EuroTr@sh

BinB wrote: Not reading the relevant sections of the deal was unprofessional, joking about it during an interview shows how shallow and unsuitable for office these people are". Come on BinB, somebody has to keep the English spirits up, there's too much doom and gloom and banging on about boring; depressing, irrelevant stuff like Scottish firms going bust and NI shops running out of food. The public are taking it all too seriously. You have to admit ministers are on sparkling form today. Greasy Mogg cracked a brilliant joke too: "The key is we've got our fish back. They're now British fish and they're better and happier fish for it,"

I'd be interested to know what hours a civil servant is contracted to work and whether their roles are covered outside of those hours. For instance, if a civil servant has officially booked holiday over Christmas (I presume they are entitled a set number of days of annual leave like private sector workers?) can they legitimately switch their phones off and forget about work?

Surely the whole point of waiting for Christmas Eve before concluding the agreement was exactly that, to ensure that ministers weren't likely to read it. Of course Johnson has full confidence in her, she did exactly what she was supposed to do. Though I do just wonder whether the fact she's been so blatant about it, is the sign of a minister who is realises what a farce was and is not happy about her part in it.

Nomoss wrote "Notaires may give free advice, but they are, as mentioned above, government officials, not practicing lawyers (avocats)" Well, notaires are specialists in family law, inheritance law etc. They know the rules (or a good notaire does) but they're impartial. They'll tell you what the law says and they'll advise you on your options, eg inheritance planning when you buy a property. Avocats are the ones who will take on your case and represent you, plead on your behalf, try to find loopholes in the law etc.

Mint wrote: If an "English" will were made now, since Brexit, would the law about according to the will-maker's UK preference be honoured? Yes it would, it's not affected by Brexit. The decision to give people the choice of which country's laws to use, was taken by (in this case) France. I believe I'm correct in saying that the UK didn't sign up to this legislation in any case. So if you have property in the UK, you don't get a choice - UK law applies. But the UK can't prevent France, and the other EU countries which signed up (ie most of them) from offering you the choice.

@DraytonBoy There was a thread all about this very recently http://services.completefrance.com/forums/completefrance-forums/cs/forums/3680416/ShowPost.aspx

chrisl wrote the following post at 11/01/2021 23:08: Now talking to some people in France, it has emerged that the commune may refuse the house as they would have to pay a hefty chunk of tax. I have emailed the mayor to ask him (and the council) to see whether they would refuse the house. No answer yet. I am not sure this is correct. I discussed with my notaire and also with the mayor the possibility of leaving my house to the commune, as an alterhative to leaving it to a charity (I have no close relatives), and inheritance tax was never mentioned. Certainly I got the impression none would be payable. The commune may refuse it for other reasons, basically if it thinks the inheritance would not be of overall benefit, for instance if they have no good use for the property and it would cost them to repair/maintain it, or if the bequest comes with conditions such as turning the grounds into a public park or whatever. From what I remember the mayor and the notaire mentioning, all bequests to the commune are considered by the town council and a decision is made whether or not to accept them. The question and the decision will then be reported in the minutes of that meeting which most communes make publicly available, so if the council meeting minutes are published on the commune's website it would be a good idea to keep reading them, in case they are slow in contacting you. You would also find out if the issue had been discussed and held over the next meeting pending further info before a decision is reached. There should already be a notaire involved because an English solicitor can't handle the succession of French property on his own. That may be the reason for the delay, if the English solicitor is liaising with a French notaire. I'm not sure getting a second notaire involved would help. Notaires are rule-followers and advice-givers, they don't take sides and they don't handle disputes. I imagine there are legal provisions for the process to be followed if the commune refuses the bequest. So if you want advice from a notaire, it seems logical to speak to the one that is dealing with this.

suein56 wrote the following post at 10/01/2021 7:33: EuroTr@sh wrote the following post at 09 Jan 2021 12:39: Oh ET .. that's how Trumpy got where he did .. by people not criticising him, by letting him flout rules. He walked all over convention and so made his corrupt way appear to be the new norm. Taken to its limits this behaviour becomes dangerous and seditious. And, no, I don't have to accept 'streak' you talk of .. Well suein56 I should have made it clear I was talking aboutthe little mean minded cheaty things that little people get up to when they try to get one over on the system. Not corruption on the Trump and Johnson scale. Abuse of power by people who are themselves in charge of the system is a completely different thing. You can't really compare the millions of pounds of taxpayers' money that has gone into Tory sponsor pockets in public health contracts, with someone who is struggling to make ends meet and who claims a few hundred pounds benefit they are not entitled to, from a system makes it easy for them to do it.. But yes I do agree that it is a slippery slope because where do you draw the line. In the UK people have been fraudulently claiming thousands of pounds from scheme set up to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and that is well the wrong side of the line. And yes I agree that there should not be a line to draw, in an ideal world everybody would know right from wrong and they would choose right over wrong every time. But, wen I said "you have to accept it" I suppose what I mean was, you have to be realistic. Human nature is weak, people fall into temptation. You can't not accept that because it is how things are. All you can do is draw a line between what you are prepared to tolerate and what you're not. I will admit that I am a goodie two shoes, I don't even break speed limits when I know there is zero chance of being caught. My thinking is that if I take it upon myself to decide which laws to obey and I give myself permission to override any rule that I think is stupid or unnecessary, then I can't complain if other people do the same. So if a teenager decides it is safe to drive at 60mph through a built up area because they are confident their reactions are good enough, they are only taking the same liberty that I took. I think the world would be a better place if everybody thought like me :-) but I know they don't and I just have to accept that, otherwise I would be eaten up inside by anger like ALBF is.

