A small movement on the Nationality front.

Wow, I had heard that 18 months was the magic number for the first response regarding your Nationality (by decree) application, here in the Haute Savoie, and low and behold I received an email just last week, telling me that my application has moved onto the next stage. This was 18 months and a couple of weeks since I had submitted my application.

However, the next stage is simply “Demande déposée” and there are 10 more stages to go through according to the online chart (see image), until the final stage of “Cérémonie de Naturalisation”, so I’m not planning my ceremony outfit just yet!

It’s time to start swotting for the ‘interview’ as my French history is currently rather poor, so please let me have any recommendations for websites, books and apps and I’ll post the best here once I’ve tested them out.

In the meantime, please let me know if you need any help applying for your Nationality- svpalps@gmail.com

Update at the start of the summer 2025

It’s been a while since I last posted here, and unfortunately, I still don’t have any news regarding my nationality application. It’s now been 14 months since I submitted my completed application, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an update soon. Annecy is a notoriously overloaded Prefecture, so this isn’t surprising.

Rest assured, I’ll continue to document each step of the process as things progress.

Work has been quite up and down lately in terms of workload. As I enter a quieter period with the arrival of summer and the school holidays, I’m taking the opportunity to focus on new ideas and to market my business so I can reach more of you.

Although I work online, most of my clients are currently local. One of my main goals is to expand my services throughout France.

The past two and a half years since launching my business at the start of 2023 have been incredibly rewarding, and I appreciate the flexibility my work provides daily.

Thank you all for your continued support. I look forward to sharing more updates soon and, hopefully, connecting with many more of you across France…

Admin upon admin upon admin…

I’ve gotten a bit behind with my Nationality journey blog, as my last significant step actually took place in April.

I finally submitted my online application after weeks of piecing together the last parts I needed, and months of gathering my motivation to cross the final hurdle.

I actually started my online application a year ago, but quickly got phased by the slightly more in-depth questions I encountered, as I knew I’d have to dig out my big ring binders and commit some real time to it.

In the end, as is always the way, as soon as I got started again, I managed to keep up the flow and get everything together. This was also because once you have your various certificates professionally translated, they are only valid for 3 months, so you are obliged to get a move on!

Each application is personal according to your own situation. For example, I needed to provide mine, and my parents birth certificates, plus their marriage certificate, all translated at your own cost (I highly recommend local translator Carrie Marsh- www.lexiko-translation.com), plus many other unforeseen documents along the way.

After 2 long evenings of scanning and uploading documents, I finally sent off my application with a huge sigh of relief… my fingers are firmly crossed in the hope it is successful at this stage!

My top tips on how to do your nationality application coming soon…

Parlez-vous français?

At the end of last year I travelled to Grenoble for take my DCL French test, to determine my level of French. Aiming for a B1 (the level you currently need to gain nationality) I drove to the Southern Alps with ‘Coffee Break French’ podcasts on back to back & headed to the test centre.

I'd learnt a few phrases & swotted up on my grammar the night before, but I wasn’t feeling very well on the day! Luckily it all went well and although I thought I’d messed up the oral section, I was really happy to be certified as B2.

For most people this is the most intimidating part of the nationality application, and although I was pretty confident I would be at least B1, it’s still a nerve wracking experience. The test centre was a bit grim, but the examiners explained things well and as you are staggered with the other test takers, it feels a bit more relaxing.

I’m very happy this part of the application is done ✅

My French teacher is the best in the business & certainly was instrumental in my certification. Head to Fast Track French to find out more.

Becoming French 🇫🇷

I’ve been living in France for 16 years and have started a family here and settled down with my partner. Although we are lucky enough to have acquired ‘Titre de Sejours’ it feels like time to look at the next step, of applying for French citizenship.

I’ll be detailing my journey here, and I’m looking forward to helping others with the process as well… WATCH THIS SPACE!