# Where to apply for a CNF



## Cat108

My apologies in advance if this question had been asked before. 
I'm a French expat living in the US. My daughter was born here and I stupidly didn't register her while she was a minor. 
Now she needs to move to France for a while to spend time with her grandmother. She'll need to work, but she has no french papers. 
From what I can tell, we need to apply for a CNF, but this takes a couple of years. Not great because her grandmother is 80!
I've heard that one can obtain a CNF faster if one applies in France. Does anyone know if this is true and how much faster? 
Also, if anyone can think of a creative solution for the situation, some kind of temporary stop gap that would allow her to be in France while she waits, we'd be grateful!


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## BackinFrance

Cat108 said:


> My apologies in advance if this question had been asked before.
> I'm a French expat living in the US. My daughter was born here and I stupidly didn't register her while she was a minor.
> Now she needs to move to France for a while to spend time with her grandmother. She'll need to work, but she has no french papers.
> From what I can tell, we need to apply for a CNF, but this takes a couple of years. Not great because her grandmother is 80!
> I've heard that one can obtain a CNF faster if one applies in France. Does anyone know if this is true and how much faster?
> Also, if anyone can think of a creative solution for the situation, some kind of temporary stop gap that would allow her to be in France while she waits, we'd be grateful!


To apply in France you must be legally resident here. 

The application should be made to the local Tribunal d'instance. 

Hard to say what the processing time is, but it would vary by Tribunal. All of the courts are seriously understaffed. I would guess anything from 3 to 6 or 9 months once they have accepted the dossier as complete.


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## Cat108

Thanks BackinFrance. We do have a place there, so it wouldn't be impossible to create some kind of justificatif de domicile for her in order to make the application at a local tribual. I was wondering if anyone here has done that..

There's also an added complication now with the new law that was just passed. I really don't know if it'll make any difference at all, but i think they're trying to improve the process, maybe to speed it up. It's under section III here:
décret n°2022-899 du 17 juin 2022 .

If I find anything out, I'll post here.


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## BackinFrance

However, her passport will need to be presrnted and she will not have a visa so will not be legally resident '


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## Bevdeforges

As BiF has already said, many (if not most) administrative processes here in France are seriously backed up. And the notion of "quick turnaround" here in France varies greatly from the US concept. For the time being, it might be more practical for your daughter to make one or more visits to her grandmother on the "Schengen visa" (i.e. the 90 day stamp in the passport) if time really is of the essence here. The process of finding a job once you're "resident" here can take significantly longer than you might think, too. (As a young neighbor of ours found out "the hard way" after choosing to take her vacation in April rather than looking for a summer job at that time. But hey, this is how we learn... <g>)


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## balthy

Are you going to register your daughter with the French consulate in the US? That is something I am going to try and do once I have sorted out paperwork for myself. I have a French passport but not a CNF, I was going to wait until I live in France to do that. I've been told that a CNF application from overseas can take up to 3 years.
US citizens can stay up to 90 days in any 180 day period visa free in the Schengen area or if she wants to stay longer, see if one of these long stay visa categories could be applicable: Long-stay visa | France-Visas.gouv.fr


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## Bevdeforges

balthy said:


> I have a French passport but not a CNF, I was going to wait until I live in France to do that. I've been told that a CNF application from overseas can take up to 3 years.


It can depend on the basis on which you have a French passport. If you are a "native born" French person or naturalized, you should/would have a French birth certificate (either at a French mairie or at the central office for "foreign births" in Rennes). The other thing to remember is that, as a French national living abroad, you should make a point of keeping your carte d'identité current, as that is also considered a "proof" of your French nationality.


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## BackinFrance

Nantes, not Rennes.


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## balthy

Bevdeforges said:


> It can depend on the basis on which you have a French passport. If you are a "native born" French person or naturalized, you should/would have a French birth certificate (either at a French mairie or at the central office for "foreign births" in Rennes). The other thing to remember is that, as a French national living abroad, you should make a point of keeping your carte d'identité current, as that is also considered a "proof" of your French nationality.


Yes I do have a French birth certificate, I was registered at the French Consulate in London when I was born, I'm in my mothers livret de famille and I have got copies of the French birth certificate from Nantes. I don't have a carte d'identité yet, but that is on my (long) list of things to apply for so thank you for the explanation and reminder. I have a consular card as well so I am registered at the London Consulate as a French national living abroad and get all the voting papers & other correspondance from time to time.


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## Bevdeforges

BackinFrance said:


> Nantes, not Rennes.


Thanks - I knew Rennes sounded wrong... <g>


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## BackinFrance

balthy said:


> Yes I do have a French birth certificate, I was registered at the French Consulate in London when I was born, I'm in my mothers livret de famille and I have got copies of the French birth certificate from Nantes. I don't have a carte d'identité yet, but that is on my (long) list of things to apply for so thank you for the explanation and reminder. I have a consular card as well so I am registered at the London Consulate as a French national living abroad and get all the voting papers & other correspondance from time to time.


