Redcap

I agree, I've got a set of Pimsleur CD's, they are very clear and easy to understand, I find them a little slow going though.  If you think they are expensive, have alook at thomas's website and see how much he charges for personal tuition, about £18000 for a 3 day course!! Regards,   Bob

It's out now! 5 CD's, at £50.  However, some places are doing discounts, cheapest I've found is Amazon at £35. I'm going over the 8 CD course again, so I think I'll order the advanced.  I quite like his method and I find more sticks in between my ears! Regards, Bob

Hello Carol, I hope you are looking after the old man! And that he up and running about. Thanks for the e-mail info. This plan with Exclusive would be 810€ for a couple aged 45 - 49 for full difference on , but on hospital accom & food charges, it says 'full refund'.  Is yours for 'full difference' on everything? (Dont mean to be nosey, just trying to get comparisons). I am right that full difference means nothing to pay regardless how much above tarrif de convention am I? Starting to get some quotes now so will see. Regards,   Bob

Hi!, Further to my post about health care from day one. I've dug out an info pack that I got from a company called EXCLUSIVE HEALTHCARE, apparently a French company with English staff. They have healthcare insurance for people not yet affiliated with CPAM, which one can take out for up to a year. For something like a hospitalisation only i.e no GP/prescriptions etc it's about 54€ each p/m 20€ child, so about 129€ (£88)pm for the three of us. For their normal Plans Complementaires, the same type of plan is about 49€ (£34) for us three.  You also have to pay upfront 3 months as deposit if paying monthly.  This 'entry' plan all seems a bit expensive to me, but then I have no experience of any other plans. I wonder if we should just fork out £264 for the 3 months, and hope our E106 comes through (I have already applied). It looks like their full cover plan works out about 94€ pm (£64)for us three, that does not seem too bad, does it? As usual, I value all your opinions. Regards, Bob

[quote]Sorry but in France no one, but no one waits for payment with something like this and especially with non-french nationals. You may find that interest is added weekly or monthly of 10% for delay in no...[/quote] Of course, must remember that! I've dug out an info pack that I got from a company called EXCLUSIVE HEALTHCARE, apparently a French company with English staff. They have healthcare insurance for people not yet affiliated with CPAM, which one can take out for up to a year. For something like a hospitalisation only i.e no GP/prescriptions etc it's about 54€ each p/m 20€ child, so about 129€ (£88)pm for the three of us. For their normal Plans Complementaires, the same type of plan is about 49€ (£34) for us three.  You also have to pay upfront 3 months as deposit if paying monthly.  This 'entry' plan all seems a bit expensive to me, but then I have no experience of any other plans. I wonder if we should just fork out £264 for the 3 months, and hope our E106 comes through (I have already applied). It looks like their full cover plan works out about 94€ pm (£64)for us three, that does not seem too bad, does it? As usual, I value all your opinions. Regards, Bob

Hi, B a F! Yes, I see your point, I suppose if it was anything big (and expensive like hospital) they would, once convinced we are waiting for affiliation, wait for the payment?  Doctors visits & prescriptions one can stand, hope I get my moneys worth; unlike today! Regards,   Bob

Thanks for the replies, looks like it will be E111 then, I understand that it takes time to get sorted out with CPAM, but I find it hard to accept that as EU citizens we could be in limbo land for a period until we get our number.  So I for one will have no hesitation in using the E111 to protect my family. Digressing a little, needed to see my doctor today, I knew this last week but you cannot book in advance anymore you have to phone on the day.  Did this at 0845hrs (took 15min to get through), only to be told nothing until next Tuesday!  When I said I thought one could not book in advance she was lost for words! Anyway, managed to get cancellation.  Get to see Dr (not mine), needed to discuss some issues as agreed with my own Dr, then get told off for not booking a double appointment!!  In effect rushed out of the door and never really fully resolved my issues.  I decided that's it, I'll wait until settled in France. That, hopefully will be my last routine visit to UK Doctor!! Regards,   Bob