These discussions always annoy me. I've worked as a language teacher so I know that some people have a blind spot about languages. It's a left side of the brain/right side of the brain thing. So I would never condemn a person who has tried to learn but whose brain is the wrong shape or whatever. We cannot change the shape of our brains. To me, that is not the point. The point is, to have a strategy to mitigate a lack of language skills. I knew a couple who retired to France, weren't gifted at languages and were past the age where learning comes easy, but they learned the basics and they were good communicators because the will was there. The husband in particular was a sunny soul who despite his lack of vocab and grammar always managed to make himself understood - gestures, pictures, mime, a few words of English whatever - and people responded in kind, no offense ever given or taken. They made friends locally, in fact he joined a ten pin bowling team; all the other blokes were Bretons with barely a word of English between them until he taught them a few, and it was great to see him becoming good mates with them across the language barrier I am sure the couple thoroughly enjoyed their time in France although him probably more than his wife.. But I have also known people a lot less willing to put in the effort and I can't help thinking what a strange life it must be, not knowing what's going on around you, not being able to understand callers on the phone or letters through the post, not understanding billboards, road signs, public information announcements. I don't actually even like going on holiday in a country where I don't speak the language because I feel potentially vulnerable. And the health crisis has highlighted this, because it's so important to keep up to date with the rules as they are announced in the French media. Having to rely on other people to filter information to you, is not an ideal situation to put yourself in.. Sorry I am rambling on but my point is that what's important is having a communication strategy that meets your lifestyle needs. In the OP's case, he is in a multilingual environment so that is his strategy pretty much sorted at a stroke. Other people are naturally good communicators and even without fluent French they still have the resources to cope. What I don't think is wise is not botherhing to work out a robust strategy and expecting other people to do it for you. If you choose to move to another country it is your responsibility to ensure you are equipped to integrate sufficiently to meet your obligations there, which includes understanding the rules and doing all the things that a responsible autonomous member of society is expected to do. A person who doesn't know what is going on around them and what they have to do, is a potential liability.

I think the important thing is for Chocfish to understand what went wrong, for him (or her) and the fisc to come to an agreement on what the calculation should have been and whether any tax is owed, and for Cf to know how to avoid this happening again. Whether or not that requires an interpreter, only Cf can assess. Muddling through your tax form any old how year after year knowing you might be getting things wrong isn't a great idea, it's an accident waiting to happen and it's not even necessary because the tax office is always there to help you fill your form in. Time to get on top of it and stay on top of it in the future :-) you will feel tons better.

I agree absolutely with Catalpa's post ^^ When I see or hear about people cheating the system, putting themselves first, thinking the rules don't apply to them not caring about anyone else, it actually makes me sad, not angry. Sad that there are so many people who do these things, because I think the world could be an infinitely nicer place if there weren't so many people like that. But there is that streak in human nature, you have to accept it.

Do you know what version of Word you use? Is it something you bought and installed or something that came with the computer? Do you have a subscription to Office 365? If you can go to the list of all your programs you should be able to find Word there, so you can access it and create another short cut icon. If you can't find MS Word and don't want the hassle of looking for it, why not just download and install Open Office, it's free and very similar to MS Word - you should be able to write and print no problem. French version here or English version should be easy to find https://www.openoffice.org/fr/Telecharger/ Don't be fooled into thinking you need Microsoft in your life, it is not the only option and it's not even the best option.

