Letter templates for France

FRENCH bureaucracy has a reputation for being a tangle of red-tape and procedures, that can drive any sane person over the edge.

One of the things you soon realise is that a utility bill opens more doors than a passport and that it is vital to photocopy any official piece of paperwork - usually three times.

Another key thing to remember is that nothing is official until written down and sent via recorded delivery, don't expect telephone conversations or regular letters to be properly logged.

I have written in the past about using the online recorded delivery service from La Poste, but what about the letter itself?

Well there is a vast collection of letters for users of public services and customers of banks, shops and a variety of other suppliers on the conso.net website.

You can narrow your search down via a simple pull down list at the top of the page, and you may need your dictionary to hand to work out a few phrases, but with a little work you can soon be pinging off letters.

The only thing I can't guarantee is a favourable solution.

And whilst writing about letters here is another collection of sample letters in French from dictionary service Ask Oxford, these are more general templates on such things as personal correspondence but also offer ones for job applications.