Hi, I think you can do it in 'preview' mode, just hi lite what you want to delete.  I seem to recall that you could also select part of the message and press 'quote', but not sure if it works. Regards, Bob

Thanks for that, I think you are correct about the Mutuelle, I believe you must be affilliated first. I'm useless at keeping receipts!   Bob

Hello Everyone, I've spent some time looking but still not sure of the answer to this question. How will my family and I be covered for healthcare from day of arrival/taking up residency in France? I understand about applying for affiliation to CPAM, and have some weeks ago applied to Newcastle for E106 to which we will be entitled. If this has arrived at our French address by the time we get there, fine (some hope from what I've been reading, but you never know).  If we were not going to be entitled to E106, I know we would apply immediately for attestation provisiore, until documents are available, so is it simply the same in the case of E106? In the meantime how will we be covered if say an accident happened, what if we needed a doctor? As we would be resident we would not be able to use E111, so I'm a little confused.  Do we need to take out some form of temporary insurance, but I thought private insurance was not allowed for EU nationals? I'm hoping someone will be able to set my mind at rest and point me in the right direction. Regards,   Bob

[quote]With respect what you have posted is goboltigoog[/quote] Hi  B a F, I wouldn't go as far as to say Les Laurier's talking g**gook!  I have been reading through some books again, in particular Blevins Franks Guide to living in France.  What Les Laurier says is in keeping with the advice given in that, and other books. I think as you mentioned earlier, don't offer any more information than requested.  Also, as long as the tax inspectors take the view that UK Gov pension is only taxed in UK I should be OK. Regards, Bob

Hi All, I bet someone hates it when a person introduces theirself with 'Hi All!' I bet I really pi*s some people off with some (if not all) of my posts. I bet if life was really so straight forward it would be a little boring! I bet a lot of people who come onto LF for the first time to post are really exited by the prospect of living in France and don't stop to think about Google or the 'search button'. The 'old lags' that have been here since  before I discovered LF must quite rightly get fed up with all what has been said, but they still stay; and I for one am glad they do. Be careful with threads like this, it could put newcomers off! They will get the hang of it, I've noticed that the worst offenders don't hang around long, the newbies get the hang of it and usually participate well. I still say that no matter how many posts pee me off, the overall quality of this site makes up for it. Lets here it for Lf! Yeah yeah!..........   Bob (no I'm not drunk, just de-mob happy!)

I think you have been misinformed.  Whilst a lot of the smaller outfits do not provide this service, you should find the bigger boys (girls, PC brigade) will do.  Do you have RYDER near you? they certainly do as I am using them next month.  I had to phone quite a few though before I found one in my area that came up with a good price. Also see the postings about 7.5t travel to france.   Regards, Bob

[quote]I agree with Les Lauriers a senior tax official told me that the time counts from the day one moves here. And so even if one moves here late in the year, one should declare that small amount of time t...[/quote] I think that if one is still employed by a government body, civil service, fire, police whatever, where you would have to be resident in UK then you could not be resident in France as well. Pushkin 'came' over to their house prior to retiring from the job, I would say that's a strong argument for not being resident at that time.  Regards, Bob

[quote]As I understand it, you will be tax resident in France and whilst your Government pension is taxed in UK it is declared on your French tax return, all other income is taxable in France. By completing ...[/quote] Thanks for everyone's input, I'm getting the hang of it now! I think some of you may be confusing the I/Rev form P85, 'claiming tax on earnings when leaving UK' with form R85 which one gives to the B/society to have interest paid gross. Don't get angry with me, but am I getting it right that I WILL have to apply to B/society to have % paid gross, or I WILL be taxed twice on it?  Also the high % , tax free accounts with say La Poste, providing I'm under the threshold for tax I don't pay any on this account? Do I pay social charges on this %? Thanks, Bob           

It will be a close run thing as we are going out as soon as I finish, but I suppose that until we declare ourselves, we won't be classed as resident? Obviously I realise one cannot or should not be living there for months before setting the ball in motion. Boy will I be glad to have something else to think about!! Regards, Bob

