Help lines:

Just need someone to talk to? Call SOS Help: 

The SOS Help line is open from 3 pm to 11 pm every day of the year.

Telephone: 01 46 21 46 46. Their website is http://www.soshelpline.org/

This blog has more details: http://www.survivefrance.com/profiles/blogs/sos-france-helpline

Specialist helplines:

Orange:                      09 69 36 39 00

EDF:                           05 62 16 49 08

Also:    http://france.edf.com/customer-services/contact-by-phone-56301.html

and:     http://particuliers.edf.com/particuliers-54272.html

Find your region/department on the map, and select appropriate number to ring.

RSI:                             0811 01 30 30 

CPAM/Carte Vitale:      0811 36 36 46

Help with administrative problems:

SOLVIT, http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/site/index_en.htm, the advocacy service for individuals or organisations from countries who are members of the EU having problems with state organisations in other member states. 

Also: http://www.excusemy-french.com

Health:

Medical Cover

Consult www.ameli.fr where you will find all the info you need.

To set up an account:
https://assure.ameli.fr/PortailAS/appmanager/PortailAS/assure?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=as_accueil_page&_somtc=true

To find your nearest CPAM (can also be called CSSS) office: 
http://www.ameli.fr/assures/votre-caisse/index.php

Health cover for Auto Entrepreneurs: To set up an account go here:
http://www.ramgamex.fr/portal/public/ramgamex

What is  CMU and how do I get it

CMU stands for Couverture Maladie Universelle. It provides health care (assurance maladie) to anyone who has lived in France in a “stable and regular” fashion for more than three months and who is not entitled to cover on any other grounds such as professional activity.  If you are in this situation you will be covered by the general health scheme on the basis of your residence in France.

(La couverture maladie universelle de base permet l’accès à l’assurance maladie pour toutes les personnes résidant en France de manière stable et régulière depuis plus de trois mois, et qui n’ont pas droit à l’assurance maladie à un autre titre (activité professionnelle, etc.). Si vous êtes dans cette situation, vous serez pris en charge par le régime général au titre de votre résidence en France.)

All you need to know on the CMU 

http://www.ameli.fr/assures/soins-et-remboursements/cmu-et-complementaires-sante/cmu-de-base-une-assurance-maladie-pour-tous/les-conditions-pour-en-beneficier.php

This site has the information you need to get cover. http://www.cmu.fr/site/cmu.php4?Id=2&style=&col=

The CMU application form: http://www.ameli.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/formulaires/S3710.pdf 

You can also read this: http://www.survivefrance.com/forum/topics/medical-insurance-cover?commentId=3339392%3AComment%3A287678. It contains a very detailed summary from Tony Mason 

Another contribution from Tony Mason and a useful link to the NHS site.http://www.survivefrance.com/forum/topics/obtaining-an-s1-from-the-uk?commentId=3339392%3AComment%3A288497 

Dentistry: http://www.mutuelle-dentaire.net/

ALD: You may hear of something called ALD. This is health cover for long-term illnesses like cancer, heart conditions and so on. Your doctor will fill in an application form which goes to the Social Security office for approval. You may be called in to see their "médecin conseil" who will check your doctor's findings. If he gives his approval, social security will refund 100 per cent of the cost of  the treatment for this specific condition. The approval has a time limit and before it runs out you will be called in for a consultation with the "médecin conseil" to get it renewed. You will be asked to produce the file relating to your condition so make sure you keep everything. 

This is a list of the main areas covered by ALD:  http://www.ecosante.fr/FRANFRA/800431.html

Need to see your medical records (dossier medical)?

http://sante-medecine.commentcamarche.net/faq/5567-comment-obtenir-son-dossier-medical

Problems with health care?

http://www.securitesoins.fr/   This comes under the Ombudsman’s office.  There are clickable tabs linking to different subjects from anaesthesia to surgery and ill-treatment.

http://www.securitesoins.fr/Le-Pole-Sante-et-Securite-des-Soins_fr_18.html . This explains who they are and what they can do)

Compare mutuelles (top-up health insurance) 

http://www.comparatif-assurance-mutuelle.fr/indexbtn.cfm?&k=1

http://www.asfe-expat.com/index.php?lang=en&page=Nos-Solutions&... (English)

http://www.asfe-expat.com/ (French)

www.gpam.fr Gestion Prevoyance Assurance Maladie

http://www.mutuelle-conseil.com/

Auto entrepreneur:

The auto entrepreneur group http://www.survivefrance.com/group/auto-entrepreneurs is full of useful information. For example:

http://www.survivefrance.com/group/auto-entrepreneurs/forum/topics/2013-budget-includes-the-destruction-of-the-auto-entrepreneur?xg_source=activity

http://www.survivefrance.com/group/auto-entrepreneurs/forum/topics/autoentrepreneur-carte-vitale

http://www.survivefrance.com/forum/topics/cfe?groupUrl=auto-entrepreneurs&groupId=3339392%3AGroup%3A266893&id=3339392%3ATopic%3A400691&page=2#comments

