Will

It's a complicated question, and difficult to answer without knowing why you are talking to a notaire about marriage regimes, but in very simple terms the Hague Convention applies different 'regimes' according to where you were married. If you were married under English law, then your regime is 'séparation de biens'. If you were married in France then (unless you opted for something different) you will be under the 'communauté universelle' regime. It has a bearing on things like inheritance which can be important if you are buying a house - a few years ago a lot of people found it necessary to change from séparation de biens to communauté universelle, but under the current version of the law this is somewhat less relevant.

Quite possibly if you want to use HiFX, and I know a lot of people like the company. The broker we use is Foreign Currency Direct, with which Judie used to have a lot of dealings when she was working in French house sales, and is based just down the road from where we currently live. There is no charge for the regular amount we transfer each month to keep the French house going, the company makes its money by giving an exchange rate a couple of points below the inter-bank rate (others may give a slightly better rate, but we are happy with our set-up). We previously used our bank for one-off transfers when needed, for which it charged £10 for a transaction but gave a reasonably good rate, however we had to visit a branch to make the transfer and the branch in Bucks proved far less helpful and efficient than our 'home' branch in Sussex so we changed regime.

[quote user="NuBeginnings"]Depends is you are seconded to France for a limited period, a good example would be a ski rep. They are employed for three months payed in the U.K and pay UK tax and NI and are bound by a UK employment contract.[/quote] The way the above works is that you receive an E form - used to be the E101, now it's one of the A1/S1 variants. This allows you to pay UK tax and NI while working in another EEA country, and gives you access to that country's health service. The catch is that the form is valid for one year. The form can be renewed to give a total of five years 'secondment', but different countries have different policies. DWP/HMRC and CLEISS (the relevant French department) are only likely to allow one renewal, and that is not automatically assured. It's much the same principle as, though slightly different from, the old 'worker's E106'. Under the ski-rep example above, you would have formal contract with a UK employer, so it's a reasonably clear-cut situation. As a self-employed person you certainly can 'second' yourself, but you may have to convince HMRC/DWP of your entitlement. So it's a good way to do things if you think you may only be working in France for a limited period, or if you are not sure that you want to commit to joining the French system. It's of far less use if your intention is to stay in France permanently (and if you sever to many of your ties with the UK you may find it difficult to convince the authorities that you are seconded rather than emigrating). I have been self-employed in France both under this system, and as a registered French business, so I can speak from personal experience. Autoentrepreneur is a good and simple way into the French system, but beware of the turnover limitations, and, like all the 'micro' regimes, it may not be the most suitable if you have high costs.

Try this or this or this, or even this this this or this. Not all might be directly relevant, and some are quite old, but all contain at least some reference to using Sky Multiroom.

I take it this is not just the 'travel money'/bureau de change service, for which the PO seems to get quite a good press? When I looked at the Post Office international transfer service, you had to open a HiFX account and transfer the money through that. I tried asking about it at our local main PO, but the counter clerk had no idea what I was talking about, despite it being advertised on the screen above his counter. I eventually found Idun's link by myself. It now tells you even less about how the service operates than when I found it a few weeks back. The system we use via another currency broker, dealing direct, seems more efficient and more flexible, and I am sure if you went direct to HiFX you would be able to get at least a good a deal as via the PO, and with less hassle.

Not only spelling has flown out of the window, as anybody who watches The Apprentice would know. In addition to the use of an apostrophe that makes even greengrocers look like English professors (Caraca's) this week's cream of the candidates demonstrated total ignorance in geography, mental arithmetic and - in particular - history. Then b***er me if Rick Stein didn't make the same error (Columbus discovered the potato) in his new series yesterday evening. To get back on topic, if you really want to see English language and spelling mangled to death in online small ads just visit the AngloInfo forums.

I agree with Norman and the others re the prescription. If you are in or near a largish town then you will certainly find a laboratory, otherwise, if you are out in the sticks like us the local infirmier (nurse) should do it for you. We had two very nice male nurses near us who took blood samples and did all sorts of other things, you had to collect the results from the pharmacy and pay for the tests there.

So pleased you got there in the end. Truly well done.

