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LIVING IN FRANCE

Christmas, pronouns and tabacs: 6 essential articles for life in France

This week’s rundown of must-reads from The Local takes a deep dive into Christmas traditions, talks pronouns, counts down the days to citizenship, and explains the important role of tabacs

Published: 3 December 2023 10:24 CET

Christmas, pronouns and tabacs: 6 essential articles for life in France

Christmas is coming... (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)

Decembre has arrived in France, which – as the song tells us – is the most wonderful time of the year.

But before the Christmas bells really begin to chime, there’s a little bit of monthly admin to do. From tax deadlines and a controversial immigration bill to Christmas bonuses and festivals, here’s what changes in France in December 2023.

What changes in France in December 2023

France is a country of traditions – and Christmas is no exception. From seafood banquets to traditional desserts, via the best things to drink and snack on, here’s how to create a traditional French festive dinner.

10 things that make a traditional French Christmas dinner

One of the not-so-great seasonal traditions for many foreigners living in France is the annual game of, ‘will our gifts to family back home arrive in time’? To help ease your nerves a little, we’ve come up with a little guide.

When to send Christmas gifts from France

Changing the subject, in more ways than one…

It’s become something of a ‘culture war’ in the Anglophone world, but the conversation about a person’s pronouns is less incendiary in France, though there is still confusion around the issue – especially how to incorporate gender-neutral or non-binary terms in the very gendered French language.

Reader question: Do the French change their pronouns?

A cornerstone of France’s culture, the tabac has long been a place for more than just cigarette shopping. Paying bills and fines – and soon even purchasing ammunition – are just some of the services that tobacconists offer.

Why the tabac is essential to life in France – even if you don’t smoke

If you see your future in France then you might be considering applying for French citizenship – but applications based on residency require a certain length of stay in the country. We look at what counts towards your citizenship.

When can I start counting my residency in France towards citizenship?

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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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