registering a british car in France

[Sunday Driver]

Hi Cathy

Glad to here you're finally getting there.  The delay at the DRIRE may have been because the clerk was looking to identify the correct Land Rover model, but neverthe less, she should have contacted you earlier.  If you are dissatisfied, you may complain to the bureau manager.  After I'd put my camper through its examination, they lost my proof of residence papers and I mentioned this on the service satisfaction questionnaire they sent me.  They were very apologetic about it.

Regarding France and its famed burocracy, I've always found things to be very straightforward.

Importing a car - basically the same procedure as in the UK, only simpler.  Oh, and in the UK, you can't drive the car on the road until its registered.  In France, you can drive for a month on the foreign plates.

Arranging insurance.  Pop into the local insurers and get quotes.  Sign the contract, give them your bank details and NCB letter and walk out clutching your insurance certificate.

Changing some detail on your car insurance - your local office will change your record and reprint your certificate/vignette while you wait.  In the UK, wait a fortnight for some call centre to action your request.

Buying/selling a house - the deal is done at the compromis stage.  No gazumping.

Arranging utilities - a simple process of showing proof of residence and it's quickly arranged.

Tax return - simple two sheet declaration as compared to the Inland Revenue booklet which thuds onto your hall mat.... 

Opening a bank account - easy.  Passport and utility bill.  Manage your accounts over the internet.

Getting an internet account.  Exactly the same as in the UK or anywhere else.

Getting registered for healthcare - produce proof of identity/residence and receive your carte vital in the post.

Want an European Health Card?  Simple telephone request or apply online.

Need to invoke a guarantee or claim on your insurance? - produce your receipt.  No different to the process in the the UK

 

......or have I just been lucky so far?  [:)]

 

[patchworks101]

    SD - what a star you are. Not only a comprehensive answer to the originator (another newbie like me) but links to some very useful sites (managed to get a set of headlights for £99 - result!)

Keep up the good work, we newbies rely on people like you and Ron who have already been there, done it and got the T shirt

[Cassis]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

Getting registered for healthcare - produce proof of identity/residence and receive your carte vital in the post.

......or have I just been lucky so far?  [:)]

 

[/quote]

Er - yes!

[:P]

Phil

[Jc]

No,he's done it properly;go and ask the people in the offices!Don't just put a letter on these fora and get loads of mainly conflicting advice.

[hastobe]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

......or have I just been lucky so far?  [:)]

[/quote]

Oh to have your luck!!! 

Kathie

[Sunday Driver]

The requirements for registering for healthcare are clearly published on the national Ameli.fr website.  In my case, I needed to register with CPAM and to do so, I would have to produce my E106, birth and marriage certificates, passports, bank RIB and a utility bill.

So I produced my E106, birth and marriage certificates, passports, bank RIB and a utility bill.  The CPAM rep said thank you, that's fine.  The attestation arrived within a week and the carte vitale within a further week.

Simple process.  They say what they want.  I provide what they want.  They give me my stuff. 

No "burocracy" there. [:)]

[Cassis]

[quote user="Jc"]No,he's done it properly;go and ask the people in the offices!Don't just put a letter on these fora and get loads of mainly conflicting advice.[/quote]

I've edited this because my posting crossed with SD's.

SD originally said you just have to provide proof of identity and residence to get a carte vitale.  He has since qualified this - fine.  However, the simple procedure he describes is not always the case - a look through some previous posts on the subject will show this.

I don't want to make a big issue out of it - but I don't think it's right to make out that everything is always straightforward, fonctionnaires have also been known to give conflicting advice.

Phil

[hastobe]

Could I borrow you SD?  To go have  word with my insurance company? 

So far they have failed to ask for consent to disclose medical

information, addressed the medical information forms to the wrong

person - and then sent the forms to an address in Stockholm (rather

than Staffordshire).  Having pointed out the mistake (and sent

them the consent letter they needed), they have (apparently) sent the

forms out again (twice) - neither of which have arrived. We have a

competition running to guess which countries they went to [;-)]

So far we are an estimated six weeks behind the original signing date

for our house - soley as a result of the *** ups of the insurance

company.  Meanwhile, our money is earning the grand sum of 0%

interest in the notaire's account and the vendors furniture is in

storage (at some ridiculous fee per month). 

But every cloud has a silver lining - at least La Poste's profits will be up...

Kathie   

[Jc]

The number of letters I've received from France-which must run into hundreds since I bought in 1988-have never gone astray-not one.

[Sunday Driver]

Phil

My earlier post was condensed for illustration purposes.  The items I was asked to produce were essentially concerned with identification.

As you rightly mentioned, there have been difficulties experienced by other members, but in many cases, these have arisen because they did not have the correct documentation, or approached the wrong health organisation.

I'm not having a go at you personally, but there appears to be a regular theme on these French forums of how difficult it is to get things done in France and how it's all down to a form of stultifying burocracy which only exists in France and is unknown in the UK. In my experience, when faced with situations such as those I mentioned,  it's not difficult to do the required research.  Once one understands what is required to achieve one's objective, then it's purely a matter of compliance. 

In general, I think we need to distinguish between the legal/commercial requirements and their potential misinterpretation by staff.  The policies and processes are clearly defined and well established.  As in any real life situation, local staff can misinterpret those requirements due to other factors, eg imprecisely written operating procedures, poor training, etc.  France is no different to anywhere else in this respect.  If anyone comes across someone who is "giving conflicting advice", then they have the opportunity to take matters up with management.

All of my posts on this forum (and others) are concerned with the facts and are either based upon actual experience or upon the legal position.  I do not normally become involved in subjective argument or critisism and if I've offended anyone with my comments, then I do apologise for that.

Kathie

I have to say, your saga with the insurance company is a clear example of corporate mismanagement rather that French burocracy.

