Is French translation of UK jabs needed for school?

[rosietoes]

Help please! The Mairie told me to register DD for maternelle I needed to present her 'carnet de sante,' which moving from UK she does not have. I have her UK 'red book' with all the immunisations, etc.
They said I need to have it translated into French by a health authority.

Does anyone know when we register for a French GP do they give her a carnet de sante? Can the French GP sign a translation?

Called UK embassy in Paris to ask about it, but they were less than helpful and passed me around til I got cut off whilst on hold.

Anyone have this experience going from UK to France?

We moved from NZ to France when DS1 was 18 months. We just showed the GP his book from NZ, and the GP started a carnet de sante for him and copied in all the NZ vaccinations and put his stamp next to them and wrote 'vaccinations en Nouvelle-Zélande'. We've never had any problem with it.

If you are already in France I would try contacting a friendly GP and see what they can do.

I had my childhood vaccinations (BCG, MMR etc) entered into an international yellow booklet by a French GP and it was fine. I imagine they can do it into a carnet de santé for a child.

I know a lovely paed who is right next to EABJM and probably very used to doing it if you want her number to ring and ask? Nothing says you have to go see her to do it, obv, but I imagine she would know what's needed if she can't.

Thanks for the answers, Weta & frakkit, that's exactly what I needed to know.

Going to Paris without child over half-term to get stuff ready for move the week after. One task was register DD with Mairie for school. Think I need to register her with GP first!

Umm...how does one find a GP? Or do you get a paediatrician for small ones?
Do you just go to nearest pharmacy to find a doctor in the area?

I found mine from the pages jaunes!

I think most children go to see a paed, certainly all the ones I knew did in Paris, but I may have had a somewhat skewed view. Do you know where you'll be living and if there's anyone in the area who might know?

Failing that try MESSAGE who publish something called the ABCs of parenting in Paris which has a health section.

Most people do go and see a paediatrician for small ones, although we never really got our heads round that until DS2 came along. They're really just GPs for children, if that makes sense. If you know anyone locally I'd ask for a recommendation, otherwise you can just look one up in the yellow pages. You don't exactly register - you can just consult any doctor you like, although if you are under the French social security the reimbursements are better if you designate a specific GP as your 'médecin traitant' (although IIRC this doesn't apply to children anyway).

Personally if you don't have any other recommendations I'd be inclined to go to the one frakkit has recommended - you can always change later if the location is not convenient for you.

Are you trying to register DD for your local state maternelle?

Julia Bache, a British GP near Parc Monceau, can I am sure help you on getting a Carnet de Santé and retransribing your DD's vaccinations from her Red Book into it.

I've emailed you Julia Bache's details. She is definitely the person you need for this.

Same as others we just took ds and his red book to a local paediatrician (who speaks English)and said we needed the documentation for school. She then did the letter for the Mairie having checked his immunisations and done a physical examination. Any docs we've seen here have written details of any treatment in the red book.

Thank you all!

Was planning to register DD for local maternelle at Mairie in case bilingual school wait list offers no hope. Would this throw spanner in the works though and screw up place at EaB is we ever get off the wait list? Eep! don't know what to do now! thought I'd be clever and have back up plan in place.

You are quite right to have a back up plan - no worries and no one will mind. It is quite usual to register at the mairie for state school when applying to private schools (but I will personally deal with Mme Z eat my hat if you don't get a place!).

here is a copy to the WHO yellow vaccinatio booklet

www.who.int/ihr/IVC200_06_26.pdf

you can print it out and take it to the gp. maybe they even have it there, in Germany it is given out at the paediatrician at the time of the first vaccine.

you can order the passport size pass here: apps.who.int/bookorders/anglais/detart1.jsp?sesslan=1&codlan=0&codcol=68&codcch=1000

might be a good idea anyway if you travel a lot as some countries require proof of vaccination before entering.

sorry

to print

yellow booklet

Thanks, Sonilaa! That's the yellow book frakkit was talking about.

Yellow book is good for travelling, but if you are going to live in France your child really needs a carnet de santé.

If you can't get one from a doctor, the PMI should have one (says she who spent months chasing one down!)

