# American moving to France with French husband, haven't applied for visa yet



## Leeanngd

Hello, I'm an American woman, married 17 years to a French National (married in U.S.) we never filed for my French nationality as my husband never filed to have our marriage recognized in France. (Although I gathered all the US docs needed year after year). He's been trying to add me to his "livret de famille" for almost a year but hasn't been successful yet (not sure why, he hasn't been able to update with his Belgian born son either). I arrived in France two months ago on a tourist visa and plan to go back to U.S. at the end of the month so I don't overstay my tourist visa. But can I come right back again, or do I have to stay out of France for 90 days before returning again? The info online is confusing. I have to apply for a long séjour visa I guess to be able to stay until I can file for and get my French nationality, but can I only do this by being out of the country? And applying to a consulate in US? Thanks for any advice! My husband kept saying "we'll deal with it when we're in France" but he's now working (his own restaurant company) seven days a week And now I'm facing having to be away from my new French home and dogs for a long time if I can't come right back ... aaahhh


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## Bevdeforges

The "tourist visa" you are on is the classic "Schengen visa" that allows you 90 days in the Schengen area in any rolling 180 day period - so basically if you've been here for 90 days then you have to leave Schengen (not just France) for 90 days to make use of the full 90 day allowance again. 

The process of "transcribing" your marriage (into your husband's French birth record) takes some time. And he won't be able to do it from France. You were married in the US, you need to go through the French consulate in the US. But in your husband's defense, most people have no idea about the immigration laws and requirements of their own country. 

In any event, you'll need to transcribe your marriage before you can apply (in the US) for a spouse visa. But once you have that livret de famille, the visa should be very nearly automatic, depending mainly on the backlog in the visa processing queue.



Leeanngd said:


> He's been trying to add me to his "livret de famille" for almost a year but hasn't been successful yet (not sure why, he hasn't been able to update with his Belgian born son either).


At this point he has no livret de famille if your marriage hasn't yet been transcribed. And if there is no livret de famille, then if "his Belgian born son" isn't your son, he won't be able to do anything. (If the Belgian born son is from a prior marriage, that livret de famille will first have to be updated for the state of whatever happened to that marriage (and that has to be "transcribed" into his French birth record). Don't worry, these things are a little complicated but you get used to it after a while.


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## Leeanngd

Bevdeforges said:


> The "tourist visa" you are on is the classic "Schengen visa" that allows you 90 days in the Schengen area in any rolling 180 day period - so basically if you've been here for 90 days then you have to leave Schengen (not just France) for 90 days to make use of the full 90 day allowance again.
> 
> The process of "transcribing" your marriage (into your husband's French birth record) takes some time. And he won't be able to do it from France. You were married in the US, you need to go through the French consulate in the US. But in your husband's defense, most people have no idea about the immigration laws and requirements of their own country.
> 
> In any event, you'll need to transcribe your marriage before you can apply (in the US) for a spouse visa. But once you have that livret de famille, the visa should be very nearly automatic, depending mainly on the backlog in the visa processing queue.
> 
> 
> At this point he has no livret de famille if your marriage hasn't yet been transcribed. And if there is no livret de famille, then if "his Belgian born son" isn't your son, he won't be able to do anything. (If the Belgian born son is from a prior marriage, that livret de famille will first have to be updated for the state of whatever happened to that marriage (and that has to be "transcribed" into his French birth record). Don't worry, these things are a little complicated but you get used to it after a while.


Thank you!! This is helpful


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## ottokar790

Just last week I submitted all of the documents to register my marriage to an American to the LA consulate. I can post again when I hear from them to give you an idea of how long it takes.


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## Bevdeforges

ottokar790 said:


> Just last week I submitted all of the documents to register my marriage to an American to the LA consulate. I can post again when I hear from them to give you an idea of how long it takes.


It can depend a bit on where you (the French partner in the couple) were born. Ultimately, the registration of the marriage is done with the town in which you were born - and it can take a longer or shorter amount of time depending on how large the town is, what working hours the town's mairie has, time of the year (over the summer holidays much less gets done than during other times during the year) etc. etc. But do let us know when you hear back. It has been quite some time since we've had an update from someone living in the US (and married there).


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## ottokar790

Received my livret de famille today. It took almost thirteen weeks. I called the LA consulate last week to ask for any updates - they told me they can't provide any info by phone, and that it should take thirteen weeks. BTW, I was born in the US to a French parent.


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## Bevdeforges

OK, so if you were born in the US, that means your French birth certificate is in Nantes and I suspect the consulate has a fairly current idea of what the delays there are like. Anyhow, congrats on the successful navigation of that particular bit of French bureaucracy - and thanks for getting back to us on the timing.


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