r/Expats_In_France

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Tell me about the steps AFTER you've submitted your entire file for French Naturalisation. I'm American, and I came to France in 2013. I just submitted today, so I'm curious about what happens next. I understand that I have to wait for a receipt and that there will be an interview. But are there more surprises? like people visiting your home, more papers asked for, etc.? and the process can take up to 3 years or more?

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I’m a student coming to France for a summer internship (about 5 months, from May to September), and I’ve been searching for housing around Noisy-le-Grand / Champs-sur-Marne, near the Noisy-Champs RER station.

So far:

- On colocation websites, I’ve found furnished rooms in shared apartments/houses for around €500–600

- On Facebook groups, I see more subleases (student residences or apartments) going for €700–800

I’ve been in touch with a few landlords from the colocation sites, and some of them said they accept Visale as a guarantee, which is great. I even had a couple of video calls where they showed me the apartment, so some options seem legit.

But I’m still a bit unsure about how to proceed safely.

Main questions:

- How do I verify that a listing isn’t a scam, especially when booking from abroad?

- If they send a contract (“bail”), how can I check if it’s legally valid/enforceable?

- Is it generally safer to book something before arriving, or should I come to France first, stay in an Airbnb, and then search in person?

- If I wait, is there a risk that all the good rooms will be gone?

Would really appreciate any advice or experiences, especially from people who’ve rented short-term or done internships in this area 🙏

Thanks!

Hello everyone,

About one month ago, I submitted my dossier for Transcription Naissance Mineur for my child. As background, I'm dual citizen FR/US and my spouse is US. Our child was born here in US. Additionally, I had never filed until a month ago any paperwork to France regarding my marriage or my child. As far as France was concerned, they didn't exist.

I got the child's birth certificate and then got the Apostille. Got our marriage certificate and then the Apostille (that was a nightmare as we were married in a different country). Got spouse's birth certificate and then the Apostille. As we all know....it's just a pain to get all the paperwork. Oh ya, got my Acte de Naissance too and sent off the dossier beginning of March 2026 to the Washington DC consulate.

So...I just received today - basically FOUR WEEKS later - the Copie D'Acte de Naissance. I was absolutely shocked that it would come back so quickly!

The thing is, there was nothing else in the envelope. No cover letter, nothing. Just two stamped copies of the Acte de Naissance. Vive la France.

So, my question is....what now?

https://us.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/etat-civil/naissance-9#declaration says "Le livret de famille est un recueil d’extraits d’actes d’état civil français relatifs à votre famille. Il vous sera délivré à l’occasion de votre mariage ou de la naissance de votre premier enfant (premier enfant du couple).

• So with the Acte de Naissance in hand, is my child now officially a French citizen?
• Does the above statement mean I will eventually get sent a Livret de Famille?
• Does this also mean the French government recognizes my marriage? The Acte de Naissance does make reference to "son épouse."
• I assume I can't get my child her Carte d'Identité or Passeport until I have the Livret de Famille in hand.
• Is it safe to assume that moving forward, any time I need a copy of her Acte de Naissance, I will have to reach out to Nantes for the usual process?

Merci d'avance!!

Attending a wedding near Toulouse/Lectourne in Early September. Bride prefers that her father (my partner) wear a tuxedo. Can anyone direct us to a place near there?

We’re coming from near Seattle USA but will likely be traveling before and after the wedding somewhere in Europe so don’t want to deal with a return. Ideally we will spend most of the month of September in Europe.

Hi everybody! I am currently in the works of creating my new app named Vero. “Vero” means real and authentic in Italian. And that is what I am trying to create a real and authentic community where the main premise is that you shouldn’t have to pay for community, unlike the rise of community groups and orgs where you have to pay to play.

As an expat/ immigrant I know how hard it is to find real genuine community in a new country. It’s very isolating and sometimes you feel defeated. I want to create something that makes all of our lives easier and to help make finding community a little less difficult and expensive!

I’d love it if you signed up to my email waitlist. And if you are interested in being a beta tester please DM me on here or email me at hawiiabdi24@gmail.com. Thank you in advance :)

Hello people.

I am in Nantes and I am thinking about selling Indian original food products. Starting from ready made chapati.

I want to know

Is it a good idea

- I plan to give 20 chapatis for 5 euro.

Do you think this would interest people .?

Hi everyone,

I’m an Indian student currently trying to arrange an internship in France, and I’ve run into a bit of confusion regarding the convention de stage.

The lab I’ll be joining has asked me to check whether my home university (in India) can draft the convention de stage. From what I understand, this agreement usually needs to be between the host institution, the student, and the home university—but my university doesn’t typically handle French-style internship agreements, so I’m not sure how feasible this is.

I have a couple of specific questions:

• Will I need approval/opinion from DREETS for the convention de stage to be considered valid in my case?
• Does the document strictly need to be drafted in French, or is English acceptable (or bilingual preferred)?
• Has anyone been in a similar situation where their non-French university had to draft/sign this document?

My concern is that my master’s thesis timeline is quite strict, and delays in paperwork could seriously affect my plans. I’m wondering if I should continue pushing this route or start exploring alternative options .

The convention de stage isn't signed till now. I haven't even received the dreets approval. The internship start date is in 1.5 months and I haven't even applied for the visa.

Any advice or shared experiences would really help—especially from people who navigated this as non-EU students.

Thanks a lot in advance!