[quote]My good mate Alan has just been taxed on his lump sum.[/quote] Don't say things like that Dick, you put the willies up me! Bob

[quote]In my experience this year making several trips (Caen-Pmouth), BF have always insisted I travel freight with my 7.5t horsebox, whether it is empty or full. Then when I've spoken to the frieight desk...[/quote] Hi EM, I itend to 'have a right go' at them if they try to insist I go freight! I know there is some small print when you book online, but the system allows you to book a van up to 8m in lenth X 4m high, my van will be within those bounderies. I will be copying each stage of the booking process and printing it, to show the ticket clerk, so we shall see.  As I said earlier, I 'll let you all know how I got on. Blackadder, Hi! That sounds a great deal, but I just don't fancy the long drive, not when we'll be aeger to get to our new home, and the truck needs to go back. Regards, Bob

Hi Nick, I don't know if we have ADSL, I don't have atelephone number yet so I do not think I can check, we will be there in about 3 weeks or so.  We are only about 3 Km from Loudeac so we could be lucky enough.  Whatever, Wanadoo UK can take a hike! Regards, Bob

Hello John, Thanks, that was very useful.  As you probably guess, the only income I will have at present other than my police pension will be some interest from B/society.  "you will be taxed in France if this supplementary income exceeds the threshold set by the French tax authorities. " Are you saying that this interest although taxed in the UK, will also be taxed in France?  If so, is it only the supplementary income i.e savings interest and not my pension that they will set against the threshold. If it is, it will only be £100 plus pm which would be below the threshold? Do I have a choice where this supplementary income is taxed, and if so am I better off having it taxed in France?  Also, the high interest account with La Poste, is it better than what they are paying in UK at present, about 5% plus with some? (Gross) Perhaps we'll have a look at their website! Sorry to bombard you with Q's, but with 3 weeks to go before we move, my minds like one of those elastic band balls! Regards, Bob

Hi, I've been with Freeserve/wanadoo for a few years now, and went onto broadband end last year. I understand it's a 12 month contract, but when we moved into the rented house for 4 months, I asked to move the account. It cost me £25, but what really annoys me is that I've now been told the 12 month contract starts again! Ok, so now thinking ahead and our impending move next month, I thought I would contact wanadoo re moving the account to france, after all wanadoo's wanadoo weren't they?  Can't do that, they are france and we are uk, and you can't cancel the contract! So do they really think I'm going to pay £17.99 for the next 10 months for something I can't use?! I suppose it will be a bit risky signing up for wanadoo france now!  Suppose I'll have to find another provider, are the contracts for broadband in france 12 months?   Bob

Exactly the advice we had, and from months of trying to find out anything to the contrary. What we need now is for someone who's changed regime to meet their maker, and we might get to find out if it works! Regards, Bob

Thanks frog, that makes sense! Regards, Bob

[quote]I'm not qualified to give a legal opinion but it seem that the best thing would be to adopt the children so they are, as far as French law is concerned, children of your present marriage. This can be ...[/quote] Will, Hi! I've been trying to get some info on the 'adoption route for some time.  We never had time to talk to our Notaire at time of signing last month but he said to write to him with our situation.  Needless to say we have not yet written, and as we will be there in a few weeks it will have to wait 'till then. You mention about the kid's natural father having property in France causing a problem (I know it no longer does for you), we may be in this boat, I'm not actually sure if he owns it, I think it may be his new wife's. Do we need written permission from natural parents? What if one of the parents cannot be found? Don't know if you are able to answer those questions, is there a realistic prospect of following this route? Is there really no one else out there that's been/going down this road of adopting each others kids to overcome inheritance rules? Regards, Bob      

Has anyone had experience of completing this form? It is supposed to be completed when leaving the country and to apply for tax refund.  It seems a little on the nosy side to me, I really don't expect any tax rebate so I don't think I'll bother with it.  Is this likely to cause any problems in anyone's opinion?  By the way, I've nothing to hide, I just feel a little rebellious! Regards, Bob