For general information try:

http://www.lautoentrepreneur.fr/

http://www.apce.com/pid12741/pracical-guide-2011.html?espace=

http://www.apce.com/pid371/apce.html

What to do about the supplementary pension (retraite complémentaire):

http://www.fredzone.org/auto-entrepreneurs-faut-il-repondre-aux-courriers-des-caisses-de-retraite-complementaires

Everything you want to know about starting a business in France: http://www.startbusinessinfrance.com/ , a site run by Valerie Lemiere, a French professional business adviser, which is specifically aimed at English speakers thinking about setting up a business in France.

URSSAF

Something all AEs need to know about, the URSSAF (Unions de Recouvrement des Cotisations de Sécurité Sociale et d'Allocations Familiales) is a network of private organisations whose main task is to collect the employee and employer social security contributions, which finance the Régime general (general account) of France's social security system, including state health insurance (l'Assurance Maladie).

They also manage two other salary deductions: the CSG (Contribution Sociale Généralisée, meaning General Social Contribution) and the CRDS (Contribution au Remboursement de la Dette Sociale, a contribution towards repaying the French social security deficit)

Go here for an explanation in English. http://www.anglais.urssaf.fr/index.php?option=content&task=view... 

Translators:

Look for “Traducteur Assermenté” in yellow pages

http://www.traducteur-assermente-translator.com/
http://www.autrementdit-traduction.com/
http://www.traducteurs-assermentes.fr
http://fr.linkedin.com/in/thomascourt

Magali FUSS is a Bordeaux Court of Appeal appointed expert in both English and German. tel: 05 56 42 44 41 fax: 05 56 42 44 26
e-mail : magali@fuss-traduction.com

Sarah Wafflard has been recommended by an SFNer. Phone: 09 61 22 37 41 email: info@frenchpa.co.uk.


Legal help:

First stop: Guillaume Barlet on SFN – see the Friendly Advice Group.
Guillaume is an English-speaking French lawyer
Email: guillaume.barlet@bhim.co.uk
Twitter: @LawFrench
Tel: 0044 (0) 1242 545 971

Eric Witt -- http://www.avocat-marseille-witt.fr/ -- is an American lawyer working in France.

Need a French lawyer (notaire)? 

Two English-language pages –
http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/en/home  and (to search for one near you) http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/en/xpage/trouver-un-notaire?page=rechercheNotaires

Huissiers de Justice (bailiffs) See http://www.huissier-justice.fr/ for an explanation of how they can help in minor conflicts with neighbours, over unpaid debts etc.

https://www.demanderjustice.com/mentions_legales.php#index.php
This site will write you a letter in proper legal-speak and send it to the person/company you’re in conflict with. They will also, if necessary, lodge a formal complaint with the French small claims court (juge de proximité).  

French law on libel:

As what you write in blogs or in comments or discussions on the Forum is in the public domain, you need to be aware of the dangers of libel.   

This summary of French law concerning defamation was posted by Cate Dal Molin.

Essentially, France has made it incredibly easy to win a libel suit. Nearly all you need to do is to show that you were defamed (“any allegation or imputation of an act affecting the honour or reputation of the person or body against whom it is made”). I said “nearly all” because yes, there is a defence, and that is truth.

Well, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it? But it is bad, and this is why: the burden of proof in France falls on the defendant.

That’s such a dry, legal phrase: “burden of proof”. But what it means in practice is that it’s up to the person who made the defamatory statement to prove to a three-judge panel (not a jury; this reflects the fact that the French have far less trust in the decisions of its ordinary citizen than the US does) that the defamatory statement was true. Or, if the statement concerned a matter of public importance, he/she is required to prove that he/she conducted a serious investigation before making the statement, and that the statement was measured and objective and without even a trace of personal hostility.

Check out that word, prove. It means just what it says, not “indicate he/she had reason to believe it was true” or “suggest it might be true,” or even “prove it was most likely true.” It places the burden of proof in defending against a libel suit unconscionably — almost ludicrously — high.

