@_Brian I was wondering - do you have the envelope the card arrived in? It would be interesting to know (and others here may be able to say too) whether the cards are dispatched from the local Prefecture, somewhere else in the departement, or centrally (e.g. Paris?) I thought that, if they were sent out centrally, it might explain the variances in dispatch times…
I understood that the cards were produced centrally. Mine came from Charleville-Mézières, which is where I think the factory is.
According to our Mairie, the time variation comes from the time each department takes to process the applications. Some are fast, others are slow. Some have many to process, others have few.
That’s useful to know, Brian - thank you! What I was puzzled about was the variation in post-interview card production times at the same Prefecture but if they suddenly get a rush on at the central facility, that would explain it 
I love everything about French. They make the application easy and stress free. God bless France.
3 Likes
I think the (sous-) préfectures have a fair bit of admin to get through before sending the completed dossier to the card manufacturing process.
Also, it’s France!
I’m ok with delays - as you say, it’s France! I was just curious about variance, mainly because my partner was told he’d get the card in 10 days to 2 weeks and of course he’s fretting (It being way longer than that…)
1 Like
I was told up to 3 months (late last year) as the factory had gone onto partial workers for covid but only took 3 weeks. It does seem a bit random, maybe they do them in batches or something?
1 Like
That’s what I was thinking, Tory…
Had my appointment at the prefecture in Bordeaux this morning. All very straight-forward, although I did have to fill in an extra form to say I’ve lost my CdS. Seems I’m still on their records from when I previously lived in France back in 2000, but I no longer have that CdS as I moved back to UK a few years later.
Something that did surprise / annoy me, however, was that there were several other people having their interviews too, who didn’t speak French and insisted that the staff did it all in English. I don’t expect people to necessarily be fluent but to not even make any effort is I think inexcusable.
6 Likes
That’s awful! Unless they could show me that they had enrolled in French lessons I think I would have taken their CdS away!
2 Likes
That’s terrible, but perhaps not entirely surprising.
Earlier this week, our French teacher told us that last week he was in the queue at the butcher’s counter in one of our local supermarkets, and an English lady in front of him made grunting noises at the butcher!
After she received her pork, she then made mooing sounds at the poor guy.
Our teacher offered her his business card, but she expressed no interest in French lessons.
I can’t help wondering the scene should she want turkey!
2 Likes
or dumplings 
1 Like
or stuffing…
2 Likes
Thars shocking for someone who is expecting to live here. But…in 1990 I went to Berlin for The Wall concert (after the fall). I’d been to Germany a few times before, mainly east, but I’d forgotten everything so at a motorway service station I did,embarrassingly, flappy arms and made chicken noises.
One thing being a visitor, another applying for residency and still not speaking a single word!
1 Like
I had my rendez-vous at St Lô today and took my wife with me although sbe didn’t have an invitation, despite submitting her request weeks before me.
I explained my wife’s disappointment to the poor lassie while my wife pulled a crestfallen disappointed face. Sure enough, after a brief consultation with a colleague (another lassie) my wife’s dossier was rustled up and processed on the spot, to both our delight! Such sweet treatment that saved us anguish and another 100 km round journey.
We joined the queue in the town carpark afterwards for a sausage in a baguette to celebrate, greasy but filling.
And we now have slots for Pfizer vaccine next week and in April for second dose thanks to the intervention of our MT after months of unsuccessful personal attempts. Our cups are running over… 
22 Likes
Good stuff @Peter_Goble - good to hear you with your joie de vivre back.
2 Likes
This whole comment is great @Peter_Goble, but I’m not going to lie
is my favourite bit 
3 Likes
That is absolutely wonderful @Peter_Goble and I hope you are still celebrating
I must admit I have always found the people at the St Lo prefecture to be delightful. The lsdy in question did phone my partner before the interview and, when I was mentioned, went off to look at my dossier but it was very different from his so she didn’t feel she could slot it in. If they had been the same, I’m sure she would have!
1 Like
The sausage-baguette scenario was mediaeval, two middle-aged women surrounded by fragrant smoke and a file of citizenry in line with tongues hanging out for lunch, one woman tended the sausages piling fresh ones on the glowing coals, the other tore the bread apart with bare hands and slathered the interior with mustard or ketchup (not both, I tried but was cheerfully mocked). The process was deft and efficient, the result was grotesque but surprisingly easy to get down in the car, in a shower of crumbs.
Cheap and cheerful, but not a very lucrative enterprise I would imagine, and hard work for the women concerned. They seem to be there every weekday in the sane spot.
2 Likes