A mock wedding and French Marriage Visa Requirements

The original plan, as discussed with my lawyer/groom, was to get married in his parents' adopted town 5 hours from Paris (first at the town hall and then immediately after, at the church down the street) and then have a party at their lawn which annexes to a forest. After that I go back, finish the year at work while organizing the Philippine leg of the H&M Marital Mystery Tour which may or may-not-be in January of 2011. 

This plan fits in perfectly with getting the requirements for a resident card in their sequential order (if you want a wedding in France, that is):

1) get a short-stay marriage visa (3 months only) to get a marriage license which makes it easier for you to -

2) get a long-stay visa (1 year, and it's free when you're a missus!) which is necessary to -

3) obtain a Carte de Séjour or residence card

In a meeting with a Filipino consul in Paris last month, I was told we didn't need to get married again in the Philippines because the marriage certificate inked in France would do. But I wanted a ceremony in the Philippines too, because I didn't want a wedding party without them witnessing a wedding. I wanted a reason to celebrate!

So yesterday, my friend J told me I don't really need to get married again in the Philippines. I can get by with a "mock" wedding, where we dress up and act out the ceremony with a pastor. Another friend, The Attorney had a similar idea, in his legal opinion there is no need to get married here again but we could have a mass held so we can renew our vows in front of friends and family. This saves me from dealing with bureaucratic poop-cedures!

Now all I need is to file my Visa de court séjour pour mariage en france avec un ressorissant Français or Short-term Visa for marriage in France with a French national. Here are the documents I need (translated from the embassy website with the help of H, because there is no English list):

FROM MOI (me)

1) An accomplished form downloaded from the French embassy

2) A passport valid for at least 6 months

3) A copy of the page of the passport with the picture and the page with extensions of validity and changes of names or surname

4) The certificate of the publication of banns and no opposition to the wedding delivered by the town hall where the ceremony is to take place

5) Proof of my personal income (bank account and if necessary, the last 3 salary sheets)

6) A return plane ticket

7) Medical insurance for 90 days

FROM LUI (him)

8) Proof of French nationality (ID card)

9) Proof of income (the last income tax sheet, or the last 3 salary sheets)

10) Proof of lodging (the title of property to his flat)

11) Proof of means of subsistence and housing (attestation d'accueil, less than 3 months old)

12) Letter from the fiance confirming his intent to marry me and stating how we met (how nosy!)

13) A copy of his passport and the pages with the Philippine entry stamps

14) and my pictures

I read somewhere that you could get a long stay visa for marriage and then stay in France to get a carte de séjour and never have to look back (which I won't do anyway, I actually like my home) but my correspondence with the visa consul dashed all hopes by saying the process I just gave is now the only way to do it legally. 

I'm sure there are still loopholes out there. Like getting a short-stay visa then getting married and then asking the prefecture for a carte de sejour, but then the requirements to get a long-stay visa and to get a marriage license are the same anyway, so why risk it? Your first marriage is special, so it's best that you do it right the first time :)