Ok, I've got a question.

My father is a natural born French citizen, living in the United States.

I am eighteen years old, born in the United States, my mother is a US Citizen, my father is a French citizen.

Would I qualify for dual citizenship because of the French with their "jus sanguinis" style policy?

If anyone can answer, I am curious to know. It's hard to really be sure, I can carry on most converstations in French, but I can barely read it, or write it, so the internet is not much help in my search. Most english sites aren't concerned with the nuances of French citizenship.

If anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

IndiaStarker

I just joined so I hope you already found your answer. You have the right to French citizenship, in fact it is automatic.

I quote SOS-Net Etrangers:
Si vous avez au moins un parent français :
Vous êtes automatiquement français, que vous soyez né en France ou à l’étranger.

I translate:
If you have at least one French parent, you are are automatically French, whether you are born in France or abroad.

Source: http://sos-net.eu.org/etrangers/indexetr.htm.

Its just paperwork now. If you haven't already done so you could start here: consulat général - Service de l'état à New York : (212) 606-3651 ou (212) 606-3637.

But your question asked about dual citizenship. Now that you know that you are French, the question is are you allowed to keep your American citizenship once you get your French papers? The answer is yes, but I don't have a written source.

I had read somewhere a subtlety about this but no longer have the source. The subtely was: If a country gives you citzenship without your having asked for it
--this is your case since yours is granted automatically--
then the US has nothing to say. However, if one asks for citizenship of another country
--this is my case--
the US may remove your US citizenship. However this appears not to be so...

I asked someone at the US embassy here in Paris if I (who am not French but married to a French man) could ask for French citizenship and keep my American citizenship and he said yes, the US cannot take my US citizenship away for having obtained French citizenship.

I do have a source for this next item :
You can even vote in France (if you lived here) without losing your Amercian citizenship, since 1978.

I quote:
En 1967, une décision de la Cour Suprême des Etats-Unis, suivie en 1978 par un vote du Congrès, a fait en sorte que nul ne peut être déchu de sa nationalité américaine pour avoir pris part aux éléctions de son autre patrie, s'il n'a lui même, auparavant, déclaré vouloir y renoncer.

I translate:
In 1967, a decision by the US Supreme court, followed by a congressional vote in 1978, declared that no-one could have their US citizenship removed for having voted in an election in his other country, unless he had at some time expressly declared the wish to renounce his US citizenship.

Source: http://www.france-amerique.com/guide...itdevoir7.html

-an American in Paris

dragonfly3

Thank you for that wonderful information. I am having a problem with this site and this is the only way I can respond to you; hopefully it will post online!

Since my first posting, I have learned some new information. Perhaps, since you live in Paris, you could help me?

My mother was born in American Hospital in Paris in 1920 to (as you already read?) a French mother and American father. When he left France, he took my mother with him. I believe my grandparents divorced. My grandmother remained in her native France with one daughter and my mother came to USA with her American father. In order for him to take her with him, he had to register at the Embassy (which means that she was registered as an American citizen at the Embassy and she would have obtained a Consular Report of Birth Abroad.)

So, from what I understand, she was made a US citizen. From what I've been told, she may not have dual citizenship. Do you have any idea who I could contact there (who speaks English) who could help me?

I am also trying to get a copy of her birth certificate and the consular report of birth abroad; any ideas?

I would appreciate your help.

Thank you!

IndiaStarker

Hello Dragonfly,
I wasn't notified of your post for whatever reason. You may find the links I placed my other posts in the section US-France Dual Citizenship helpful.
Did you get what you need? If not, the following might help.

From the on line phone book (http://www.pagesjaunes.fr)

AMERICAN HOSPITAL OF PARIS  
63 bd Victor Hugo 92200 Neuilly sur Seine
01 46 41 25 25

As you can see, today the American Hospital is in Neuilly s/Seine. You'll have to do some research to see where it was in 1920. The normal procedure to receive a birth certificate is to write a request to the town hall (mairie) where the birth took place. The section (rubrique) you want is

Le service de l'état civil

If your mother was born in Neuilly S/ Seine then the complete instructions are found here:
http://www.ville-neuillysurseine.fr/.../document.html

Basically it says to send a self-addressed stamped enveloppe to
Mairie de Neuilly-sur-Seine - Etat civil
96 av Achille Peretti
92200 Neuilly sur Seine

(Again, address is from the on-line phone book.)

