Well, I thought I had everything covered. Just found out from Angilla that even though my fiance did not serve in the French military, he still needs a letter saying he didn't serve.

So, the point is, I need to figure out how to get this - does anyone know?

Thanks!

Available. A military record (Certificat de Position Militaire for the Army and the Air Force and Etat Signaletique des Services for the Navy) is available to all adult male French citizens whether or not military service has been performed. A self-addressed envelope and a money order to cover the return postage should accompany the request.

Military records for the Army and the Air Force are obtainable from the Bureau de Recrutement et de la Statistique of the military district to which the person was called to report for military service, and for the Navy from the Ministere de la Marine, Paris, in the case of officers and from the Bureau Maritime du Matricule, Toulon, Var, in the case of enlisted men.

Military records are not available to persons who are not liable to military service. In the case of a person exempted from military service, the medical report can be obtained only if the personal doctor of the applicant contacts the doctor (majeur) of the Bureau de Recrutement where the applicant received his exemption.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/reciprocity/C...er/F/France.htm

Merci beaucoup, fwaguy!!

I'll tell you what my fiance has told me, which is all I know about it.

My fiance was originally supposed to serve 10 months in the military in the conscription that France used to have. He kept getting it put off one year after another for various reasons. In 1997 the conscription ended but all males born before 1979 were still supposed to serve. Gradually they started to exempt people from that conscription, my fiance was in the last batch of citizens exempted. In 2002 he got a letter from the military stating his exemption. He had lost the letter so he got a new one from the bureau du service national.

I don't know if that's what he's supposed to have, but I guess we'll find out a week from tomorrow!

And here is a 1996 news article about the conscription, in case you're interested in reading about it.

Thanks Angilla. Interesting, I didn't know that about France. I think my fiance is too young , he was born in 1980. I had to google some of the things that were in FWAguy's link, and found a couple of links that he'll have to do a better search on (they're in French, and I couldn't understand a lot of it).

He has to call the Department where he was registered ('recensE') - he should be able to find the info here:
http://www.defense.gouv.fr/sga/votre_espac...ervice_national

I think that since he was born in 1980, it will be relatively straightforward -- he just has to ask for the standard letter that says he wasn't required to serve.

Thanks - I sent it off to him!