I got DD's from the PMI. No need for an appointment, I just went in and asked at reception. It took a week or so to arrive, and was free. One of their paediatricians transcribed the Red Book and ever since we've noted all her vaccinations in the carnet.

Although the Mairie told me I needed this to register DD with the nursery, in fact they didn't want to see it (the directrice of the school does), so you might have a bit more time to get hold of this than you think. I wouldn't let it hold you up, in any case - just tell the Mairie that it's on its way.

What is PMI?
I have an appt with doctor who is happy to transfer jab info, but she said I have to bring the Carnet de Sante with me. She said in email I can get one from the Mairie, just take two forms of proof of address. This is not so easy.

We have a temporary flat til we find a permanent one, so will have a lease, but that's about it. No utility bills. We pay rental company the utilities. The bank needs two forms to change the address as well. Argh!!! big hellish circle of proof of address!

Panicking about school registration! Does Mairie close for the month of August like everything else in Paris?
When does everyone high-tail it outta town for the summer? When is La Rentree?
It seemed last year there was hardly anyone working after mid-July. Don't know how long it takes to get school reg sorted?
Very afraid I will spend summer worrying DD will have no place in maternelle (and no one to play with and she'll be stuck with me--and I'll be stuck dragging her around!)

[thread trails off as Rosie paces room muttering to self and tearing out hair]

PMI is protection maternelle and infantile. Your mairie website should tell you where your local one can be found and what hours they are open. I'm not sure you can get a carnet de sante from the mairie - if you can you should try the PMI first.
Yes, the proof of address thing is a pain!
Our mairie here closes for some of August, but only about a week or so. The rest of the time they are open but reduced hours (fairly sure they don't open Saturday, for ex.) but I think that depends on the mairie. However, getting stuff done before August is usually recommended.
Yes, everyone will bugger off for the summer. If you are really stuck with no-one to play with, we are around for for all of July and some of August (can't remember how old your DD is...?) and my two are 6 and 3. I don't work school hols.
School registration shouldn't take long if you have all the correct papers! (therein lies the rub...)

I got my DD's carnet de santé at the Hôpital Franco-Britannique - they have normal paediatric appointments there, but it is a maternity hospital, so they have stocks of Carnets de Santé. Maybe go there instead for your first appointment? Frankly I didn't think much of the paediatrician there, and it's very slow and lumbering, but at least you would be sure of getting your Carnet de Santé.

DS is in maternelle and does not have a Carnet de Sante, they were happy with just a letter from Doctor (although I vaguely remember it said Carnet on list of required documents, in reality the Mairie was happy with letter and confirmation of jabs in red book - perhaps our Mairie is particularly amenable!)). We did have proofs of address though so not sure about that one...

Thanks for replies! I'm off to mairie today with high hopes. (PMI told me they weren't giving me any carnet de sante! Those are for French children, not those moving in from foreign contries!)
People at mairie were much nicer & more helpful, transferred my call around to find correct section to help, etc.! No one said we need proof of address so I'm going to claim innocence and weep if I have to!

Brioche, DD is 4yo & would love to play! Will contact you once we're finally installed (won't be til after 20 June)

Update: I got a carnet from mairie today!
Hardly anyone around the place, staff looked a bit bored, v happy to help & phone various sections to find out and verify. Only needed DD birth cert & my passport which happily I brought.

Thanks for all the advice & info everyone!

Only hiccup now is have to get birth cert officially translated which I think is stooopid as everyone who looked at bc could understand it. Gave me an old photocopied list of translators. wonder if I couldn't just do it myself!

Rosietoes, I had to get my marriage cert translated in order to register DS's birth. It only cost about 20 euros and was pretty quick (I was coming from outside Paris and the translator did it straight away - DD and I just waited in the cafe downstairs!) If they ask for an official translation, it needs to be done by a traducteur assermenté who will stamp it accordingly. You can always explain that you are not settled in Paris yet and ask them to do it for next day or whatever (at least a translator will speak English!!) I never had to get a birth cert translated but a lot of the time it's down to what the mairie think they need!
Glad you got your carnet sorted.
I've been here 5 years and I still occasionally find the paperwork can be a nightmare!