wendy

Apologies.  You are correct - I should have distinguished 'in' from 'into'; they are in fact two separate questions and I have ineptly confused them.  Sorry to have caused annoyance.  

Thanks for the responses.  All I wanted to know was the legal limit.  I know there is one, because I was once asked by a French border official whether I was carrying more than it was at the time - I hasten to confirm that I certainly wasn't, I only had about 500 euros.   Whilst it would be daft to take the risk of carrying thousands in cash on one's person while travelling, it is still something I had never thought of before, the idea of a legal limit to how much cash you can carry, and I find it helpful to know the limit, even if I would never be likely to reach it.  

On 17 April 2007, andyh4 mentioned in a reply to a forum post, that the maximum cash you were permitted to carry in France was 7,500 euros.  Apologies if I have missed an update to this (I have done a search but have only found that 2007 post) but does anyone know if this is still the upper limit, or has it been increased in the last two years? Thanks!  

I dream of getting a studio flat in Paris to stay in for holidays only and as a staging post for trips further afield in France.  I have seen quite a few already and am going again soon to view more.  I read this Forum every so often to pick up tips but have seen only one post about a Parisian studio (query about its having been let by the agent without the owner's agreement).  Those I have seen have been converted from bare rooms, so shower, wc and kitchen area installed fairly recently, often apparently by the person who is now selling.  How do I ensure that any regulations governing this kind of installation have been observed?  These properties evidently move very quickly so I get the impression that French buyers are not perturbed by the legality of the conversion work - so do I need to be?  If I wanted to be sure, I assume I could ensure the compromis de vente included a provision that the work done on the studio be checked with the relevant authority, and that if it was found not to comply with any 'normes' in place, the sale could be renegotiated or cancelled - is this correct? Has any Forum reader got any experience or light to shed on the idea of buying and owning Parisian studios generally, or about the shower room / kitchen installation in particular? Merci à l'avance Wendy[:)]    

Great, that's encouraging.  Many thanks!  

I've got an Advent laptop which is installed and working in the UK and I'm posting this message via it.  If I go and live in France, can I take it with me and just plug it in (with pin plug adaptor obviously) and use it?  Or might it not react well to the power supply in France?  If I can get that far with it, can I subscribe to an internet provider in France, via the laptop. Also, do I have to worry about any sort of import duty if I take it with me, and then bring it back with me again when I return? Any experience in these areas gratefully received. Thanks  

Please forgive what may be a naive question.  I have been looking at publicity about flats for sale in Paris, both via agences immobilières and via the 'de particulier à particulier' website which I understand is private individuals advertising direct. The agent' prices seem to be a shade higher than the private individuals'. I guess this is because the agents' price incorporates their commission charge, to be paid by the buyer. If this is the reason for agents' prices being higher, then why do private indivduals in France bother to advertise direct?  If they would otherwise have to pay the agent, it is clear why they would want to deal direct.  However, if it is the buyer who stands to gain from a person-to-person transaction, why would sellers take this route, which presumably means more work for them, rather than just putting in the hands of an agent? Or is there a fee due from the seller to the agent, as well as from the buyer? Any info in this area gratefully received.  I am going to Paris next week and hoping to view some flats, so hope by then to be not quite so naive about how it works. Merci beaucoup.

My ambition is to live and work in Paris for a year or so.  Reading Living France and other mags makes me realise the tax complications of this ambition.  Can anyone tell me a) after what period living in France would you cease to be a UK resident for tax purposes? (and therefore jeopardise any investments in the UK which are open only to UK residents)  and b) after what period living and working in France, and paying tax on your French earnings, you would have to declare to the French tax authorities, and be taxed in France on, any income being earned in the UK (eg savings account interest). Thank you for any input anyone can give.