Same difference ALBF. Being angry is making you torment yourself about things that you can't change. Nothing is new in all the things you are winding yourself up about, the only new thing is that suddenly, you are feeling them more. For a lot of people it has always been dog eat dog but there has always been the option to try and live differently if you want. But you have to accept that if you decide to stick with your moral code and do things right, you will have to put up with seeing other people doing things that you don't allow yourself to do because you consider it wrong. It's no good getting angry about that. Your problem is that you have tunnel vision. You can't change that because it's the way you are, but you have to try and understand that other people live in different tunnels, and for them, the landscape is different - different problems, different priorities. It's not necessarily a case of right and wrong, it's more a case of, different. You don't want to send your kids to school. There are parents who for whatever reason cannot cope with theirs being at home. You are your family are not the only ones being affected by all this you know. Different people are affected in different ways and all equally valid. As for the UK, on Monday morning, with the UK recording over 50 000 new cases a day, Johnson insisted on all kids back going to school. By the end of the day he'd been forced into a U turn so term only lasted for one day, but he really did not want to do that, he wanted schools to stay open. I don't think Macron would be quite that stupid. Re applying for citizenship for your wife, you need to know the rules first if you want to bend them. Buying a flat in the UK will make zero difference to your wife getting citizenship (or do you actually mean residency?). She can apply for permission to join you in the UK, and if she does join you in the UK she can potentially apply for citizenship five years down the line. But, you can't apply for citizenship for her, she has to apply for it herself; and as of 1st Jan she can't start living in the UK first and then apply for settled status, she has to start by applying from France for permission to join you in the UK. It would be a bit hard to claim that she lived before end Dec 2020 whilst also living and working in France, in a UK flat you didn't buy until July 2021. You have a relatively cushy life ALBF. It may not all be a bed of roses but you should try and appreciate what you do have, compared to a lot of folk. Find me one household that is not stressed right now.

ALBF seems to be a soul in torment at the moment.

I suggest you go and chat to your tax office if it's open. Google will be your friend up to a point but it would be better if you can get someone to talk you through it and answer your questions as they occur to you. For instance re box 6 on cerfa 2047 this takes you through declaring foreign income step by step https://demarchesadministratives.fr/demarches/declarer-ses-revenus-encaisses-a-letranger and includes the explanation "Vous y indiquez les revenus imposables en France dans les rubriques 1 à 5 : traitements, salaires, pensions, retraites, rentes, rentes viagères à titre onéreux revenus des valeurs et capitaux mobiliers plus-values imposables en France revenus fonciers imposables en France revenus des professions non salariées imposables en France (bénéfices d’exploitations agricoles, de professions industrielles, commerciales ou artisanales, de professions non commerciales) Vous devez reporter ces valeurs dans les rubriques correspondantes du formulaire de déclaration 2042. Si la convention fiscale entre la France et l’autre Etat prévoit la suppression de la double imposition, vous complétez les rubriques 6 ou 7 du formulaire 2047." Régime réel is basically where you deduct actual expenses as opposed to applying fixed rate allowances, but again, it would be better if you could get the tax office to explain what this means to you in practice and which rules in particular you need to know. Hopefully when you've amended the forms it'll turn out you don't owe them all that money at all.

@suein56 - I took that bit to be aimed at people who were still in their first 5 years of residence that they need to complete before being eligible for the 10 year card. It talks about the calcul de la durée du séjour, and once they've counted to 5 they don't count any more.. I agree that in the first 5 years the longest you can be outside of France is 2 years (well allowing you to be absent for 5 years out of 5 wouldn't work would it!) but after that, as a concession under the WA, the time you can be away is extended.That's how I read it.

suein56 wrote the following post at 07/01/2021 19:21: The info for WA appliers states that it is not upsetting if you have come and gone from France throughout your life here .. unless an interruption lasted more than two consecutive years. This gives me the impression that a leave of more than 2 years is a no-no. Where did you read that, Sue? The WA says: "Article 11 Continuity of residence Continuity of residence for the purposes of Articles 9 and 10 shall not be affected by absences as referred to in Article 15(2). The right of permanent residence acquired under Directive 2004/38/EC before the end of the transition period shall not be treated as lost through absence from the host State for a period specified in Article 15(3)." and "Article 15 Right of permanent residence 3. Once acquired, the right of permanent residence shall be lost only through absence from the host State for a period exceeding 5 consecutive years." https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1580206007232&uri=CELEX%3A12019W/TXT%2802%29 Which I understood to mean that once you've resided for 5 years and acquired permanent rights, which I have, you can be outside the host statte for up to 5 years and still retain your rights. Have I misunderstood? I thought at first it was too good to be true, and I read it many times but I can't see the catch? Panicking now! I might need to get back within the next 3 weeks if I've got this wrong!

"alittlebitfrench wrote the following post at 07/01/2021 17:02: Numbty Brits living in France after Brexit are really not a priority." It's OK ALBF you can say it - Especially numbty Brits that don't even live in France. Thing is I am applying for jobs, and promising potential employers that I have the right to work. It will be dead embarrassing if it turns out the prefecture says I don't, and I have to have an argument about it before they can do the embauche thing.

