You Must Get Sick Of This

[Chris Toner]

Hi my name is Chris Toner.

yes I want to move and live in france with my wife and two children boys joshua 12 oliver 7 ?

yes I am an ignoramus and have not YET learn't the french language.

yes it was a thought about five years ago to move there and the thought has stayed with me >

now I am ready to move .

If there is anyone out there that can advise a non educated idiot who thinks that life can change and be easy automatically by moving to another country?

then please do help you will make me and my family happy if you can advice in anyway i am not adverse to getting negative feeds as these i think are just as important as the positive ones (Learning by others Mistakes).

I remain SERIOUSLY yours
and wait in anticipation of your reply .

Kind regards

CHRIS

[Bevdeforges]

Welcome to the forum, Chris.

OK, well at least you're coming from the UK, so you won't have the immigration hassle I had to go through. (It can seriously affect your feelings about la belle France! Though a mere 10 or 15 years later, I'm nearly over it. )

First of all, start learning the language. Assimil makes a line of learning French CDs that can make things downright fun. (Their Dutch series starts out with the phrase for "are you sick?" - because the first dialogue feeds into an old mother-in-law joke.) I hear endless complaints from my (now) fellow French about the Brits who come over to France, run up property prices and "refuse" to learn French. You only have to speak a little bit and dare to try to use the language to distinguish yourself from the sort of Brits they claim not to like.

Second of all, don't expect life to be "easy" in France. Simpler, maybe, but the bureaucracy here is absolutely mind-numbing. You get used to it after a while (and with luck, you can learn to have a bit of fun with it like I have), but at first, everything will be a "challenge." The French are great complicators. But then there are ways around nearly everything (called "Système D" over here). As a foreigner you have to tread the straight and narrow until you get a feel for where you can tweak the system, which can take a few years.

Also, give some thought to where in France you want to settle. Like most countries, each region has its own character and pluses and minuses depending on what you're looking to accomplish on moving here. You'll be constrained to some extent by how you earn your living and how transferable your trade is. France is a country of small towns - with all that implies. It will take some time to get accepted in a town - the tendency is to be suspicious of foreigners or newcomers in general. Observe and learn, and if you're not in too much of a rush (NOTHING happens quickly in France - or so it seems) you'll settle in nicely.
Cheers,
Bev

[giantpanda]

Hi!

There are different points you need to check before ever thinking of moving or even buying in France ( even Maison secondaire ).

1.Heath Insurance ( If you are a GB citizen).

1.1.One of a couple is already in benefit of a state pension, and therefore entitled toan E121, then there are no problems for your complete family Health Insurance, French style, which is basically 70% coverage. It is more complicated.

1.2. You have been working in GB, and you can benefit from an E106. Then you and your family will be covered , but only for 2 years.
If after that you can not bring an E121, you will have to bring a private Health insurance, with equivalent French coverage ( since this will depend on each family member ) will be very dear, if not prohibitive.

1.3. If you work in France ( if you are dependant on this, do try to get a contract - CDI - contrat à Durée Indéterminée- before coming to France.) you will be covered after a time.Of course you can start a gîte, but this is a very risky business if you depend on it for income.
NB. Getting a job is much difficult than most think, in spite of qualifications.

2.The other main question is Inheritance. If you own a house in France, it will be subject to French Inheritance laws. And that has nothing to do with GB law - there are so called reserved heirs, you can not bypass - and a GB will is void on a French property.

If you are a French resident, then your complete estate will be subject to French succession laws, except housing outside France. That means also GB accounts.

Of course there are not many people who have complicated situations, notwithstanding with the increase in August 2007 of the allowances, for a normal estate, there are usually no real problems.
It is however generally advised to organize a French succession, if you really want to protect your partner, and consider your intentions, at the 1st and 2nd death.

Yours,

giantpanda