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LIVING IN FRANCE

Language tests, urgent care and wasps: 6 essential articles for life in France

From accessing urgent medical to residency cards for students, via everyone's least favourite insect and a quick French language test, here are 6 essential articles for life in France.

Published: 17 July 2022 07:51 CEST
Language tests, urgent care and wasps: 6 essential articles for life in France
Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP

We start with a test.

France is proposing to make a language test compulsory in order to obtain certain types of residency card

But from total fluency to just being able to order a baguette in your local boulangerie, there’s a world of difference in the levels of French attained by foreigners in France, and of course most people improve the longer they stay, so just how good does your French need to be?

TEST: Is your French good enough for citizenship and residency?

If you feel like you’ve been swatting away more pesky insects lately – especially wasps – then you might be onto something.

After a mild winder and even milder spring, there are more wasps than usual buzzing around France. As a result, pest control companies are citing a higher volume of requests to destroy the nests. They are calling 2022 the “year of the wasp”.

Why 2022 is the ‘year of the wasp’ in France

In the confusion around the post-Brexit arrangements for Brits in France, some British second-home owners have ended up with carte de séjour residency cards, which may now cause them problems with French authorities including the tax man. So what can you do if you are in this situation or know someone who is?

Second-home owners: Can you hand back a French carte de séjour?

France has set itself a goal of attracting more foreign talent to universities, and the government is also keen for these highly qualified graduates to stay and become part of the French workforce.

But if you studied in France and want to stay here, there are also several routes tailored towards keeping qualified graduates in the country – specialist immigration lawyer Maître Haywood Wise explains more.

Ask the expert: How students can remain in France after finishing their degree

You might be curious what to do in France if you’ve ever suffered from a stomach virus that hangs around a little too long, wondered if you’ve came down with a case of strep throat, or worried about a minor allergic reaction.

Here are the services available and how they can be accessed by French residents, tourists and second home-owners.

Urgent care: How to access non-emergency medical care in France

And finally, let’s talk cash. France has less of a tipping culture than many other countries, but some people still like to leave a bit extra.

We asked readers of The Local about how they handle tipping in France, where it’s less of a thing than other countries, and whether their behaviour has changed during their time here.

‘We tip less in France than in the US’ – readers reveal who they tip, and how much

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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.

Published: 19 September 2024 15:57 CEST
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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