General info:

http://www.connexionfrance.com/expatriate-information-sheets.php

http://www.thelinkservices.fr/

http://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/

European Union sites:

Rules on using UK driving licences in France

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/driving/faq/index_en.htm

General EU information page regarding everything from living abroad to shopping: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/index_en.htm

Where to find the best deal on petrol:
http://www.prix-carburants.economie.gouv.fr/

Looking for that elusive battery?

http://www.ruedespiles.com/?gclid=CPftvdmHsrECFctjfAod4VgALQ 
http://www.1001piles.com/

Weather

http://www.meteopassion.com/ensoleillement-annuel.php

http://www.meteopassion.com/jours-avec-precipitations.php

http://www.meteopassion.com/cumul-annuel-des-precipitations.php

Electricity price comparison

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php?title=File:Half-yearly_electricity_and_gas_prices,_first_half_of_year,_2009-2011_%28EUR_per_kWh%29.png&filetimestamp=20111124164017

Removals

Some recommendations from SFNers.

http://www.thefrenchvanman.com/

http://www.a1ukandeuropeancouriers.com/

http://www.languedoc-midi.info/services/taxistransport/a1-european-couriers/ -- speak to Julie

Television

Want UK TV? 

You can try http://www.skydigi.tv/index.php

For the technically minded or to show your installer who should understand it even if you don't, this advice from the BBC.

BBC digital TV and radio – satellite frequencies

To receive digital TV via satellite but not through Freesat or Sky, you need to tune your equipment to the correct frequencies yourself. For help with tuning, please contact your equipment retailer, manufacturer or installer.

If you have lost any BBC channels and have a Freesat box, you may need to turn it off then on again to make it perform a retune. If that fails you may have to retune it. Please refer to your instruction manual.

Because of software limitations, BBC Red Button interactive channels are currently only available with Freesat or a Sky set-top box and viewing card.

FEC = forward error correction

SID = service ID

DSAT 1

Astra 1N (28.2° East)
Transponder 45
Frequency: 10.77325 GHz
Horizontal polarisation
Modulation: DVB-S, QPSK
Symbol rate: 22.0 Mbaud
FEC 5/6
Transport Stream ID: 2045

Channel SID
BBC One England 6301
BBC Two England 6302
CBBC 6317
BBC Three 6319
Channel 5 6335
BBC One West (Bristol) 6341
BBC One East (W) (Cambridge) 6351
BBC One Channel Islands 6361
DSAT 2

Astra 1N (28.2° East)
Transponder 47
Frequency: 10.80275 GHz
Horizontal polarisation
Modulation: DVB-S, QPSK
Symbol rate: 22.0 Mbaud
FEC 5/6
Transport Stream ID: 2047

Channel SID
BBC News 6405
BBC Four 6416
CBeebies 6418
BBC One Scotland 6421
BBC Two Scotland 6422
BBC Radio 5 Live 6401
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra 6464
BBC One North West (Manchester) 6441
BBC One Yorkshire (Leeds) 6451
BBC One South East (Tunbridge Wells) 6461
DSAT 4

Astra 1N (28.2° East)
Transponder 50
Frequency: 10.84700 GHz
Vertical polarisation
Modulation: DVB-S2, QPSK
Symbol rate: 23.0 Mbaud
FEC 8/9
Transport Stream ID: 2050

Channel SID
BBC HD 6940
BBC One HD 6941
DSAT 5

Astra 1N (28.2° East)
Transponder 46
Frequency: 10.78800 GHz
Vertical polarisation
Modulation: DVB-S, QPSK
Symbol rate: 22.0 Mbaud
FEC 5/6
Transport Stream ID: 2046

Channel SID
BBC One Wales 10311
BBC Two Wales 10312
BBC One West Midlands (Birmingham) 10301
BBC One Yorks & Lincs (Hull) 10303
BBC One East Midlands (Nottingham) 10305
BBC One East (E) 10306
BBC Parliament 10307
DSAT 6

Astra 1N (28.2° East)
Transponder 48
Frequency: 10.81750 GHz
Vertical polarisation
Modulation: DVB-S, QPSK
Symbol rate: 22.0 Mbaud
FEC 5/6
Transport Stream ID: 2048

Channel SID
BBC One Northern Ireland 10361
BBC Two Northern Ireland 10362
BBC One South (Southampton) 10353
BBC One South West (Plymouth) 10354
BBC One North East & Cumbria (Newcastle) 10355
BBC One Oxfordshire 10356
BBC Alba 10357
DSAT 7

Astra 2A (28.2° East)
Transponder 13
Frequency: 11.95350 GHz
Horizontal polarisation
Modulation: DVB-S, QPSK
Symbol rate: 27.5 Mbaud
FEC 2/3
Transport Stream ID: 2013

Channel SID
BBC Radio 1 6751
BBC Radio 1Xtra 6766
BBC Radio 2 6752
BBC Radio 3 6753
BBC Radio 4 FM 6754
BBC Radio 4 LW 6755
BBC 6 Music 6767
BBC Radio 4 Extra 6768
BBC Asian Network 6760
BBC World Service 6761
BBC Radio Scotland 6757
BBC Radio nan Gaidheal 6769
BBC Radio Wales 6758
BBC Radio Cymru 6763
BBc Radio Ulster 6759
BBC London 6770

