15 votes

Why is a French bank asking me to fill out a W-9 form?

You're a US citizen, subject to US tax disclosure requirements. (Even expatriates are subject to this.) US law requires banks dealing with US citizens to inform the Internal Revenue Service of ...
Jim MacKenzie's user avatar
10 votes
Accepted

Is renouncing one's US citizenship approx. equally administratively complex as renouncing one's US lawful permanent resident status (green card)?

Is renouncing one's US citizenship approximately equally administratively complex as renouncing one's US lawful permanent resident status (i.e., giving up one's green card)? Not at all. You can ...
phoog's user avatar
  • 21.3k
6 votes
Accepted

Dutch and French national got married in Sweden and are resident in the UK. Are they legally married in the UK for practical purposes?

Generally you just say you are married when anyone asks you, in most cases they will just simply believe you. If they need proof you just have to show them your foreign marriage certificate. If it ...
SztupY's user avatar
  • 7,544
6 votes
Accepted

Renewing J-1 and J-2 visas

Before addressing your questions, I would like to mention the difference between having a valid visa and having valid status. The visa has no bearing whatsoever on whether you are allowed to stay in ...
phoog's user avatar
  • 21.3k
5 votes

Regarding French nationality

It might help you document possession d'état, i.e. the fact that your grandfather continued to make use of his citizenship. Beyond that the rules are complex and it's difficult to determine whether ...
Relaxed's user avatar
  • 5,782
5 votes

Surname change or citizenship application: what should I do first?

I'm a retired lawyer in the US, and I don't have a definitive answer...but I do have an evaluation. Were I in your position, I would address citizenship first. I would take no action on a name change ...
DavidRecallsMonica's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Getting a French passport - born abroad to a French mother

Would I need to show them my birth certificate? There is a page that discusses whether you need a birth certificate to apply for a passport. It says that one condition that relieves you of this ...
phoog's user avatar
  • 21.3k
4 votes
Accepted

Registering French nationality - name change and where to get help

1. Absolutely no idea. Few people can tell the future these days. However, you should be aware that the official policy in the EU is to avoid double nationalities. It's not strictly enforced, however. ...
Yves's user avatar
  • 176
4 votes

My deceased father was a French citizen, I was born in the U.S. Can I become a French citizen?

You almost certainly are a French citizen already (and if you are, it would be because you have been one since your birth). If you wish to use that citizenship and perhaps pass it on to your children, ...
Gala's user avatar
  • 17.4k
4 votes

French girlfriend to an Australian moving to france

First, in France, you have to be married to ask for a spouse visa (or about to get married). Then, the process could be long and painful. My first advice would be to ask/print for all official papers (...
Mejaber's user avatar
  • 41
3 votes
Accepted

Attaining nationality from expat mother

Assuming your mother was born in France, was a French national and did not renounce her nationality, my understanding is that you are already a citizen and don't need to "apply" for citizenship. To ...
qoba's user avatar
  • 648
3 votes

French citizenship through an uncle

No, it does not. If your father's uncle would have become French (and that's already a big if), there are complex rules regarding his own children and whether they would still be French living abroad ...
Gala's user avatar
  • 17.4k
3 votes
Accepted

Short stay in France while remote working for a US company (French citizen)

According to (my reading of) the tax treaty between France and the US, you would only be taxed in the US provided: you're staying in France for a maximum of 183 days during the whole year. That's ...
Relaxed's user avatar
  • 5,782
3 votes
Accepted

My father is a French citizen, but he was not on my birth certificate. Can I get a French passport?

