Real life: We’re French Citizens!

“We’re completely committed!” Three expats who’ve taken French citizenship tell Gillian Harvey their stories…

In order to settle in France, you need to apply for a residence permit, or carte de séjour. This confirms your right to live and work in the country for a period of time, or permanently. However, after the required five years, some expat residents decide to take things a step further and apply for French nationality. We look at what drives this decision, and what the process is like.

Sabina Cowdery (52), Villebaudon, Manche Photographer Sabina Cowdery decided to apply for French nationality in 2023, having first helped her children, Emilie (16), Archie (22) and Conor (24) to make their applications. “Emilie was born here, so when she turned 13 in 2020, we were easily able to apply for citizenship for her,” says Sabina. “This then made the boys’ applications more straightforward, as they could apply through having a French sister.”

Sabina had not yet applied for citizenship herself, despite having moved to France in 2004. But in a post-Brexit world, and having seen her children navigate the process, she decided it was time. “From the moment we moved, I felt at home in France, even in the early days when my French was quite basic. I was involved in the local community and had integrated. But when Brexit happened – although nothing changed externally, and my French friends were very supportive – it really unsettled me.”

She also felt that applying for nationality would give clients more faith in her photography business, Anibas.fr. “I’ve been running the business since 2008 and most of my clients are French – tourist offices, French institutions, mairies and businesses. I also photograph international clients – there’s a big market for proposal photos at Mont- St-Michel. I wanted potential clients to see that I was integrated and established.

To prepare, Sabina sat the B1 French exam in June 2023 at the University of Caen, which involved “an afternoon of audio and visual tests, then an oral component”. Having arrived in 2004 with just O-level French, she’d worked hard to improve her language, so was “quietly confident”.

Three weeks on, she passed with flying colours, achieving full marks in part 1 and a B2 and C1 for her oral exam – above the required standard. Finally, Sabina started her application in October 2023 and although she was now able to complete it online, she found the paperwork required was still quite extensive. “They even wanted my parents’ birth certificates, which had to be officially translated.”

Once her dossier was submitted, there was just an interview to go – and Sabina wasn’t overly worried. “I’d got the Livret du Citoyen [citizens’ booklet] and a copy of French History for Dummies to revise,” she says. However, the speed at which her interview came around left her less time to prepare than planned. “The appointment was made for March 2024, and I was only given two weeks’ notice!”

Then came the wait. Luckily, Sabina discovered that results are published in the journal officiel, meaning she could find out as soon as she’d been approved, reducing the stressful wait for the official letter. “My name appeared on 26 July, just four months after my interview.”

Sabina then went to see the mayor to have her biometric fingerprints recorded. She gladly handed over her carte de séjour and in October 2024, received her French passport.

And how does it feel? “I finally feel at home again,” Sabina says. “And I’m very proud that I’ve taken this step.”

Keni Carrington (70), Marval, Haute-Vienne Keni Carrington moved to France in 2010 after retirement with her husband Chris, who has since passed away. In 2016, they took the decision to apply for French nationality before the upcoming Brexit vote.

“We kept hearing the word Brexit and I felt anxious,” says Keni. “We made the decision to apply for citizenship to avoid uncertainty going forward.”
The pair downloaded the necessary forms in February 2016 and began to collate quite an extensive list of paperwork, which at the time
had to be presented physically. “In the end, it weighed just under a kilo!”

The couple finally submitted their applications to the prefecture in Limoges on the day of the Brexit vote. “When we found out people had voted leave, we were relieved we’d gone for it,” says Keni. “We then had a visit from the gendarmes in the September. The idea of it was quite daunting, but they really just wanted an informal chat.”

Finally, towards the end of 2016, the pair were called in for an interview. “We each had an hour-long interview. We’d revised from the Livret du Citoyen and luckily managed to get through it OK. We’d both integrated into French life and volunteered with the local council.”

As Chris was then under 60, he also had to take a French exam, with multiple-choice questions as well as written and spoken sections. Keni, who was 62 at the time, was exempt from this part of the process.

Afterwards, there was nothing to do but wait. “We were told it could take more than a year,” she says. “But I knew that nothing I could do would influence it, so just wanted to get on with life.”

In September 2017, the couple received notice that they’d been invited to a ceremony at the prefecture in Limoges to receive their certification. This took place in June 2018, “There were three people from our commune getting nationality that day. In total, there were 91 of us, with 35 different nationalities.
We were presented with a certificate and afterwards they cut up our residence permits.”

While Keni always felt at home in France, gaining French nationality has made her feel even more secure. “I feel like part of the country I’ve made my home,” she says. “They don’t put étranger on my paperwork anymore.”

Zoe Filippi (47), Aurelien

Having studied French and Spanish at university, Zoe Filippi moved to France in 1999 at the age of 21. After 11 years there, she married Aurélien (49) in 2010 and they have two children-Rebecca (13) and Millie (10) together.

But it was only in 2018 that she decided she wanted to apply for French nationality. “I’d lost my right to vote in the UK in 2008 and wanted to be eligible to vote in France. That was my main motivation for applying,” she explains.

While it might have been more straightforward for Zoe to acquire nationality through her status as the wife of a French man and mother of French children, she decided she wanted to get naturalisation on her own merits. “I was running a successful business, owned property here and had a degree in French,” she says. “It seemed right that I should seek nationality based on this.”

However, choosing this path did make the process more drawn out for her. “It took two years in all, whereas friends of mine who’d sought nationality through their marriage had theirs go through in four months!” Despite her credentials, Zoe found the process of applying ended up being quite long-winded.
“It took forever to get the right documents and there were frustrations as my French degree couldn’t be accepted as proof that I spoke French because I’d taken the qualification in the UK. Luckily, I also had an international business degree from a French institution.”

Each time a new document was needed, Zoe would have the entire dossier sent back, only to have to resend it for new consideration. Luckily, her work meant that she was well-versed in dealing with administrative hitches. “I’m a business-growth strategist, and help English speakers overcome hurdles so that they can build a successful business in France,” she says.

Finally, in 2018, Zoe found she’d been successful – although the planned ceremony was cancelled due to elections. “We had a party at home instead and I was treated to some French delicacies, including snails and intestines!” she says..

So was the process worth it? “With everything that’s happened since Brexit, I feel grateful that I did it. After all, I’ve lived in France longer than I lived in England. I definitely belong here.”

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