If you are confident about your knowledge of the French house buying process and are aware of the potential pitfalls (or know somebody who can help), then all a solicitor is likely to do is to cause delays looking into things that you can find out yourself. If you are new to the process and don't have particularly good French language skills then you can either do as most of us have done and take a chance that all is OK and above board - as it will be in the great majority of cases. If there is a particular aspect that you are worried about or if you need general reassurance, then by all means use one of the many English lawyers who specialise in French property (not just any solicitor will have the knowledge). The decision is yours. Good luck [:)]

Unlike several people here, I do not pretend to be a lawyer. But as far as I am aware, a licence from one EU state can be used in another EU state as long as the licence remains valid (before it expires you need to change it for a licence issued by the country in which you are resident). DVLA asks you to renew the photograph every few years (10 I think); although I haven't found anything that gives chapter and verse, I agree with Powerdesal that all the indications are that an out-of-date photograph does not, or should not, affect the validity of the licence itself. I think you would need to ask the DVLA about whether or not you could get a new photocard sent to an overseas address, or if they would send it to a UK forwarding address. I can't find any information about an 'international driving licence' as such - all I can find is an 'international driving permit' which is requested by some countries, and is issued as a supplement to a (not a replacement for) standard national licence.

If we are getting into semantics, then a Christian name is a forename that has been given at christening. So if you are a baptised Christian, you have a Christian name, otherwise it's just a forename (or 'given name'). More recent usage is that 'christian name' with a lower-case 'c' is an English term for a forename, if you want to make the distinction of a name given at baptism, then the upper-case 'C' is used, i.e. 'Christian name'. Surely, what name is given, whether at baptism or not, is a decision for the parents? 'Princess Savannah' has quite a nice ring to it - better than 'Princess Tracey' or 'Princess Kylie' for example (not that I have anything against people with either of those names). I see the point about the illogicality of referring to names like Mohammed as a christian name, which is why it is probably better to avoid the term in multi-cultural contexts. It reminds me of the joke (I think it was Billy Connolly) - "If Jesus was Jewish, how come he had a Mexican first name?"

Your friend could find this company of interest. We have used it several times, and there is no problem with vehicles (cars or trucks) being taken to France as long as you inform them and pay a small amount extra. It would be pretty much on the way to Portsmouth - the base is about an hour north of the ferry port, and right beside a main railway station. (Post edited - I missed the fact that the friend was in the London area when my original reply was posted in haste)

From personal experience I can categorically say that classification of hypertension as an ALD has only been applied in a very limited number of severe or extreme cases since 2004 (probably earlier).  

Under the AE system you declare your gross turnover, i.e. the income you receive, in your case from renting out the rooms and serving food. Costs are taken into account in the standard percentage of this figure on which you pay charges and taxes.

Last time we registered a car in France, we did it through the local garage, which I suppose amounts to much the same thing as going via a private company. That was a service that had recently been introduced and it worked well for us. Yes, there was a small extra fee to pay but with both of us working it was well worth it to avoid the time and hassle of dealing direct with the préfecture (which I understand only sends the application away to the central immatriculation office rather than issuing the number itself as in the old days). I'm not sure that the same service is available in all départements, or whether some can deal with imported vehicles - ours doesn't, the information says you have to go via the préfecture, but when I posted about this before I am sure some others said that imports could be re-registered via approved third parties in some areas.

Sussex is God's own country. I am sure you will like it a lot. If you want to know any more please get in touch.

In simple terms, the general principle is that money earned in France is taxed in France, money earned in UK is taxed in UK. But your whole worldwide income must be declared in your country of fiscal residence, which in your case looks like it will be France. Of course, nothing is quite that simple, it all depends on things like your employment status in UK and what arrangements you may have made to establish (or otherwise) where you are tax resident. But the above is your best starting point, if it gets more complicated you probablly need to involve accountants. Frankly, I would not be too worried about taxation, your health and social security arrangements and contributions are probably of greater concern.

