Can I apply for French nationality if

[frenchquery]

I am married to a Frenchman but no longer resident in France? Does anyone know?
DH and I were married in France 25 years ago and lived and worked there up until 3 years ago. Our 2 DC were born there. During that time I never saw the point of applying for French nationality as we were all in Europe. The Brexit referendum happened just before we moved back to the UK so I am now thinking of applying in case one day we want to move back there and it could be more complicated once we are out of The EU (if that ever happens 🙄)
I have found the relevant info on the French gouvernement website and I know I am eligible because of marriage but it's not clear if you have to be actually resident in France at the time of your application.
Does any one know or done this ?

I don't know specifically about France, but if its rules are anything like Ireland's, to apply for citizenship through marriage you need to be resident in the country for the last year, have lived there for a total of three years out of the last five, and be planning to stay there.

Sorry, that probably isn't much help, really, just thought I'd let you know about another EU country's rules as I'm currently looking into getting dual citizenship too, though I should be OK as I am resident there.

Just found this link, which should be helpful. It looks like the rules are much stricter than Ireland's:

www.frenchentree.com/living-in-france/acquiring-french-nationality-through-marriage/

In a nutshell it looks like you need four years of marriage before applying, and three years residence in France since the marriage.

Thanks. It will be very frustrating if I can't get it after living there for so long. If only I'd known about Brexit I would have applied years ago. Bloody Brexit 😡

Yes you can apply even if you don't live in France.

Drama 's link says nothing about this "and three years residence in France since the marriage"!

Bloody Brexit indeed! I'm trying to get my paperwork together for my Irish citizenship, but they want so much information and it's going to cost me almost €2k. I've been here 20 years and never felt the need to apply before, but I really think I need to get my skates on and do it now.

My DH is French - he has read through all the info (I'm fluent but it's still easier for him to read it all) and he's advised me to apply. Even though we live in the UK and only ever lived briefly in France! Seems crazy to me but there you go.

I'm applying for the same reason as you - Brexit.

I assume your DH has applied for pre settled status here in the UK?

I'm in France atm. I'm not eligible for nationality here but a colleague has just done it. Doesn't really help ur situation but she is married to Frenchman has lived here about 20 years and her children r French. She is nearing the end of the process and has just had the gendarmerie visit her house to check their marriage is real and not a sham. They looked in the wardrobes and the bathroom cabinet to see there is evidence that 2 people live there. Obvs they couldn't do that with you not living here, so dunno if this makes it easier or more difficult for you:) also, things r slow just now cause of Brexit. I spent months trying to get a carte de sejour appointment, just to get through on the booking system. Then a 6 month wait for the actual appointment and now waiting on the card. No idea when it will be processed.

Thanks for that link. These seem the relevant bits and they don't say you actually have to be resident at the time of your application so maybe there is hope.
DH is signed up with the French consulate here so I presume they are advising him on his residency rights. I will check with him.

Oops I think AnotherEmma is right & I misread the info in the link - it says three years since the marriage, but that doesn't necessarily mean you still need to be there. Sorry for the confusion.

One thing your DH needs to do is register as a French citizen living abroad. DH did it when he first moved to the UK and he said that's the reason I can apply. Because he is officially registered with the French state as living in the UK. We also registered our (UK) marriage with the French authorities. Obviously if you were married in France that's not an issue.

You can apply. You'll need to do the language test at an approved centre (alliance française usually) unless you've got something to prove your level (it's an easy exam if you've lived there for so long!)band proof of no criminal record in France or anyplace else you've lived the last 10 years.

I was advised it can take 18 months to 2 years once you've submitted the papers...

Cross post

"DH is signed up with the French consulate here"
👍

He still needs to do this:
www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

@AnotherEmma
Have you actually started the process?
Where do you send all the paperwork? On the website it just says send to your local prefecture.
I have already done the language test, the certificate is valid for 2 years so I now need to get the rest of the paperwork together.

Yes DH and I printed off the rather long instructions and we're getting the paperwork together!

I've done my subject access request (to confirm
I don't have a criminal record) and I'm waiting for that. I'm hoping I won't need to do a language test - we've emailed them my degree paperwork (French degree at an English uni including a year studying at a French uni, doing classes in French) and I'm waiting to find out if that will be sufficient.

Meanwhile compiling all the birth certificates we need.

SO much paperwork (so French!) but at least it doesn't cost a fortune to actually apply.

I think the tricky bit will be getting translations and we also have to get some documents "officialised" or something (I forget the exact term)...

All the instructions are here
uk.ambafrance.org/Vous-souhaitez-acquerir-la-nationalite-francaise

It's the criminal record document that has to be "apostillé" = legalised
www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised

Are you doing a DBS check? I think I also need an "extrait de casier judiciaire " for the time I spent in France.
Otherwise, Bon courage avec la paperasse 😉

Yes although technically it's not a CRB check, it's a subject access request.

Merci, toi aussi! (Yikes I just had a mini dilemma about whether to tutoyer or vousvoyer, the curse of the non-native French speaker! )

How are you getting on, OP?

I got my criminal record document back (took just over 3 weeks) and I've sent it off to be legalised. We have enquired with a few official translators and will get the translations done next. We're still waiting for a couple of French certificates that DH requested but hoping to get them soon.

All in all I think the documents, translations and postage will cost about £150 in total. Then it's 55€ for the citizenship application itself. Not bad at all considering how much it would cost DH to apply for British citizenship!

I'm applying for Fr nationality, DH is French but we've been in the UK for the whole time. We are signing the register at the consulate next month and then I've been told it can take up to a year/18m.

My best tip is to register your marriage to get your livret d'famille. Ours took months to come through.

frenchquery, I think it's safer to check official info than a forum for UK subjects resident in France.

This suggests that you don't need to be resident in France at time of application if you have been resident for over 3 years since you married a French national, as long as that marriage took place over 4 years ago.

AnotherEmma, sorry to derail the thread, but you will probably have to take a language test, as having a degree in French from a UK university is usually not accepted. The guidelines are vague, but I know people in that situation have had to take a language test.

FWIW, I've been resident and a fonctionnaire here for over 20 years. I sent off my application on 29th March 2018, was summoned for the gendarmerie interview in Aug 2018, then for the culture test in November 2018 and, if all goes well, will get a reply in Nov/Dec 2019.

You will definitely have to do the language aptitude test. There are some exceptions but having a french degree from a UK uni is not one of them.

Update
I have done the French language test.
Have got extrait d'acte de naissance for DH. We were on holiday in his home town so went into the local mairie..
Have got extrait d'acte de mariage - same town.
Have got subject access form and had it "apostillé". Cost 30 quid.
Also got extrait de casier judiciaire for time in France.
Still need to get copies of births certificates for my parents as mine does not show their place of birth. Will then need to get them translated.
Also need justificatifs de vie commune for DH and me. Not that easy as our accommodation is provided by our employer so we don't have any bills in our names. We do have a joint bank account though, so hopefully that will do.

So, not too bad, I think.
Can anyone recommend a certified translator? Not to pricey.
I have found one that charges £25 per certificate + vat.
This is turning into quite a costly procedure, but as you said not half as expensive as getting UK citizenship.
Bon courage à tous.

THat's as cheap as you'll get for a sworn translator TBH.

As the spouse of an EU national you have an absolute right to reside in any EU country. You do not need to take out French nationality. You would have to register as a resident - but you have to do that anyway in most EU countries.

Taking out French citizenship only be useful to you if your marriage ended and you wanted to live in the EU without your DH.