brebis

I travelled from a non EU country to France with 2 cats in 2004 and got a lot of helpful email support from the French Ministry of Agriculture (in English), who sent me all the info and the right forms to download. Suggest you apologise up front if you can't write your enquiry in french. Btw when we flew into Paris CDG, we just walked through without any of the paperwork being checked - the blokes on duty were having un cafe (our paperwork was in order but it made us laugh). This was for cats that had travelled in the cabin on Air France though. I imagine using cargo or accompanied baggage in the hold is a bit more onerous. There are also companies that will assist you in clearing your pet from customs if necessary - sorry no longer have the specific names.

[quote user="cooperlola"]Andy is correct, imo, although like all these Eforms it is now called an S1 - dependents of UK residents are entitled to get their cover paid for by the UK, up to the levels a French citizen is entitled to - ie you should still consider top-up insurance. Your o/h can also get healthcare here, either via the S1 if he works in the UK and is resident in France (formerly the workers' E106) or the EHIC if he continues to live in Britain. Get your o/h to chat to the DWP (I'm not quite sure which office you need but somebody like ANOther will know as he is still employed in the UK.) Once one or other of you reaches UK state retirement age then you will be fine and covered by the UK once again. [/quote] thank you! Is top up insurance french or english - not sure how to get this? I assume the bureaucracy I deal with is the DWP in the UK but what do I show the french? I only have the european health card at present and travel insurance. thank you, sorry the quote went a bit bonkers

thanks for the welcome! I wish we were returning to live back in France. I'm assuming the hotels near the main routes will be open as well, like the Ibis? We usually stop there in Tours or Le Mans and get something to eat at night and finish up the next day in the Pays Basque.

I spent 5 years in France but then had to leave for family reasons and spent 2 years as a carer. Husband got a job and is still working in the UK. I went into the CPAM who took away my carte vitale but said I can renew my CMU if I go back, but only if I go to the CAF first as am not working (am not well). I am not entitled to the CAF as my husband is working in the UK. Neither organisation could get their heads around someone living in France with a spouse working in the UK, so I just left and came back to the UK. The CPAM then said if your husband is working, show us proof of his income. It didn't seem fair either for us to have to pay URSSAF 8% of our joint income when my husband does not have any need or entitlement to French health cover. So assume we would have to get private health insurance when we return to France. We are obviously concerned that one or both of us will develop some illness which is then excluded from private cover. Can anyone advise on the best insurance; if we are returning to France in 5 years, should we take it out now while we are still ok or is there anyone who has an attitude like the Mutuelles were you can get cover even if you have a pre existing condition? I've found life is more complicated than the bureaucrats can cope with, so any advice is much appreciated.

thanks a lot! As long as we can get a coffee or chocolat chaud and some petrol we should be fine. No trucks with any luck too. Hope the weather's ok. Last year it was so icy around Xmas, New Year that we bailed out and flew instead (our car is v small is our excuse).

We may be driving down from Calais to south of Bordeaux at Xmas including on Xmas Day. Will the service stations on the autoroute (usual route Calais-Alencon-Tours-Poitiers-Bordeaux) be open as well as the cafes, so we can get something to eat or drink and go to the loo etc. Don't want to just find petrol is possible with a credit card but the stations themselves are shut.