[quote user="EmilyA"]So just out of interest, does "Do you have many children" sound OK to you?[/quote] It depends on the context. The inclusion of the word 'many' implies that you are discussing large families. In less specific circumstances, I would go with "Do you have children?" or "Do you have any children?" (the word 'any' is, strictly speaking, superfluous, but makes the question sound a bit less blunt). But these are very pedantic arguments. In conversational English, at least, the important thing is that the meanings of the question and answer are clear.

Writing as a magazine editor, who pays a lot of attention to clear and correct use of English and to good writing style, I would have to disagree with the teacher. Neither of the alternatives is wrong, in my opinion, but 'had' is much better English than 'got' in this context. If "she's got one" appeared in written copy sent to me by a contributor or a PR company, I would most likely edit it to "she has one". Neither of the two style guides I use (The Times and The Economist [short version]) have a definitive answer, though The Economist discourages the use of 'get', and is quite definite about avoiding unnecessary words. I would agree with those who say that 'got' is inelegant, and it is often unnecessary.

We hardly ever pay more than that on Brittany Ferries even without special offers. We use daytime crossings (perfectly feasible on the Portsmouth to Caen or Cherbourg routes), avoid weekends, and use our discount club membership which more than pays for itself. Even with extras like a dog the BF fare is competitive with, and often less than, the other Portsmouth service. Everybody has their own preference of course, but on the several times I have travelled with LD Lines I have not been impressed. Even at its worst the BF food is better than the pile-it-high-sell-it-dear canteen stuff on the competition. LD can be cheap on fares if you are able to book well in advance, but when we get quotes it is generally far from inexpensive, and the sailing times, being geared to freight requirements, are less convenient for us. I also have a rather higher level of confidence in the BF officers and crew than I do in LD's.

The information came from our accountant and was confirmed with the local tax office. We never quite reached the stage of tribunals or the conciliateur fiscal during our investigation, though it looked likely it might progress that far at one stage. If anybody wants to test the ruling with the conciliateur I wish them all the best, though it's probably too late for us.

Having had bad experiences a couple of years ago with non-Nikon batteries that were both put on charge before I left for an important event but almost completely flat when I put them in the camera, I have always treated such things cautiously. There are good 'copies' out there - I since got one with the Energiser brand name on it which has been absolutely fine. I also found a thing on ebay - a genuine Nikon part, though I don't think you can buy then new any longer. It is shaped like the rechargeable battery but holds three alkaline cells, albeit of an odd size, for use in case of emergency. Needless to say, since getting it I have never had cause to use it in anger, but having it is reassuring.

Parsnips - from personal experience, the French tax man only applies that rule for couples who are both primarily French tax resident but living apart, as you say for professional reasons rather than legal separation. I have been assured it does not apply if you are resident in different countries. Otherwise we could most likely have saved a few thousand euros over the years.

[quote user="Rabbie"]What happens if only one of you is tax resident in France?[/quote] As stated, you still have to do a joint return, declaring all of the couple's worldwide income. Tax paid elsewhere by the non-resident spouse is, in  effect, credited against your joint French tax liability, under the terms of whatever double taxation arrangements may apply. But your French taxation band is determined by your joint worldwide income so you could still end up with a fairly large French tax bill if you have income from both France and elsewhere. I know this to be correct, because we were in that situation for a number of years. And, having suffered a French tax audit, I can assure you that they most definitely are interested in every penny of your income from outside France. Go along with Idun's advice. The change of marriage regime was seen as the best way to deal with French inheritance a few years ago, but under current law most of the attractions have evaporated. It may be the best answer for you - everybody's situation is different.

Going back many years to when I was involved with ISPs and site admin, it could possibly be a matter of routing. Different ISPs, and different sites, tend to be routed along different 'backbones'. So it is quite possible for one user to have speed or access problems and another, in a different location, to find everything is fine. Similarly, the user can have difficulties with certain sites and not with others. I found that CF was not the only slow site yesterday - ebay would only load part of the pages before timing out - but others were OK. For what it is worth I was using Windows 7, using both Firefox and IE8, with Norton, on a fairly new laptop, so there shouldn't be a hardware/software issue. Because it worked OK on the work server - many miles distant and using a different 'backbone' - I think this could well have been the problem.