Grostenquin Miscellaneous

Documentation for Dependents

Extract from the "Be A Good Canadian Overseas" Booklet

Prior to departing for overseas, personnel are strongly advised to study the provisions of AFAO 20.00/01, F9.88 and F9.89.

Documents play an important role in French life. Your wife, if you have one, must have a Canadian Passport and an International Immunization Certificate for entry into France.

Dependents are issued a passport "gratis"; however, service personnel may travel on their "I" card and DND 12 (NATO countries only). As service personnel visit many countries during their tour, the possession of a passport is most desirable. It does away with the necessity of obtaining a DND 12 for each trip and simplifies border crossing procedures. Further, certain countries cannot be visited without a visa for which a passport is necessary. Experience has proven that a large percentage of service personnel who arrive overseas without a passport apply for one after arrival.

After arrival, dependents must make application at the French Liaison office, on the station, for a residence permit called a Carte de Séjour. A dependent's identification Card issued at the Guard House will permit dependents entry to station institute.

The Passport

Dependents are issued a passport "gratis"; however, service personnel may travel on their "I" card and DND 12 (NATO countries only). As service personnel visit many countries during their tour, the possession of a passport is most desirable. It does away with the necessity of obtaining a DND 12 for each trip and simplifies border crossing procedures. Further, certain countries cannot be visited without a visa for which a passport is necessary. Experience has proven that a large percentage of service personnel who arrive overseas without a passport apply for one after arrival.

The Visa

In the early 1950s, a dependent wishing to travel to France would first have to obtain an appropriate visa from one of the two French Consulate offices in Canada. These were located in Montreal and Toronto. There were, at that time, a number of different types of visas available for the Canadian - depending on whether you were proceeding to France to write, research, work, paint, or play music. In most cases, the visas which we became familiar with were issued to dependent wives and families, proceeding to France to be with their husbands.

Carte de Séjour

The visa allowed access into France, but most of the visas which were issued had a maximum time period of one year. For those who were staying in France beyond this period of time, they were expected to obtain the carte de séjour. French administration was then, and still is today, famous for its own sense of logic, the long lines, the eternal delays, the mammoth frustrations, the dragon-breathing clerk. It was always useful to request a complete list of all necessary documents before making your demande (request) for the carte de séjour. Apparently this approach minimized the amount of trips to the préfecture or the French Liaison Office on the station, the time spent in lines, and the many frustrations one could expect.

Sometimes it was difficult getting your questions answered. Often to obtain one document on your list you had to provide six additional items, some of which you had already provided on a previous lists.

It was suggested to be as organized and efficient and as polite and pleasant as possible, even when you really wanted to scream and punch. You might not get very far by charming the clerk, but the entire procedure was slowed down if you managed to create an adversary relationship.

Once you were at 2 Wing, you then had to be processed by the Military Police for a NATO identification card.

As can be expected, there were many other forms of assorted documentation for the RCAF dependents. We present the following in an attempt to bring back some memories of what we experienced.