Welcome for newcomers to the Gâtine !

SUMMARY / SOMMAIRE - Full Download, click here !
Welcome to the Gâtine / Bienvenue en Gâtine
Where and what is the Pays de Gâtine / Qu’est ce que le Pays de Gâtine
Practical information / Informations pratiques
Social security and health care / Sécurité sociale et services de santé
Employment / Emploi
Setting up a business / Création d’entreprise
Learning French / Apprendre le Français
Re-registring your car in France / Immatriculation de votre véhicule
Taxes / Les Impôts
School / L’enseignement
Building or renovating a house / Construire ou rénover une maison
Setting up Tourist Accommodation / Création d’hébergement touristique
Elections / Les élections
Security / Sécurité
Sworn Translators / Traducteurs Assermenté
Useful Addresses / Adresses Utiles
Births Deaths and Marriages / Acte Civil

 
Voting at the "Elections Municipales"
The municipal elections are for voting the local town councillors and mayor who will look after your "commune" for the next six years. A list (or lists) of names is established and proposed to the inhabitants. Citizens of the European Union living in the Gâtine can vote at their local council elections on 9th and 16th March 2008. However, in order to do this they must put their name down on the election list at their local town hall before 15th December 2007.
Certain rules and conditions apply, as for French voters :
- you must be truly domiciled in France, i.e. living on a permanent basis in your commune for the past six months
- you must not have had your right of vote taken away from you either in France or in their birth country
- you must fill the legal conditions other than the nationality to be able to vote in France
- as you are not automatically registered on the election lists you must personally go to your town hall and put your name down
Further information can be obtained at your town hall as well as the appropriate forms. You will need to take along your passport and justification of your address (an electricity, gas or telephone bill, showing your name and first name is sufficient proof and issued within the last three months). The Préfecture will also answer any questions you may have or you can look at the website : www.service-public.fr (elections-politiques)
You might even be asked to be a town councillor but, without taking out French nationality, you could never become mayor of a French commune.