They also include a phone number if you are up to calling. (We are 6 hours ahead of EST, call in the am).

Request an "extrait d'acte de naissance"

Include, I quote:
Pièces à fournir

• Indiquer date et lieu de naissance, nom, prénoms et nom et prénoms des parents (nom de jeune fille pour la mère).
• Joindre la photocopie d'une pièce d'identité et une enveloppe timbrée pour la réponse.

I translate:

• Date and place of birth, last name and given names and last names and given names of the parents, specifying the maiden name for the mother.
  
• A photocopy of your ID (a passport would be good -- driver's licences are not really considered ID here) and a self-addressed stamped enveloppe. (That might be the trickiest part--don't know how you'll manage it. Ask your post office? Need a 0.90 euro stamp.)

Obviously you should specify that you are the daughter. Basically something like the following should be fine.
Best regards,
India.



Mairie de Neuilly-sur-Seine - Etat civil
96 av Achille Peretti
92200 Neuilly sur Seine

Monsieur, Madame,

Je vous demande un extrait d'acte de naissance de ma mère décédée.

Née à Neuilly sur Seine, le <day> <month> <year>.

De père :

<last name in caps> <first and middle names>

et mère :

<maiden name in caps> <fist and middle names>

Je vous remercie d'avance de votre attention. Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, Madame, mes salutations distinguées.


ci-jointe : photocopie de mon passeport

gr8

Hi
Am an Indian citizen, studying in the UK. I have a French boyfriend. If we got married here in the UK, what does that make me, a UK or French citizen? Please help as we plan to get married this christmas.
Thanks!

Franceroxmyworld

Dear Gr8,

You are niether a UK or French citizen when you get married, however, if you get married to a French citizen(your boyfriend, i assume he is a French citizen), then you may apply to become a French citizen, you must be married for 12 months before you can apply. I hope this helps. Best luck with your wedding

-Ben

globetrottinghellraiser

I'm trying to find someone who has been through this process who can tell me their experience. I applied for French citizenship at a French embassy in the US 16 months ago. After a year, I received a letter requesting my parents' birth certificates and marriage certificate, which I sent. Then I received a print out of information about me (date of birth, parents info, spuse, etc.) to sign and return, which I did. What I can't figure out is what the hell happens next, or how long this whole thing is likely to take. Would be grateful to hear anyone else's story. Thanks.

frgrenouille

I just joined so I don't know how to post a question other than reply to thread. I have three questions. I am a "Française d'origine" (French citizen) married to an American. I have two children.
1) My daughter Michelle will be 18 this Thursday. She and my son are both on my passport for now. If she get her own French passport, does she become only a French citizen or does she automatically have dual citizenship. If she does have dual citizenship, what are the consequence/liabilities re social security, taxes, etc... in both countries?
2) My son is 16 and just received a letter from the French Consulate in Atlanta for an orientation session to register for military service in France. I know he does not want to do that. I don't want him to have anything to do with guns or the army either. Does that mean he needs to relinquish his French citizenship? If so, how do you go about it?
3) Several people have told me that I needed to check my status with Social Security. They said that as a non-US citizen, I might not be able to collect when I retire and that I might have problems with inheritance if my husband were to die. I am totally in the dark about that. I have been paying taxes for years and have never worked in France as I married while still in college.
Does anyone have answers to all these questions?

Giselle

I was born at the American Hospital in Neuilly sur Seine in 1978.
I do not have a copy of my original birth certificate. What I do have is a photo copy AND IT IS IN FRENCH, which is useless to me because I now live in Los Angeles.
I am applying for my greencard as I married an american and need to furnish my ORIGINAL birth certificate.
How do I go about getting this since
1. I do not speak french so calling would be quite difficult
2. I live in America...
3. I just have no idea who to even call..

Please please help me.

Thanks,
Giselle

tarisha

I was born in france in 1984 and I have been trying to find out how/if I could obtain a french passport so if there is anyone out there who can help me, you help will be really appreciated. thanks