visiting france with a view to live there

[jussy]

just a general vague question...

i am a permanent resident of australia, with a dutch passport, with a view to living and working in france, and perhaps naturalising. are there any visa / migration issues i need to be aware of?
i understand there is freedom of movement and work, between EU countries, for EU nationals...however, i have not lived in holland since coming out as a 3 year old (some 30 years ago).

thx for any help...

[SYH]

Your dutch passport may not be valid anymore.
There is a provision where if you haven't live in Netherlands for 10 years and you have another Nationality, your Dutch passport may be invalidated by the Netherlands.
If this is the case, you can't use it to live and work in France
Of course, France may not know realize this when you show up but for sure Holland would as I have friend who upon entering the Netherlands was sent back home for this issue.
Contact the dutch authorities to verify the status of your Dutch Passport

[John]

As you have a Dutch passport it is irrelevant that you have not lived in the Netherlands or anywhere in the EU since the age of 3. Simply you have that citizenship and thus have EU Treaty Rights, including the ability to live and work in any other EU country (indeed EEA country) without requiring a Work Permit.

Simply fly to France using your Dutch passport!

Naturalisation as French? That is clearly years away but as you already have one EU citizenship, Dutch, there is no urgency to acquire another. As an EU citizen you will have the right to go on to the French Electoral Roll, and vote in French local and EU elections, but not in French national elections, so unless you have some burning ambition to vote in such French national elections (or even stand as a candidate) then there is no great need for you to become French.

Hope this helps.

[John]

SYH, good point, except Jussy does not actually say that another nationality is held!

Jussy, please confirm that you are Dutch and hold no other nationality. And when was your current Dutch passport actually issued? How recently?

[SYH]

Opps got ahead of myself, I saw resident and lost the plot

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

.. a dutch passport, with a view to living and working in france, and perhaps naturalising. are there any visa / migration issues i need to be aware of?

As a Dutch citizen, you just need to go to France (by bicycle of course!). No need to ask anyone permission.

Once there you can be required by a member state to follow the formalities that their citizens are also required to do (in the Netherlands everyone is required to register their address with the city/police, and so EU citizens would have to do that too). I am not sure if anything like this is required in France.

And if you decide to stay more than 3 months, then you will be required to register once with the French government (showing that you are exercising Treaty Rights or can support yourself). See http://eumovement.wordpress.com/info-france/

[jussy]

ty for you thoughts..sorry to be away so long, but i had trouble finding some authentic bread and berets to compliment my bicycle...

i have had my dutch passport since 10 years, despite not having returned there, and never thought to become naturalised australian...this seems to be more of a problem to return to australia (to retain residency if necessary), with the requirement of returning after 3 years, or proving a connection after 5 years..i guess you can't have your cake and eat it...

[Christophe]

ty for you thoughts..sorry to be away so long, but i had trouble finding some authentic bread and berets to compliment my bicycle...

i have had my dutch passport since 10 years, despite not having returned there, and never thought to become naturalised australian...this seems to be more of a problem to return to australia (to retain residency if necessary), with the requirement of returning after 3 years, or proving a connection after 5 years..i guess you can't have your cake and eat it...

Once you leave Australia, it will become more difficult to return there, as you know. If you naturalise as an Australian citizen, of course, there will be no problem in returning to Australia but you do risk losing your Dutch nationality, although there are circumstances in which that need not happen. Have you looked into all this (from the Dutch point of view I mean: there is no problem with dual nationality from the Australian point of view)?