Wednesday, June 30, 2010

last names: part III

Just the other week I signed up for my health coverage at the Sécurité Sociale - before that I had been covered by Jean-Marc's insurance (for agricultural workers - there are four organizations of coverage in France depending on your job, just to make things complicated). When I stated that I wanted to keep my maiden name and have that name on all documentation, they said that I needed to fill out a form to declare that I want to use my own name, otherwise everything would automatically be in Jean-Marc's last name. Only in France (or maybe not!) do you have to declare that you want things to stay the same!

I also just bought a new (second-hand) car on the weekend. When I went to register it, the woman asked in shock if I wanted to register it in my own name. I'm afraid I was a bit curt with her...

I guess the "rolling with it" idea isn't working out as smoothly as I had hoped!

2 comments:

  1. Happy Canada Day Marianne!
    This is an interesting commentary. I thought the Quebec practice of women keeping their maiden names came from France!
    Did you get the email I sent awhile back?
    Love Jane.

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  2. Yes, apparently that is so! Officially a woman keeps her maiden name on her passport etc. but uses her married name on all other documents - which I find to be confusing. How do you prove who you are if your official ID is one name and everything else is another? I'm still adjusting, I suppose!
    Yes, I did get your email and have been too crazy busy to respond... but I will soon!

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