, and websites alike get ready for the Foire aux vins.

Foire aux vins: How to find bargains on high quality wine in France

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LIVING IN FRANCE

How to prove to French authorities that you are alive

If you live in France you'll be used to official requests for all sorts of documents, but one that may come as a surprise is being asked to prove that you're still alive. Here's how to do that.

How to prove to French authorities that you are alive

Official processes in France usually involve collecting together a big dossier of documents, and requests for certain type of certificate are common (the one for ‘a birth certificate issued within the last three months’ regularly baffles foreigners).

A request that is less common – but still vital – is the request for a Certificat de Vie – a certificate of life, which is basically a piece of paper asserting that you remain within the mortal realm.

Here’s how to get it and why you might need one.

Who needs it?

You only need to provide this certificate if it is requested from you.

The people most likely to get a request for a Certificat de Vie are pensioners. Pensioner providers regularly ask for proof that you are still alive, and if you don’t provide it it’s highly likely that they will stop paying out your pension.

The people most commonly asked to provide this are people living in a different country to the one paying out the pension (so for example people who have worked in France but then moved to another country, or pensioners who have moved to France) but they are fairly widespread for all types of pension.

The other people most likely to ask for it is the benefits office, especially if you are receiving a French Assurance invalidité (disability benefit) or Allocation de solidarité (top-up benefits) – as with pensions, failing to send the certificate can result in your payments being stopped.

Some people may instead be asked for an Attestation sur l’honneur de non-décès (sworn declaration of non-death). This is simpler to provide because it’s not a specific form it’s just something that you write out in formal French declaring that you remain alive, and then sign and date.

You can find templates for creating an attestation in the correct format and legal French here.

How to get it

There are two ways to obtain the Certificat de Vie – in person or online.

If you live in France, you go along in person to your local mairie and ask them to complete the form for you – it’s form Cerfa n° 11753*02, but the mairie staff will know that. Be sure to take with you official ID (ie passport or French ID card), and depending on your circumstances mairie staff may ask for extra paperwork such as proof of address.

Once you have the form, you can send it to whoever has requested it, either by registered mail or a scanned copy uploaded to an online portal.

You can find a sample copy here to show you what the form looks like.

If you live outside France, you can request the certificate at the French consulate, while some police stations will also provide it (depending on the country).

But for those living outside France there is also an online option, which now includes the option to verify your continuing life via your biometric details, meaning that you don’t even need to leave the house.

This would be useful to people who have worked in France for part of their career, meaning they get a partial French pension, but have then either returned to their home country or moved to another country.

In order to use this, you need to download the app ‘Mon Certificat de Vie’ – find full instructions on using it here.

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