You don't really need a carte d'identité just yet, as long as your passport is valid, but since they are free(except if you are replacing an unexpired card), the period of validity is longer than that of a passport, they are more convenient to carry, and they serve as the usual ID in France, it is a good idea to have one.

You certainly don't need a CNF. The original poster's does because she is an adult and her birth was never registered with the French authorities.


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## balthy

My daughter is an adult and her birth was never registered with the French authorities so the similarity between my circumstances and the posters was this, I guess. I'll certainly try to register her and see how it goes. If I don't need it to register or to pass on nationality, thats great. Apologies to the poster if I have hijacked this thread and thank you for responding to my posts.


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## BackinFrance

balthy said:


> My daughter is an adult and her birth was never registered with the French authorities so the similarity between my circumstances and the posters was this, I guess. I'll certainly try to register her and see how it goes. If I don't need it to register or to pass on nationality, thats great. Apologies to the poster if I have hijacked this thread and thank you for responding to my posts.


If you were a French citizen when your daughter was born and you did not register her birth with the French authorities while she was a minor, and you did not for some reason renounce French citizenship, then she needs to apply for a CNF (not you).


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## Cat108

BackinFrance said:


> If you were a French citizen when your daughter was born and you did not register her birth with the French authorities while she was a minor, and you did not for some reason renounce French citizenship, then she needs to apply for a CNF (not you).


Yes, I do understand that. The question was regarding where to apply from. If we could find a way of getting her a visa (big "if"), then would it be faster to apply for the CNF from France, rather then send the dossier to Paris, where apparently the wait is 2 years at the moment. 
Also, as it seems that the rules are changing on September 1st of this year, I'm wondering how that is going to affect the process.


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## Cat108

balthy said:


> My daughter is an adult and her birth was never registered with the French authorities so the similarity between my circumstances and the posters was this, I guess. I'll certainly try to register her and see how it goes. If I don't need it to register or to pass on nationality, thats great. Apologies to the poster if I have hijacked this thread and thank you for responding to my posts.


No problem BALTHY. It sounds like our daughters are in a similar position. I'm really annoyed with myself! I didn't feel any urgency while she was growing up because we also have UK citizenship and that's all that she would really need before Brexit. But now things are different.
I've been communicating with the French consulate in LA. They tell me that the only way to get her birth certificate registered is to first obtain this CNF. 
The government recently passed an addendum to the law changing some details about the application. Here's a link to the changes:








Nouveautés pour le certificat de nationalité française - ASFE


Le décret n°2022-899 du 17 juin 2022 relatif au certificat de nationalité française modifie à la fois les modalités d’instruction des demandes de certificat de nationalité française ainsi que celles pour former un recours. L’ASFE vous en dit plus sur ces changements. Modalités de la demande Un...




alliancesolidaire.org





Looks like they're trying to standardize the application process, require an email with it and put some time limits on the decision.


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## Cat108

balthy said:


> Are you going to register your daughter with the French consulate in the US? That is something I am going to try and do once I have sorted out paperwork for myself. I have a French passport but not a CNF, I was going to wait until I live in France to do that. I've been told that a CNF application from overseas can take up to 3 years.
> US citizens can stay up to 90 days in any 180 day period visa free in the Schengen area or if she wants to stay longer, see if one of these long stay visa categories could be applicable: Long-stay visa | France-Visas.gouv.fr


Yes, the long stay visa might be a good option, if we can find a way of getting one, while she makes her CNF application. 
By the way, I'm sorry but I might have missed where you say how old your daughter is. If she's under 18, you can just have her brith certificate registered by going through your consulate... In my reply above I was assuming that she's older.


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## BackinFrance

It is definitely quicker to get the CNF from within France. How much quicker is an entirely different question. I don't see how the new law changes that. To date all of the Macron government's changes that have been aimed at making things faster have had the opposite effect, with the exception of tax declarations, but even then the Hollande government had already done most of the work.


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## Bevdeforges

Cat108 said:


> Yes, the long stay visa might be a good option, if we can find a way of getting one, while she makes her CNF application.


The problem is that you mention that your daughter would "have to" work - and that she can't do unless she has a visa that grants work permission. The alternatives are that 1) she find a job before she goes over and let her employer obtain work authorization (which can take a good 3 to 6 months after the initial job offer), 2) she go to France as the spouse of a French national or someone from another EU country already established in France 3) she goes to France to start up an "innovative" business or other enterprise of her own or 4) she goes to France as a student in an academic program, though the timing for admission to a suitable program may not work out for her. As a student she would be able to work part time at least.


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## balthy

Cat108 said:


> Yes, the long stay visa might be a good option, if we can find a way of getting one, while she makes her CNF application.
> By the way, I'm sorry but I might have missed where you say how old your daughter is. If she's under 18, you can just have her brith certificate registered by going through your consulate... In my reply above I was assuming that she's older.


My daughter is an adult and I am not exactly young.


