'Did you know?'

If you have learnt by experience and feel people might like to know, send us the INFO and we can share it with others.

If you can get a survey done on the property you are thinking of buying, DO IT!

Distance in kilometers - to convert quickly to miles multiply by ·6 ie 10k=6m

Planning permission will be needed to turn a barn into a house and not all barns are suitable, check that out before you buy.

Chimneys need to be officially cleaned once a year to meet insurance requirements. To clean your chimney yourself you can buy a 'bûche de ramonage' which comes with an assurance certificate.

Painting the outside of your house is not always straightforward, some communes have strict rules about colour schemes, check with your Marie.

Swimming pools New laws came into effect 01/01/2004. Check out this link for some info www.richardewing.net/poolsafety

If you live in France permanently and your home is your main residence you must register with your local tax office and receive a tax number, even if you have nil income. If you don't do this and then sell your house you will be subject to capital gains tax.

In 2005 a Winter Fuel Allowance (Prime a la Cuve) was paid at 75 euro. This year due to the high price of fuel the allowance will be 150 euro.

To claim this allowance you must be tax resident in France, on a low income, provide a copy of your Tax Notification and receipt for fuel purchase.

This information has been taken from The Complete France Forum (16 September 2007 - with the moderators and forum members permission) and is high priority information to ALL new residents to France. Please click through to the forum for more information if you wish.

New regulations concerning the Right of Entry and Residence for EU Citizens intending to move to France.

There have been some important changes to the French immigration regulations that will effect all those intending to relocate to France in the future. The purpose of this note is to provide a brief overview of the situation as published on the Service-Public website.

The government is introducing a new obligatory registration system for EU citizens which is due to come into force soon. Under the new regulations, you will be obliged to register with your mairie within three months of arrival and obtain a residence certificate.

In order to obtain the certificate, you must comply with the code de l'entrée et du sejour des étrangers et du droit d'asile (articles L121-1, L 121-2 and L122-1 to L122-3) which sets out the following conditions:

You must be in possession of an current valid passport
You must not be considered to be a threat to public order,
You must provide evidence that you have sufficient resources so as not to become a burden on the French social security system and have made adequate provision for healthcare and maternity insurance.

In terms of the latter condition, the criteria for registration may be fulfilled as follows:

You are currently employed or have an offer of employment in France

You will be making obligatory contributions towards social security/pension/healthcare in the same way as any other French employee. You must produce evidence of employment in order to obtain your residence certificate.

You are not employed, but intending to start your own business in France

Provided you have registered the business within the three months and arranged the obligatory social security/pension/heathcare provisions applicable to your trade or profession, then you may obtain your residence certificate.

You are retired or you have not obtained employment or established a business in France

As a ‘non-actif’, you must provide evidence of resources (such as pension and/or investment income) at least to the level of RMI (currently 440,86€ per month for a single person without child), or if you are over 65, then at least to the level of the old person’s allowance (currently 621,27€ per month maximum for a single person).

The additional entry requirement for heathcare insurance will be satisfied if you hold a current valid E-form entitling you to affilliate to the state heathcare insurance system, otherwise you will have to purchase a private health insurance policy offering an approved level of cover. If you hold a temporary E106, then once it expires, your affiliation will also expire and you will have to obtain private insurance cover. Holders of the E121 automatically receive entitlement to state healthcare insurance cover for life, so they are not affected by this.

The new registration requirement will only apply to persons entering France once the decree setting out the modalities of the process has been published. After that, the right of stay will be dependent upon fulfilling these criteria and obtaining the necessary residence certificate.

The above procedure applies to EU citizens only. Non EU citizens are subject to other arrrangements.

Did you know that there are strict rules on how long certain documents should be kept? If you would like a list just e mail [email protected] and a "word" document will be sent by return e mail, just mark your e mail DOCUMENTS

Drivers who take up residence in another EC/EEA country no longer have to exchange their driving licence, but may continue to drive using their own national licence for as long as is remains valid. You should however check with the appropriate driving licensing authorities where you will be residing for information on any conditions that the host member state may stipulate.

National licences may only carry an address from the country which issued that licence. The DVLA is therefore unable to re-issue your British licence with a foreign address. It is accepted that drivers who move to another part of the EC/EEA could be holding driving licences showing an incorrect address. This is permissible under the terms of the EC Directive on Driving Licences.

To open a bank account you will need, passports, usually 3 months bank statements and some uk utility bills with your address on. You do not have to have a French address to open a bank account. Lots of banks now have someone who speaks English. Banks in France charge for using your account so make sure you understand the charges.

If you are looking into opening a French bank account, bear in mind that some banks have started English speaking telephone help lines for customers of their banks who are not French resident. You may also be able to access your account on line, so it is worth looking at different banks to see which one suits you. Click here to go to our Links Page for French Banks

Carte Europeene d'Assurance Maladie - if you are a resident in France and travel to the UK or any other country for a holiday you must have this card. It is necessary to renew it every year. Either apply at your local CPAM or you can apply on line here http://www.ameli.fr/assures/vos-services-en-ligne/demande-de-carte-europeenne-d-assurance-maladie_dordogne.php if you are in the Dordogne. If you are not in the Dordogne go to the top right had corner and enter your postcode to be directed to your local CPAM web site. You need a card for each person travelling.

E111 was the certificate that entitled you to emergency treatment that becomes necessary during your visits to France.

The EHIC has replaced the old E111. From 1 January 2006, E111s are no longer valid. Find information here

You can apply on-line, by phone or by post (pick up the EHIC form and pre-addressed envelope from the Post Office)

MEDICATION AND MEDICAL PROBLEMS - whether you are just travelling France, renting, house hunting or coming to live for the first time carry with you details of any medical conditions you may have and a list of your medication, preferably prepared by a doctor in the UK. If your stay in France is extended for any reason and you are not carrying enough medication it would make it easier for a French doctor to prescribe for you.

House Insurance must be in place before you finally sign for a property. Take a copy of the insurance/cover note with you to the Notaire on signing day.

Changing Insurance companies - you must give at least 2 months notice to change your insurance company.

Wanadoo - for those of you using Orange (was Wanadoo) as your internet connection and also having a Live box as a router for ADSL/Broadband connection - it is sometimes a problem trying to understand all the French for installation and trouble shooting. Go to www.orange.co.uk and click on the Help button - there you can type in a question for example "install livebox" and a list of different help pages will appear, in some instances identical to the French but if not the principles are the same. Found this a great help at times and there is also a full list of the problem codes.

To renew an English Passport in France go to www.amb-grandebretagne.fr and click on the English Flag. Then click on Services for Britons in France and then Passports and you can follow the link from there by clicking on B.R.I.T. "click here" which opens a page with forms to download and costs etc.

EDF - Phone line and email address for English residents - 05 62 16 49 08 and the email is [email protected]

France Telecom Paris has opened an 0800 364 775 number (toll-free call) intended to cater for the needs of the English-speaking community all over France. This new service is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM.

22 Rue De Bordeaux

17240 LORIGNAC