[A further tightening of restictions is likely: The President will be on TV Tomorrow evening]

There was no government error, you downloaded the ‘curfew’ form. There was no shopping mentioned for the obvious reason.

[A further tightening of restictions is likely: The President will be on TV Tomorrow evening]

It’s interesting to see that some people have been practising walking for an hour within a km of their house. I spent my last day on a trip to pack up my boat ready for the winter. Like ALBF I don’t think I will get the chance to visit there for at least 12 weeks. They say they are going to review the situation in two weeks but that will tell them nothing because the people filling the hospital beds and worse will be those who’ve been rubbing too many shoulders before today.

Best start planning your quiet household Christmas now.

[What is Caen like ?]

Something we agree about. I like living near the sea too.

[What is Caen like ?]

I’ve visited a lot of French large towns and cities with real character but Caen wasn’t one of them, i5 was just another town. If I had to live out that way I would look at places within a one hour radius to the west.

[CDS....I did say wait. Yes you did ALBF.]

NickP. In a way your post highlights why some second home owners believe that they can apply for a CdS to circumnavigate the Schengen 90/180 day rule. A rule that many of them have ignored in the past when they stayed in France for 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or more months a year.

You say you are in the process of taking up residence but residence starts the moment you decide to stay, it is completely different from the process of applying via the online portal for a CdS, the CdS that will give you as a British citizen the right to remain in France under the terms of the WA after the end of the year. Fulfilling residency involves a lot more than completing a French tax return, it means moving the centre of you life to France; entering the health system, registering your car, completing a tax return as a resident, accepting that, even if you have a British will, your will will be affected by French tax regulations, your right to hold ISAs and the like and even where you renew your driving licence when it expires and changing your insurances. It’s actually a big lifestyle change.

Where are you at this moment? If you are in France how long have you been here and when did you decide that you were going to be resident? If you are in the UK when are you planning to move over and how are you hoping to demonstrate that that visit is any different from the other visits that you have made in the past?

A lot of second home owners believe that they can take advantage of the generous conditions provided by the French government and apply for a CdS without actually needing to change anything. I’ve read posts from one individual who is assuring others that if the spend a minimum of 36 days in the U.K. they can become a legitimate French resident without having to be a fiscal resident here. No doubt they have similar arguments about why they won’t need to import and re-register their cars, apply for a Carte Vitale or do petty little things like speak French or handle euros.

If you are in the process of a major lifestyle change and moving your life to France good luck, if you are hoping that nothing will change too much if you apply for a CdS and complete a French tax return that will be enough, think again. I really hope it’s the former.

[CDS....I did say wait. Yes you did ALBF.]

That was then the new applications will require far less evidence.

[CDS....I did say wait. Yes you did ALBF.]

I don’t understand why you posted that for me. I was just pointing out a fact.

[CDS....I did say wait. Yes you did ALBF.]

If CdS get issued to non resident second home owners that becomes a Schengen problem not a France problem. Somewhere on the current CdS paperwork it states quite clearly that a CdS is not proof of identity and holders will need a passport for that. The only time I ever have to use my passport as an ID is when I use my rail discount card. The only time I’ve used that since I’ve had a CdS I was going to see if that would do instead but despite doing four separate train journeys my ticket was only checked twice and neither time was I asked for proof of ID. That was strange because up to then I’d been asked for my passport every time.

[CDS....I did say wait. Yes you did ALBF.]

Reading similar threads on other forums it’s become clear that a significant number of second home owners are going to be applying for a CdS believing that it is a way to bypass the Schengen 90/180 day rule. I’ve no idea how successful they will be but I’m worried that their applications will slow down the system and potentially raise the scrutiny carried out on genuine applicants who can’t tick many boxes.

[CDS....I did say wait. Yes you did ALBF.]

Lori as you are not British your CdS has had a different importance. Up until the end of the year British citizens have been able to use their passport to confirm their right to be in France. Quite different situations.

[Exchange driving licence]

There is an excellent Exchanging your Driving Licence site on Facebook. They would be able to give you practical advice.

[CDS....I did say wait. Yes you did ALBF.]

The French government is certainly making it very straightforward for British citizens resident in France before 31/12 to get a CdS and that will come as a huge relief to many people.

My CdS is credit card sized and fits in my small wallet. It is very snug there and has been there since I collected it, I have never once used it in any way. The new card will however be worth its weight in something a lot more valuable than gold given the rights it will bestow upon its owner.

For anyone wondering about ALBF’s worth it is worth noting that he qualifies for the new card in the simplest of way, his right comes from him once saying, ‘I do.’

[Hi and a few questions....]

In my opinion the need to warn people of the reality of moving to France and hoping to earn a good living wage from running gites or chambres d’Hotes is more important now than it ever was.

