Elephant

Thank you all...renting would seem to be a good option for us as we rather like the idea of being more flexible while we decide if we want to live in France permanently. It would be so easy to rush and buy because property is more affordable than the UK. Zoe

Hello All We are thinking of renting unfurnished for up to three years before we decide on an area in France to buy and are keen to grow our own vegetables as we do in the UK. We might also like to decorate whilst we are there. Does any one know what general restrictions there are when renting long term? Or is it down to the individual property owner's rental agreement as to what they will allow? Thank you. Zoe  

Thanks Teamed Up too! Zoe

Hello Sunday Driver and thanks again for your sound advice...I rang the Pension service and got transferred to the department who deal with "non-working, under state pension age" people who are to be non residents of the UK (they answered the call immediately Tel: 0191 218 1999). I thought I would pass on the info I was told, should anyone be in our position - paying voluntary contributions in lieu of full NI. As we have not been in permanent employment and so have not paid full NI contributions for the 2 years prior to moving abroad to an EU member state and Voluntary contributions don't count for this purpose, we are not able to acquire an E106. Instead we need to obtain a letter from HMRC Non Residents Section showing we do not qualify for it so we can apply for affilitation to the French State Healthcare system after three months residency. I presume there are companies who offer cover for the three months prior to joining the State scheme, in case anything befalls us...as I realise the EHIC (formerly E111) won't cover us. More investigations to follow.... Zoe

We are thinking of moving moving to France in the next year. I've been reading the thread on what contributions one can expect to pay towards the French health care system and trying to find an example that would fit our situation. Can anyone help? My husband and I are both 50 this year and are able receive our Occupational pensions. Since we gave up permanent employment we've been paying voluntary NI Contributions. This is more than three years in my case and one year for my husband. Does this count the same as if we had been working and paying the full NI rate through our salary and so would we be eligible for the E106? We would have our pensions and perhaps some investment income and I've found all the info relating to Social Taxes and Income tax.  But how can we find out what our Securite Sociale cotisation would be? I don't speak French well enough to translate the French website for the website URSSAFF...and would appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks very much.[:)] Zoe Sussex and hopefully Brittany  

Ha! Best advice my mother ever gave me.....did you know her?[:D]

Hello Paris We live just round the bend from Newhaven and have had a few trips on the good ole Transmanche ferries....I'll be hoping that the service improves, particularly Customer Services...we went over a few years ago in March. The weather was so poor the crossing was cancelled until the next day. Then half an hour out to sea with the (actual) Seven Sisters still in sight, the engines stopped for an hour in rather heavy seas....I was pleased we'd been allocated a cabin as lying on the bunk was the only position I could be in without feeling nauseous.We were five and half hours on the boat....The weather didn't improve for the return journey and it took us all day to get through to them in France to find out whether the crossing was going ahead. In the end we drove back to Calais and as those ships weren't sailing either, paid £160 to go through the Tunnel. In June 06 we sailed on a calm sea both ways and it still took 4 hours. Bookings weren't available on the website and the phone lines seemed constantly engaged. I had to time a visit to the booking office in Newhaven with the arrival of a ship to ensure someone was there to make a booking - otherwise the office was closed. The computer system kept crashing and my details had to be entered three times before the booking was accepted. I worked in the local Tourist Info office in the summer and the website booking was still not working. A recent article in the local paper said that Transmanche bookings were down for last summer and I'm not surprised!  I realise they can't control the weather but the customer support is very poor. We're pleased that Veolia haven't won the contract as they're the firm behind the proposed incinerator at Newhaven which is a rather hot potato at the moment - I'm sure you know all about that....... Such is our experience of Transmanche that I drove to Folkestone and the Tunnel to Calais and down to Brittany in October rather than go on them again. Even though we only live 3 miles away from Newhaven. Let's hope LD Lines will improve matters. I'm thinking of going the Portsmouth/Caen or St Malo route in March. We'll be watching developments with interest. Fortunately the lure of France outweighs the hassle of getting there! Zoe

Thank you for the very detailed reply and yes, I've been familiarising myself with the information on the Forum and very helpful it is too. I suppose having to go through the tests again and being reassessed after 20 years could be considered a GOOD THING. Keep my fingers crossed they don't find anything else... Zoe  

Hello and Happy New Year all. We are thinking of moving to France from the UK and are currently weighing up the fors/againsts. I was diagnosed with pernicious anaemia some time ago and have been having quarterly injections of Vit B12 via the NHS at my local Health Centre and will have to for the rest of my life. Does anyone know how this would work in France? Do you think it would be classed in a similar way to insulin for diabetics? Do your medical records get forwarded to France? Would I need to visit a doctor for this or are there local health centres? I'm really a novice and would appreciate any help you can give me. Regrettably my French is not yet good enough to tackle the French Healthcare website, but I've found out my condition is not surprisingly called "anemie pernicieuse"! Thank you.  

I'll look into that option -thanks very much for the idea.

I'd be interested in that too as when I got mine out of the packet, the glue had dried up and they wouldn't stick. I couldn't fathom out how to get them on either even though two very comprehensive (and conflicting) diagrams came with them. We ended up not taking the car out after dark so it was ok...... A thought has just struck me - what about the Headlight Levelling Control? I've got a thumbwheel that I never use, on the dashboard under the steering wheel, , which according to my car Manual (Fiesta) is to lower the beam when you've got a full load on. I wonder if I could use that instead of the sticky things? Does anyone know? Thanks in hope... Zoe  

Hi there Ruley. I was very interested in your post as my husband and I are thinking of doing a similar thing. We can take early retirement at 50 in three years' time. I've found a book published in 2003 to be very useful- Buying a House in France by Andre de Vries. In that he says that if your income is less than 7,250 you pay no income tax. We are trying to decide which area of France to settle in as I can't take too much heat in summer and am allergic to wet winters. How well do you know France? Zoe