Who, if anyone, now moving to France can become a part of the Soc. Securité system of health care?

[Ivan]

I keep reading different information. I am an american wanting to move to France for 1 year. It seems that will mean I have to file and probably pay taxes in France. But I am trying to find out if I can ever become a part of the French health system. I read you can apply and presumably get accepted after being there for 3 months on a long stay visa, then I read that after 2007 no one can join their system (from the USA). any knowledge or references for this?

[Val_2]

I think you need to contact the French Embassy in your country and ask them. There is the rule that people coming here to live and who are under official retirement age must fund their own health cover but the UK does issue a two year certificate to start with for those who have been working and paid into the system inthat country but it will expire. As you are not an EU national, the rules are different for you and you need to find it from the proper source, not speculation from mostly brits on these type of forums.

[Ivan]

We are 62 years old which should be over French retirement age and are not UK. I keep seeing "under offical retirement age" in who must have their own insurance. The embassys are pretty useless in answering my questions even if they do answer the phone. Thanks

[YCCMB]

TBH, the first thing you need to be aware of is that "under official

retirement age" means "under official retirement age IN YOUR COUNTRY OF

ORIGIN" and not necessarily "under French retirement age".

What the previous poster was pointing out was that you have made it clear that you are a U.S. national, but what both the previous poster and I are trying to tell you is that few, if any of the contributors to this forum are U.S. nationals. In the main, contributors here are U.K. nationals, so are not really well placed to advise you of the rules pertaining to American citizens, because they are completely different.

UK citizens who are early retired are covered by the UK health service who pick up the tab from the French for the first two years, after which time they (now) have to find private insurance to cover them for the period up to reaching official  (UK) retirement age. At which point, the UK government steps in again and picks up the tab. But that's because we have reciprocal agreements in place, are both EU members, and because the UK has healthcare which is free at the point of delivery for everyone.

The good news will, I suspect, be that if you have to pay for health cover, it might be expensive, but nowhere near as expensive as you've probably been used to.

[Sprogster]

Ivan, my understanding is that the long stay visa available to non EU citizens, prohibits employment and requires private health insurance. The visa is now harder to get than it used to be as it has to be obtained before arrival from the French Embassy/Consul in your country of residence and is subject to a medical, evidence of comprehensive medical insurance and means testing.

Can you imagine the uproar in your country if a retired French citizen moved to the USA for a year and expected social security benefits, as the comparison is the same!

As previously mentioned, the only reason Brit retirees can under certain circumstances join the French health service, is because of a reciprocol agreement whereby Britain pays for it. No such agreement exists between the USA and France, as your country does not have a national health service.

[EuroTrash]

Apart from anything else, surely anybody visiting for 1 year is not treated like a permanent resident, so wouldn't they still be the responsibility of their home country?

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Sprogster"]the long stay visa available to non EU citizens, prohibits employment and requires private health insurance.[/quote]This is what I understand also.  If you come here with a job (eg employment in a US company with a French subsidiary) then the company would pay into a "caisse" and that would entitle you to social security cover.  Otherwise, non-European citizens must have a guaranteed minimum income and health insurance cover - for life  or at any rate, the length of your stay.  Recently, even the rules for non-French EU citizens have been tightened up and unless they comply with the regs they can be deported so I can't imagine that US citizens would be treated any better.

The answer to the question in the title of this thread, to my limited knowledge is:

French nationals

EU Nationals who either work or who comply with the conditions outlined HERE

Other nationalities employed in France by French companies

There are probably some ex French colonies whose citizens can come to live here and claim some state aid but these days I wouldn't bet on it

AFAIK that's about it.  As you have been advised, you have to apply to the French Embassy for a visa so you really do need to get hold of them, regardless of any advice or knowledge you might glean from this (largely British, as Betty so rightly points out) forum.

I'm trying to find a corresponding link for non EU citizens for you but you'll have to bear with me.

[cooperlola]

Here you are.  The first I found is on long-stay visas.  What stands out here is that the temporary version is  for a maximum of six months:

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F16162.xhtml

Beyond that the long-stay visa is restricted to certain categories only and carries with it  more obligations:

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F39.xhtml

You'll note, particularly:

les visiteurs (personnes pouvant vivre de leurs seules ressources en France et qui s'engagent à ne pas y travailler).