The entry stamp on the visitor's American passport gives the starting date for the 90 day period. Due to current relaxed control at French frontiers, the visa stamp is often omitted thereby creating an ambiguity as to the date of entry.
The well healed American tourists should not worry about this omission.
The younger pack backing tourist might wish to avoid this ambiguity at the point of entry might wish to ask the frontier officer to "As a souvenir, could you please stamp my passport" (En tant de souvenir de mon voyage en France, pourriez-vous opposer le tampon d'entré"). A round trip air ticket with the saved boarding cards can also be used.
Under French law, the police can stop and search anyone in the street to ask for the person's identity papers. The burden is on the stopped person to show that he is entitled to be in France. Accordingly, always carry your passport when leaving one's hotel, friend's apartment or youth hostel.
Also, keep a photocopy of the first page of the passport and US drivers license or an old, expired passport in one's luggage so that a replacement passport can be obtained quickly at a United States Consulate in France, if the passport is lost or stolen.
When living in France with either student's identification card ("Carte de séjour d'étudiant") with an employee's or executive's identification card ("Carte de séjour"), any change in residency should be reported the local police in the new neighborhood within one week.
Index of Articles on Issues of French-American Business Law
| DISCLAIMER
The information provided here and on the other pages linked hereto is intended for educational purposes only, and is not legal advice. Particular situations require particular analyses that can only be provided by legal professionals who specialize in the relevant fields and who know all the details of a situation. Also, a presentation such as this does not establish the attorney-client relationship that is necessary in any rendering of legal advice. Finally, one should be aware that the law is a chameleon-like beast that changes its colors frequently, and what holds good today may be reversed by tomorrow. The comments herein should then be read in that light. |
NOTE AU LECTEUR
Les notes et documents que vous pouvez consulter sur ce site sont présentés dans un souci d'information et ne constituent nullement une consultation juridique. Chaque situation est particulière et requiert un examen spécifique qui ne peut être l'oeuvre que d'un professionnel du droit, spécialiste en la matière et au fait des différentes implications de la question. En outre, il faut avoir conscience que la législation, réglementation et jurisprudence changent en permanence. Ce que l'on tient pour acquis tel jour peut être révolu le lendemain. Ainsi, un exposé, aussi détaillé soit-il, ne remplace pas la relation étroite qui doit s'établir entre une entreprise et son avocat, relation indispensable à la fonction de conseil en matière juridique. |
