Jump to content

Moving to France


Recommended Posts

Hi

 

I'm not sure where to put this so excuse me if this is not the right place. My hubby and I have been considering a move to France for over 5 years now - my mum came from Provence and I spent many happy months there as a child with my French relatives - we seriously looked at making the move last year but hit  a problem as my husband had a heart attack 8 years ago and is on daily medication and  we were worried about the cost of private health insurance . Mu mum died last year and I miss speaking french to her and the whole french way of life so much that I'd like to give another go at moving there.

 

Here is our situation - we are 55 and 60 respectively - and are fit and active ( hubby has had no further problems at all ) - we have a yearly pension of £18,000 and on the sale of our UK property will have a cash pot of around £325,000 - we would be looking to settle around the area area near Cahors - I have relatives near there and it's not quite as hot as Provence ( or as expensive ! ) - I understand and speak fluent french although my hubby does not - we already have good friends in France as well as my relatives.

 

Of course my relatives and friends say " come " - but I'm still worried about the cost of health insurance and the general cost of living given that we have a restricted budget to live on - I'd be grateful for your thoughts on the feasibility of our dreams ?

 

many thanks

 

Yvonne

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excuse me for saying so, but this is the classic 'how long is a piece of string' question. You could look at http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2575025/ShowPost.aspx - you probably have done so already.

I remember when we were in France full time that there were plenty of French people who lived on far less than the income you mention, let alone savings. In fact the official statistics put the average income in our village at a touch over half that figure. On the other hand, there were plenty of British who spent their whole time, or so it seemed, whingeing about the cost of everything and chasing after the cheapest possible. They insisted they were happier in France, but then most of them seemed to have a rather distorted idea of the Britain they seldom if ever revisited so probably gained their 'facts' from the Daily Mail and the whingeing sessions in the local English bars. Judging by their all-too-apparent status symbols they were almost certainly better off than we were, and we were working.

So on the face of it your dreams would seem to be perfectly feasible, but as always it depends what you want from your 'better life' in France. The good news is that the requirement for private health insurance is changing - others in a similar position to you will be able to tell you about that better than I can. The not-so-good news is that you can forget all the myths about things being much cheaper in France. That's most definitely no longer the case, particularly in the South, unless perhaps you are a chain-smoking alcoholic who seldom goes out of the house, and even that is debatable nowadays. Your sterling money buys fewer euros than it did a few years back, though things are better now.

You have the biggest hurdle cracked, in that one of you speaks good French. So best of luck with whatever you decide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yvonne, your problem with private health insurance would not just be the cost, but that it is unlikely with your husband's medical history he could even obtain the required comprehensive cover as an early retiree for heart related conditions.

The potential good news is that the French are being required by the EU to modify their rules to avoid discriminating against EU citizen early retirees, but details are scant on the ground at the moment. Furthermore, the risk is that even after the rules are amended, EU early retirees will still struggle to join the French health system, as the French will put up an insurmountable wall of bureaucracy, as the proposal is each person will be assessed on an individual basis and their financial means, including capital assets. So the required contributions could be hefty in relation to your income.

If all else fails you will be able to get cover when you reach State retirement age, under the reciprocol health agreement between UK and France, which would be a lot cheaper than paying the hefty contributions required to join the French health care system, if you can join.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might also be interested in reading the "How much do you need in savings..." thread.

There, you will see how different people's attitudes are to the matter of money.  Once all the main bills are taken care of, it will be down to YOU and YOUR attitude to what you value in life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Which one of you is 60? Does that one qualify for a UK OAP when the time comes? Have either or both of you been paying NI for the last few years? If so, was this as employee or self-employed?

Is either of you prepared to work at least part time in employment (if you can find it) or as self-employed?

The answers to questions like these will decide where you stand on the health insurance front. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the replies - my hubby is the one who is 60 and we have both paid our NI up to this year as employees - as for working of the two of us it would be me that stood the best chance of getting work but given the level of unemployment in France I guess it would be very difficult to find work and we are not counting on this as I do think we could manage on our pension with some back up savings 'just in case' - When we looked last year it was the sheer difficulty of finding health isurance for my husband that was the main stumbling block - I know  we could wait another 5 years or so and then be eligible for the French helath system but five years is a long time !! .

 

Can anyone help to solve our dilemma ?  ?

 

Yvonne

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you really need to hang on until the full implications of the EU's findings are known.  Until then, stay firmly where you are until you are entitled to an S form.  I think the ruling may well be in your favour but I wouldn't gamble fragile health on it in the meantime.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...