Over the past few months I’ve read far too many post from people intending to do just that. The trouble is most of them are doing it as a last minute attempt to get into Europe before 31/12/20. Reading a lot of these posts makes it quite clear that very few of these newcomers have a clue about France, the language or the simple fact that holiday accommodation needs to be located where holidaymakers want to go. Buying a big cheap house off the beaten track isn’t going to attract the regular custom and high prices that these businesses need to survive. Over the years people have come (and gone) and there has always been the safety net that as EU citizens when the business struggles they can offer yoga knitting, dog walking or some other pocket money earning enterprise to keep the family fed. Brexit will change all that. These newcomers will probably tick enough boxes to be given a one year CdS but that’s not the end of the road. Their business will be under scrutiny every year and it will have to be seen to be providing a living income year on year as each CdS renewal passes until the five year point is reached. A well placed business with plenty of investment might achieve that easily, a badly run wreck in the middle of nowhere won’t. If after five years the third nation entrepreneurs can’t prove that they can pay their way in France they will have to leave. That’s a big deal. Perhaps they are all super-dooper businesspeople who have made a fortune running perfect businesses in the U.K. in the past who will have the financial wherewithal in their (French) bank accounts to persuade the authorities to allow them to stay but I doubt it.

I must also add that I’m always amazed by these people who arrive in a foreign country with very different rules, regulations and systems, not to mention the language, yet know that they will succeed where others have not. Never mind, the higher they go the harder they fall.

[Hi and a few questions....]

ALBF, Don’t forget your friend Chancer made a fortune from his gites.

[Car battery]

The batteries used in stop start systems are a bit of a hybrid between standard car batteries that provide the short sharp power that is required to start an ICE and the leisure batteries found in motor caravans and on boats that supply a long steady 12v supply. This belt and braces approach allows you to keep the a/c and other electrical devices going while the engine stops in traffic jams etc. A standard battery will work fine most of the time, it just won’t be able to provide the same level of leisure battery function when the car is stopped.

A four year lifespan doesn’t sound brilliant. I replaced my Mark V Golf’s battery after 13.

[UK smart tv]

They did say that they couldn’t see anything worth watching on Amazon Prime, it was a subjective statement. I can believe that, I have access to Netflix but despite scrolling through the options I have not seen anything to tempt me for almost a year now. If I was paying for the subscription it would have been cancelled long ago.

[Part of France may disappear. So sad.]

False news is still false news WB.

[Brexit & Requirement (?) to Exchange UK Driving Licence]

For those who want a simple answer; a UK photo card licence will remain valid in France until its expiry date. In fact you can only renew it if it’s lost or stolen, you receive multiple points for a traffic offence or it is about to expire.

[Holiday without Wifi]

When sailing I would much rather take advantage of the plus values that modern C21st electronic devices provide, especially those that have improved safety. Why on earth would people want to put their head in the sand?

[Holiday without Wifi]

I rely more and more on electronic devices these days. I certainly never leave the marina without them.

[Scaremongering?]

It’s not as simple as the EU not being helpful it is that the EU will need to protect its internal market and its much easier for the one member leaving the club to put its act in order.

My daughter works for a large London law firm and since the referendum they have been run off their feet with work. Brexit has been a lucrative period of time for them. One of the reasons that they have had so much work is that they have had to provide guidance for their customers to fit in line with what ever outcome eventually arrives. Those customers include Barclays and I would guess several other banks. Until those clients know the outcome of the trade talks they can’t make final moves or even know which path they are going to have to take. This is yet another example of the real effect that Brexit is going to have on individuals who have lives that involve links with both the EU and Britain. Passporting is complicated and will be sorted out eventually but not all banks will wan5 to be involved, some will want to drop links with the EU and chase all those new worldwide markets that they have been promised. Barclaycard have already decided that the implications involved with having a credit card that involves individuals resident in two different financial systems is too complicated to be worthwhile. In my very first economics lesson on banking the message was simple, banks are in business to make money. They are not there as a social service to their customers. Some British banks and some EU banks will decide that the additional costs involved in maintaining a service across the 20 Miles of water dividing Britain and France is not in their interest. It’s simple really.

["Covid or Brexit? Which sh*tshow do you want to talk about?"]

Well Woolly one, what did you think of Ed’s performance today? I’m sure you appreciated how he put that overweight lying PM in his place. You will also have noticed that today his placed was slumped on the bench.

Of course you won’t have seen anything of the sort because your prejudice prevents you from seeing what’s right in front of your eyes.

["Covid or Brexit? Which sh*tshow do you want to talk about?"]

Yes I do. Give me someone with morals whose not a compulsive liar anyway. That’s your saving grace,Nat least you stick to your principles however bizarre they appear to others b

["Covid or Brexit? Which sh*tshow do you want to talk about?"]

The forum far right wing nutter is showing his true colours yet again. Showing his colours alongside his lack of integrity and willingness to support liars and cheats in the name of Britain. Apparently even those at the bottom of the pile can sink lower. Nasty.

[Problems with landlord/appartment]

‘If your lease is just for one year, I would simply stay where you are to avoid a LOT of problems that will likely cost you a lot of money. Lesson learned.’

I think that this is the best advice that you are going to get.