Please help a complete idiot.

[Dormouse]

I hate to admit it, but I really am a klutz when it comes to offialdom; I tend to panic and hide my head in the sand, and not know what to do. I think we have moved to France without really researching what needed to be done healthcare wise, & now when I read these pages, & the FAQ I find myself not really understanding what I should have done/need to do.

Basically, we moved here 4 months ago and I haven't done anything healthcare wise to get onto the French system, nor have I informed anyone in England. My husband is still officially living & working in England, paying UK taxes etc and so isa covered by his E111. I am living in France fulltime, unemployed, at the moment. Am I right in understanding that I need to fill in a form to get a E106? And if so, can I download a form from somewhere? Then, having received confirmation that I am no longer on the UK Healthcare system I trot to my local sous prefecture to get onto the French system?

As I read back over this I am embarrassed by my ignorance - I'm sure seasoned France-livers are taising their eyes heavenwards, but I would be enormously grateful if someone could take pity on my ignorance/stupidity & in words of one syllable explain what I need to do...

Thank you.

[Val_2]

NOT the sous-prefecture but the CPAM (Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie) is the place you need to go to. Explain the situation to them and they will tell you what forms you need to provide from the UK. Whatever you do, get it sorted now,health costs are very very expensive here if you should need urgent treatment or be involved in an accident and an E111 is for tourists not residents.

[Will]

If your husband is actually living in, and carrying out his work in, Britain, and he is paying NI contributions there, you probably need him to get an E109 form to cover you in France under his British health contributions. He will need to call DWP in Newcastle to get the forms etc on your behalf. But do as Val suggests and confirm this with your CPAM - they tend to be a law unto themselves and they may not accept what Brussels tells them they should. Do get this sorted out ASAP because E111 is now officially dead (superseded by European Health Insurance Card) ind the EHIC is not likely to cover you now you are a French resident rather than a visitor.

[Junlesley]

Call this English helpline, they will give you all the information you need 0-820 904 212                      (our Notaire gave us this number when we bought our house) [:)]

[Will]

The English language CPAM helpline number is run by CPAM de la Manche (dept 50) in St Lo. Although it will often offer help to those in other départements, and I have suggested it myself here before, it does seem to vary according to who answers the phone. Often if you are not on the local CPAM database they refuse to talk to you - even when I have tried it (I live in 50), because my caisse is not CPAM they have been obstructive in the way that French bureaucrats have made their own.

It is worth a try, but I really think in your situation it is better to talk to DWP in Newcastle because they are the people who will be issuing your E form.

[Dormouse]

all help appreciated so far - but don't stop if there's anything you wish to add!!!

[French Novice]

I also have a husband who works full time in London and returns to us in France for the weekend. After consulting CPAM many, many times and filling in a mountain of paperwork I had to contact Newcastle. I had to fax my husband's D.O.B, NI number, place of work to them along with my NI number, D.O.B, address in France and details of any children. FAX no is 00 44 191 225 3540. They then issued a E109 in a fortnight (quite prompt I thought as they told me that only one person worked on them). This I posted to our head office of CPAM, in our case in Bordeaux, and they have provided us with a temporary attestation and a social security number. Once you have that you can take out a mutuelle or a top up insurance as you are only covered for 70% of costs. We did this with AXA but there are loads of insurance agents who do them. We are still awaiting our carte vitale which we have been told is being processed and will probably take about a month. However, a word of caution they are still asking me for paperwork to complete our dossier.

As you needed an idiots guide I hope you don't mind me asking if you have already had your marriage and birth certificates translated as you will be asked for these no doubt. Hope this helps, I know paperwork is tedious in France but it does get there in the end - at least I hope so.

[Cat]

I have heard others say that it's necessary to provide translations of birth/marriage/divorce certificates and the like, but I think that this must differ from region to region (or maybe even vary depending on the individual person dealing with claim).  I have never been asked for a translation of any document in my dealings with CPAM, but perhaps I have just been lucky.

It is, as others have said, worth checking with your local CPAM office as to what exactly are their own particular requirements.