[Cassis]

Hi SD

I have no problem with any of that and I agree that many people wrongly accuse the French systems of just about anything as being bureaucratic nightmares.  I don't agree with that attitude either - it's a lazy stereotype.  I only take issue with the impression that was given of everything being straightforward if you 'follow the rules'.  Sometimes the 'rules' are far from clear and even if they are clear, sometimes they are misinterpreted by local staff (as you say above), which can lead to problems and confusion for the service seeker.  It does happen, and not rarely.

Phil

[Ron Avery]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

The requirements for registering for healthcare are clearly published on the national Ameli.fr website.  In my case, I needed to register with CPAM and to do so, I would have to produce my E106, birth and marriage certificates, passports, bank RIB and a utility bill.

So I produced my E106, birth and marriage certificates, passports, bank RIB and a utility bill.  The CPAM rep said thank you, that's fine.  The attestation arrived within a week and the carte vitale within a further week.

Simple process.  They say what they want.  I provide what they want.  They give me my stuff. 

No "burocracy" there. [:)]

[/quote]

I think there is quite an element of job's worths in French State affairs but its not as widespread as would be believed,  remember that its only those who have problems that post a diary of those problems,  those that don't have problems like SD don't bother to say it went OK. I was a bit surprised when going back to CPAM after the E 106 ran out expecting just to have to produce a tax advice,  to be asked to produce all the original documentation all over again, the fact that we already had a Carte Vitale meant nothing, Also I would say don't ask at the Tax Office for help completing your return on line,  the one I got when asking how to get a booking on number was downright unhelpful, but then again we all know that Madame Riboulet in the SW office is very helpful so again its not as bad as one experience would indicate.

 Its also worth saying that a lot of problems are caused by the lanquage barrier and misunderstandings and assumptions caused by both the French and English not properly  understanding what is being asked or told to them and both not having the time/patience/confidence to ask for an explanation perhaps in writing which is easier to translate. 

[hastobe]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

Kathie

I have to say, your saga with the insurance company is a clear

example of corporate mismanagement rather that French burocracy.

[/quote]

I would agree - I think a lot of the problems could have been avoided

with a liitle more care and better communication.  My, so far,

limited experience of dealing with French bureaucrats and businesses

has been that the larger French institutions don't seem to offer the

same degree of customer service that I have experienced in the

UK.  I may have been unlucky - but I find it very hard to find

anyone who to 'take ownership' of a problem.   The old

'mushroom' treatment - keep them in the dark and feed them on *** - or

better still, ignore them altogether and they may go away!

As an aside - in this instance, most of our correspondence has been in

writing - in French - and I have been told (maybe incorrectly!) that my

written French is very good - so I don't think this has been the

issue.  (Though I agree with you Ron - things are always better

done in writing (not just reduce the language barrier).  With my spoken French, - it's definitely better in writing [;-)])

Kathie

[TheWalkingDude]

Thanks Sunday Driver... Your advise is excellent and I am off to Hotel Impots with my V5 on Wednesday........

Joseph

[Sunday Driver]

Let us know when you've got your shiney new plates on.....[;-)]

[TheWalkingDude]

I will.... and I shall be sure to use rabbits to secure them as I have see is a must.....

Did I say rabbits?... I meant rivets of course!!

J

[David]

Sunday Driver,

I think you have been lucky, in addition to knowing what to do.

Have you tried applying for a disabled blue parking badge in France, and have you compared that to the process in the UK?

Have you tried to cancel and change an insurance policy after receiving an astronomical renewal quote?

For the blue parking badge I am told that in France it takes upwards of five months, as opposed to two weeks in UK.  I applied two months ago, and have heard nothing since.  I am assured by my neighbours that this is normal.  They also advise that as I only applied in April, my application will take at least six weeks longer than five months due to the May holidays, and the August holiday.  I should add that my GP assures me that I medically qualify (80% disabled as opposed to finding it difficult to walk for 40 yards), and I am not asking for any monetary payments, only the blue parking badge.

Hope you keep up with your success with paperwork in France, and many thanks for all your very helpful posts.

David

[Sunday Driver]

Hi David

My wife has a UK blue disabled card which expires in 2007 so we'll have to see about renewing it here.  I know the process is more complex than in the UK, but thanks for the tip regarding the time it takes.

Insurance changes are simpler now that the 2005 Chatel Law improved the consumer's rights.  You no longer have to remember to cancel two months before the renewal  date.  The insurance company now has to include a reminder in the renewal notice which they must send out 15 days before the end of the policy.  That gives you 15 days to shop around.  If it doesn't arrive on time, then you have 20 days from receipt to make your mind up.  A much improved system.

You're right - it's all about knowing what to do.  I've found that research is the key.

[Benjamin]

David

I can give you some information on the blue parking badge.

Yes, they do take approximately five months to be issued.

The reason they are not issued wily nily like in the UK is that they confer several other benefits (?) also. One example is that you get an extra half share in the house for income tax purposes together with some public transport benefits. That's the way the system works here in France.

If you continue to compare the system here with that in the UK you are going to be disappointed on lots of occassions.

Benjamin

[cooperlola]

Sunday Driver, thanks, you are a star!  Going backwards in this thread a bit but only picked it up today.  Have just availed myself of a set of Landy LHD headlamps for the princely sum of just under £100 including postage thanks to your e-bay link.  Am well prepared for the arrival of the old girl on Tuesday.

I have imorted a UK car before and endorse what you say.  Once we had figured out the correct order for getting all the documents/ their sources etc (I was not on this forum then, sad to say), the authorities were pleasant and helpful and things went through fine.  A fair command of French definately helped but they were equally warm towards my old man, whose grasp of the language is not quite so advanced - they just love it when he tries.