Living in France but not working

[richarde]

Salut!

I have moved to France (Etampes - just outside Paris) to live with my girlfriend. I have some savings so I am currently not working. We are looking for a new house, but I have to have been working for at least 3 years in France to be able to get a house apparently? How do I register for health cover and as a citizen of France without working? Where would I go to do this?

In the UK I was a student working part time. I am not looking to get a job in France at the moment.

I will eventually setup my own business and register it in France, but for now I need to know if/where/what I must register as? I feel like I am on holiday and I want to make a commitment to being registered here for health cover and the such!

Is there anything else I need to do?

[Bevdeforges]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Actually, since you don't need a visa there really isn't any formal registration process you have to go through. You may want to get yourself a carte de séjour for your own convenience (saves carrying your UK passport around with you as i.d.). Talk to the local mairie to get a list of what you need to apply and where. (Some mairies can handle the paperwork. Others will send you to the préfecture in Evry.)

To register for health cover, you'll need to have the appropriate documents from the UK to show that you were covered there. I think you have to contact Newcastle - but someone will surely be along shortly with those details. I think the initial coverage lasts up to two years. But as soon as you get a job or start up your business, you'll be expected to pay "cotisations" which go toward health coverage, retirement, family allocation and all that kind of good stuff.

You will also probably want to look into getting a mutuelle (top up health coverage). The "transfer" coverage you get through the state only covers about 70% of your medical costs. The mutuelle reimburses the remainder.

You can't register as a citizen of France - certainly not yet. You need to have lived here for a few years (may be at least 5 these days - only 4 if you marry the girlfriend), and be able to show how well you've integrated (including learning French). It really helps to have a job, too. But anyhow, that's a ways off yet. Since you have an EU nationality already, you may not need to bother taking French nationality, no longer how long you remain.
Cheers,
Bev

[richarde]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Actually, since you don't need a visa there really isn't any formal registration process you have to go through. You may want to get yourself a carte de séjour for your own convenience (saves carrying your UK passport around with you as i.d.). Talk to the local mairie to get a list of what you need to apply and where. (Some mairies can handle the paperwork. Others will send you to the préfecture in Evry.)

To register for health cover, you'll need to have the appropriate documents from the UK to show that you were covered there. I think you have to contact Newcastle - but someone will surely be along shortly with those details. I think the initial coverage lasts up to two years. But as soon as you get a job or start up your business, you'll be expected to pay "cotisations" which go toward health coverage, retirement, family allocation and all that kind of good stuff.

You will also probably want to look into getting a mutuelle (top up health coverage). The "transfer" coverage you get through the state only covers about 70% of your medical costs. The mutuelle reimburses the remainder.

You can't register as a citizen of France - certainly not yet. You need to have lived here for a few years (may be at least 5 these days - only 4 if you marry the girlfriend), and be able to show how well you've integrated (including learning French). It really helps to have a job, too. But anyhow, that's a ways off yet. Since you have an EU nationality already, you may not need to bother taking French nationality, no longer how long you remain.
Cheers,
Bev

Thank you very much! I see you are in Essonne, just down the road from me!

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by richarde

Thank you very much! I see you are in Essonne, just down the road from me!

Actually, I'm on the other side of Essonne - over by the border with Yvelines. But yeah, we are in the same departement. And if you can avoid having to go to the prefecture in Evry, do so. It's a long drive and it's a royal PITA finding a place to park.
Cheers,
Bev

[KRich]

Hi,

I'm a newbie here in Paris also. I have a french friend who has had his own business in Paris for years. Based on some of the tax stories heard from him, be careful when registering a business in France. The tax system can be notorious for over taxing, in advance. Best to seek legal advice when setting something up.

Bonne chance!

KRich

[richarde]

Yes, I have heard that the taxes here are very high!

[richarde]

Also, forgot to ask if I should try to claim any unemployment benefit? I dont think I can as I was a student back in the UK and only working part time.

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by richarde

Also, forgot to ask if I should try to claim any unemployment benefit? I dont think I can as I was a student back in the UK and only working part time.

You can only claim unemployment benefit in France if you had been receiving it in the UK. If that's the case, you can "transfer" your UK unemployment benefit for a limited period of time (two or three months, I think it is - or used to be at any rate).

To qualify for French unemployment, you need a certain number of hours of work credit in the last six months or a year. (And to have been paying into the French unemployment system while working.)
Cheers,
Bev

[richarde]

this forum is excellent and very helpful! You explain things in a way that is easy to understand.
Merci!

[parsnips]

Originally Posted by richarde

Also, forgot to ask if I should try to claim any unemployment benefit? I dont think I can as I was a student back in the UK and only working part time.

Hi,
If you were not working and paying NI in the UK then you are unlikely to be entitled to any "residual" health cover from the UK. For the time being you can probably rely on your "tourist" european health card (EHIC), but to be permanently resident without either working or studying , you will need to get full private health insurance.
As for unemployment benefit, I don't think so! You have to have worked in France for a period to qualify. Be careful trying to claim benefits here , as without health cover or income, you may be regarded as present illegally, and required to leave the country.