Thank you Catalpa. You sound to be in a very similar situation to me but I applied for the new card in October 2019 when the portal briefly opened in anticipation of a possible no deal exit, and I received this: "Madame/ Monsieur, Vous venez de valider une demande de carte de séjour. Le dépôt de cette demande au nom de XXXX a été enregistré sous le numéro XXX. Votre dossier va être transféré pour instruction vers la préfecture de votre lieu de résidence. Vous serez informé(e) par message électronique des suites de votre demande. Si votre dossier est complet, vous serez contacté(e) par mail pour convenir d'un rendez-vous auprès de votre préfecture afin de finaliser vos démarches (présentation de votre passeport / prise d'empreintes / fourniture d'une photographie d'identité récente (format 35 mm x 45 mm) / justification du paiement de la taxe sur le titre de séjour de 119 euros). Si une pièce est manquante ou inadaptée, vous recevrez un mail sollicitant un complément d'information. Nous vous conseillons de conserver la présente attestation pour vos prochaines démarches en préfecture. Ceci est un message automatique, merci de ne pas y répondre." Then in February 2020 I was sent a second email that said "Madame, Monsieur, Dans le cadre de la sortie du Royaume-Uni de l’Union Européenne, vous avez déposé une demande de titre de séjour en ligne sur le site « Procédure en ligne de demande de titre de séjour pour les ressortissants britanniques résidant en France avant la date de retrait du Royaume-Uni de l’Union Européenne, en cas de Brexit sans accord ». Ce site avait été mis en ligne pour préparer l’hypothèse, désormais écartée, d’un Brexit sans accord. Le Ministère de l’Intérieur procède actuellement à la mise à jour de ce site afin de s’inscrire dans le cadre des dispositions de l’accord de retrait du Royaume-Uni de l’Union Européenne qui a finalement été conclu et ratifié de part et d’autre. Nous vous informons que votre demande de titre de séjour avait bien été enregistrée et qu’elle sera bien traitée par la préfecture dans les mois à venir. L’accord de retrait prévoit que vous n’aurez d’obligation de détenir le titre de séjour que vous avez sollicité qu’à compter du 1er juillet 2021. Dans l’attente de l’instruction de votre demande, vous n’avez aucune démarche supplémentaire à effectuer. Vous n’avez pas besoin de refaire une nouvelle demande en ligne. De même, il n’est pas nécessaire de vous déplacer à la préfecture pour le moment." I don't have the little separate Attestation that you have. I'm currently not part of the system as I've been out of France since 2019, but under the Withdrawal Agreements, if you already held a 10 year CdS you are supposed to be allowed an absence of up to 5 years consecutive without your rights being affected. So in theory I should be able to swap without having to prove anything except ID, but I'm a bit sceptical. As you say it probably depends on the préfecture. Hey ho, hopefully it'll all sort out in due course.

The reason I was also surprised is that France has said many times that its objective is to help people to apply successfully, not to make it difficult for them. Specifically I was hoping to clarify whether they are actually saying that if an applicant turns up in good faith with documents (s)he) thought would do the trick, but which for whatever the reason the prefecture doesn't consider sufficient, they will send you away and bin your application. Which sounds contrary to the spirit of the thing because from what they've said, I thought they were supposed to suggest what documents they will accept and give you every chance to provide them. So I was wondering if an alternative interpretation might be, if a person has applied for the 10 year CdS and the documents they present strongly suggest that in fact they haven't lived in France for the full 5 years - for instance if they take along tax d'habitation bills that define their house as a secondary residence - the prefecture would in that case cancel their application for a 10 year card and ask them to submit an application for a 5 year card instead. That would be a different thing, and fair enough. I also wondered whether it was in any way implied that if you fail turn up to the rdv and hence don't provide what they ask for on the date they expected to see it, they would automatically cancel your application. The reason I wondered this is that if the prefecture sends a letter by post to my address in France I won't receive it, since I'm not there. Like woolyB, I thought that an existing CdS can simply be exchanged for a new one. That is what I am hoping. However I seem to have upset CeeJay, which I'm sorry about, so I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Fair enough. It would have been helpful for those of us who are waiting for our letters, to know what to potentially expect.. But hey, just because you asked for help on a forum and got it, that doesn't mean you are obliged to give anything back. :-)

Any chance of giving us the full French wording of that bit?

CeeJay wrote the following post at 07/01/2021 10:06: I need to get it right otherwise they will cancel and I have to re-apply! Are you sure that's what they said? A bit surprising, if so.

Alternatively I believe there are plenty of pre-loved inflatable dinghies lying abandoned around the Kent coast, that's a cheaper route but not recommended if you have young kids.

Yes Mint you're right I meant the M5. I've seen so much of the M4 lately that I've got it on the brain.