It seems to be correct, article 20-1 of the code civil provides that, to impact citizenship, parentage with their French parent must be established while the child is still a minor. Majority was ...
Relaxed's user avatar
  • 5,782
3 votes
Accepted

About losing French nationality by 'not-using'

Do you wether the law applies to every French citizens or just for the former colonies? It applies to all French citizens, no matter where they live(d) or how they became French. And do you know if ...
Relaxed's user avatar
  • 5,782
2 votes

French Citizenship and article 30-3 of the Civil Code

Some courts decisions I read when preparing my answer to Will it be possible to get French citizenship? suggests that the 50-year delay is counted from the date you try to get your citizenship ...
Gala's user avatar
  • 17.4k
2 votes
Accepted

Where should I pay income taxes (Living abroad, working for a French company)

I am not a tax expert. What usually happens is that you would be considered tax resident in Morocco, as you have lived there for 183 days or more in the year. This is especially true since you have ...
Scott Earle's user avatar
  • 3,315
2 votes
Accepted

Could we face problems when coming back to the UK after Brexit?

Brexit and EEA Dependants: what to do The "canonical" recommended steps to take beforehand are... Those EEA citizens or their family members in the UK who does not have an EU/EEA permanent residence ...
Gayot Fow's user avatar
  • 3,214
2 votes

Dutch and French national got married in Sweden and are resident in the UK. Are they legally married in the UK for practical purposes?

The registration process you quoted from gov.uk is only relevant to British citizens. All countries generally recognize marriages established other countries. (Excepting new stuff like gay marriages)....
Douglas Held's user avatar
2 votes

France: police and expatriates

Most of the time in France, when police comes because you are too noisy, they will begin by asking you to stop and it will end here if you comply (and don't start again once they are gone). edit I ...
audionuma's user avatar
  • 1,204
2 votes

Can I get French citizenship if my grandfather had a French passport?

Many important facts are missing from your description but I am confident that we can already conclude that it would almost certainly be impossible, for two reasons: For you to be French, your father ...
Gala's user avatar
  • 17.4k
2 votes

Can I have both married and maiden names on my French ID card?

I'm not sure it would possible, since you're been, and France considers that you don't have a link to that name any longer. However, generally speaking if you want to a family name to your ID papers (...
dda's user avatar
  • 1,309
2 votes

French 10-year carte de séjour holder out of France for 4 years

The carte de séjour can be revoked when someone has left the French territory for 3 years. So yes, he would have lost his status. It would have been possible for him to extend it, but it appears that ...
la femme cosmique's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

Inheritance for a French citizen with a G4 visa married to a US citizen

You should almost certainly write a will. Depending on the state in which you live, it is just possible that will not be necessary. However to write the will, I very very strongly suggest you ...
Martin Bonner supports Monica's user avatar
2 votes

Changing surname in France and America

Your marriage certificate will allow you to change your legal name both in the US and in France. After getting married, file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. Check “Yes” ...
IanDan's user avatar
  • 979
2 votes

How do I know whether I am registered in the worldwide registry of French citizens established outside France?

I don't think there is any easy way to look that up online. All online forms require you to specify where you are registered and provide your consular registration number (NUMIC). If you don't have ...
Relaxed's user avatar
  • 5,782
1 vote

Young man in Europe, never paid US taxes. Does this making renouncing citizenship easier?

Last time I checked, there is a hefty “exit fee” in addition to the paperwork. Might be easier to read the U.S./France* tax treaty and avoid any type of income that USA can tax. Or stay out of USA ...
WGroleau's user avatar
  • 1,037
1 vote
Accepted

Non-EEA national (US citizen) wanting to marry EEA national in UK on a marriage visitor visa without intent to permanently settle in UK

Unfortunately there's no good way to do this. The EU regulation does not provide a mechanism for a non-EEA fiancee (or similar) to join an EEA fiancee, nor has the UK done so in its implementing ...
phoog's user avatar
  • 21.3k
1 vote

Do my children have French nationality?

Automatic? No. Especially since you were living abroad. But your children may have the right to ask for it. This page says, among other things, that the France residency requirement is waived if the ...
dda's user avatar
  • 1,309
1 vote

If someone was born to foreigners in France in 1958, lived there until 1962, and had a French birth certificate, would they be a French citizen?

France never had a pure ius soli. Being born to foreign parents, you would only be French from if your parents were themselves born in France. Otherwise, you could become French, at your majority, ...
Relaxed's user avatar
  • 5,782

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