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## balthy

Cat108 said:


> No problem BALTHY. It sounds like our daughters are in a similar position. I'm really annoyed with myself! I didn't feel any urgency while she was growing up because we also have UK citizenship and that's all that she would really need before Brexit. But now things are different.
> I've been communicating with the French consulate in LA. They tell me that the only way to get her birth certificate registered is to first obtain this CNF.
> The government recently passed an addendum to the law changing some details about the application. Here's a link to the changes:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nouveautés pour le certificat de nationalité française - ASFE
> 
> 
> Le décret n°2022-899 du 17 juin 2022 relatif au certificat de nationalité française modifie à la fois les modalités d’instruction des demandes de certificat de nationalité française ainsi que celles pour former un recours. L’ASFE vous en dit plus sur ces changements. Modalités de la demande Un...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> alliancesolidaire.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like they're trying to standardize the application process, require an email with it and put some time limits on the decision.


Thank you, I will read the link you've posted.


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## Cat108

BackinFrance said:


> It is definitely quicker to get the CNF from within France. How much quicker is an entirely different question. I don't see how the new law changes that. To date all of the Macron government's changes that have been aimed at making things faster have had the opposite effect, with the exception of tax declarations, but even then the Hollande government had already done most of the work.


Good to know! I had a feeling I shouldn't get my hopes up. We want to move the whole family back within the next couple of years but it gives me a headache just thinking about all the admin.


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## Poloss

BackinFrance said:


> It is definitely quicker to get the CNF from within France. How much quicker is an entirely different question. I don't see how the new law changes that.


At the beginning of this year, I applied for a CNF for my (French) wife resident in France with French parents and grandparents.
The greffière at the local tribunal said it would take 3 weeks but in fact it took 6 weeks due to a missing utility bill, the service opening to the public just one half day per week and February vacations.

Maybe that's of no help to the OP because her/his case is different?


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## BackinFrance

Poloss said:


> At the beginning of this year, I applied for a CNF for my (French) wife resident in France with French parents and grandparents.
> The greffière at the local tribunal said it would take 3 weeks but in fact it took 6 weeks due to a missing utility bill, the service opening to the public just one half day per week and February vacations.
> 
> Maybe that's of no help to the OP because her/his case is different?


Both cases above are different, for one thing the adult children needing the CNF don't have French birth certificates, as are the reasons for needing a CNF.

It's quite a long time ago now, but it used to be possible to get a CNF from within France within a few weeks of the dossier being accepted as complete (I know people who got their CNFs that quickly) but things have gone downhill since then.


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## Cat108

Bevdeforges said:


> The problem is that you mention that your daughter would "have to" work - and that she can't do unless she has a visa that grants work permission. The alternatives are that 1) she find a job before she goes over and let her employer obtain work authorization (which can take a good 3 to 6 months after the initial job offer), 2) she go to France as the spouse of a French national or someone from another EU country already established in France 3) she goes to France to start up an "innovative" business or other enterprise of her own or 4) she goes to France as a student in an academic program, though the timing for admission to a suitable program may not work out for her. As a student she would be able to work part time at least.


Yes, she's starting to look at some of these visa options.


Poloss said:


> At the beginning of this year, I applied for a CNF for my (French) wife resident in France with French parents and grandparents.
> The greffière at the local tribunal said it would take 3 weeks but in fact it took 6 weeks due to a missing utility bill, the service opening to the public just one half day per week and February vacations.
> 
> Maybe that's of no help to the OP because her/his case is different?


Thanks for the information. After poking around on the internet about this issue, it seems that the length of time to process a CNF is definitely shortened by applying in France, and also longer or shorter depending on how complex the case is. This is just purely from an anecdotal perspective though...


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## lettucearticle

Cat108 said:


> Yes, she's starting to look at some of these visa options.
> 
> Thanks for the information. After poking around on the internet about this issue, it seems that the length of time to process a CNF is definitely shortened by applying in France, and also longer or shorter depending on how complex the case is. This is just purely from an anecdotal perspective though...


do you have any updates on this? I'm wanting to do a similar thing and wondered if you've made it work?


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## Cat108

lettucearticle said:


> do you have any updates on this? I'm wanting to do a similar thing and wondered if you've made it work?


We ended up deciding to just apply from abroad. If my daughter needs to go over before the CNF arrives, she's thinking she'll apply for a student visa and study for a while. It has taken us a while to gather all her documents but we're ready now. I think that there's a new electronic system in place (just set up in the last few weeks), so if there's anything interesting there, I'll post about it.


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## lettucearticle

Cat108 said:


> We ended up deciding to just apply from abroad. If my daughter needs to go over before the CNF arrives, she's thinking she'll apply for a student visa and study for a while. It has taken us a while to gather all her documents but we're ready now. I think that there's a new electronic system in place (just set up in the last few weeks), so if there's anything interesting there, I'll post about it.


That's great, good luck! I look forward to hearing any updates and if I hear anything interesting I'll also let you know!


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