Consumer organisations:

UFC QueChoisir: independent consumers’ association with local branches all over France.  Apart from the usual product tests they also provide model letters covering basic consumer issues/disputes.  http://www.quechoisir.org/?utm_source=nlh&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nlh120207

60 Millions de consommateurs (Institut National de la Consommation - INC) The national consumers’ association http://www.60millions-mag.com/

http://www.conso.net/page/ Web site for the INC with lots of useful links. Among other things there is a database of model letters but you need to be registered with them to access it.

http://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf

The government site for the Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes. They deal with unfair trading, fraud, consumer problems generally. There is an office in every department. Google DGCCRF + name of department to find out where it is.

http://www.e-litige.com/fiches/achats/sav.php contains a summary of consumer warranties in France.  It also lets you open an online complaint against a trader.

Cars, Driving licences

Registering a UK car in France:

http://www.survivefrance.com/forum/topics/getting-a-british-car
http://www.survivefrance.com/forum/topics/buying-a-car-in-france
http://www.survivefrance.com/forum/topics/classic-cars-and-the

Taking your vehicle abroad for more than 12 months (permanent export)

When a vehicle registered in the United Kingdom (UK) is taken out of the country for 12 months or more, it’s regarded as being permanently exported from the UK.

You can tell DVLA by filling in the section ‘Notification of Permanent Export’ (V5C/4) of the vehicle registration certificate (V5C), and send it to DVLA, Swansea SA99 1BD. Keep the rest of the registration certificate, as you may need this to re-register the vehicle abroad. Your vehicle will become subject to the legal requirements of the new country when exported.

If you don’t have a registration certificate you’ll need to get a certificate of permanent export (V561). Download and complete the V756 ‘Application for certificate or permanent export’ and send to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AG.

Where to find headlights that dip the right way

http://www.headlamp-shop.com/

http://www.carparts-online.de/shop/index.php

Driving licence:

Rules on using UK driving licences in France

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/driving/faq/index_en.htm

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F2827.xhtml#N1011B

Discussions on getting a French driving licence

http://www.survivefrance.com/forum/topics/french-drivers-licence?xg_source=activity&id=3339392%3ATopic

http://drivingfrance.blogspot.fr/

Motoring in Europe:

Everything you need to drive safely in France and Europe in general:
http://www.motoring-into-europe.co.uk/faq.html
http://www.motoring-into-europe.co.uk/product-kitbag.html

Rules on using UK driving licences in France   http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/driving/faq/index_en.htm

Property:

Long-term lets: http://www.survivefrance.com/group/longtermlets

Find an English-speaking estate agent in France: http://www.french-property.com/guides/france/

For a general site with list of estate agents, info on insurance and adverts try http://www.seloger.com 

http://www.frenchclassified.com/

http://www.frenchpropertycentre.com

When you sell a house you have to have a number of dignostic tests done relating to the quality of insulation, termites, electric wiring etc.. Here's an introduction:

http://www.survivefrance.com/profiles/blogs/dpe-other-diagnostic-tests-for-sellers

Need a mortgage?

SFNers have recommended:

George at http://www.french-mortgage-advice.com/

"George pulled out all the stops to arrange our mortgage last year.  He speaks directly with the mortgage company's underwriting team to explain your personal situation and so is much more likely to get a good result"

Also: http://www.bestfrenchmortgage.com/ 

Legal fees:

http://www.calcul-frais-de-notaire.fr/

Your fosse septique (septic tank)

There are strict criteria that a fosse septique must meet to conform to French regulations. This is particularly the case if you are selling a house.

You have to contact your local SPANC (Site de Promotion de l'Assainissement Non Collectif) office who will send someone round to check on your installation. He will either say it's fine and give you a document saying this, or give you another document listing what you have to do to bring your fosse into line with regulations.

You can find your local SPANC office here http://www.spanc.fr/page.php.

Problems?  Try http://sanicurage.com/vidange-fosses-septiques.php

SFN member Glen Allsopp is an accredited fosse installation technician and has offered to help anyone having problems with their fosse septique or who need some advice before an official inspection.

Need a new fosse or micro sewage treatment system?

Eparco, http://www.eparco.info/Eparco-Assainissement/index.php , make a compact system that does not require any power supply to operate correctly which makes it suitable for a holiday home.

Neve, http://www.neve.fr/ , also supply compact sewage treatment plants.

Klargester, http://www.klargester.com/index.html , are said to have a French representative. Contact them for details.

WPL compact sewage treatment systems  (stations d'épuration) can be found here: www.micro-station-france.com

Other useful information relating to property:

Need to consult the cadastre? (official register of land ownership with maps) http://www.cadastre.gouv.fr/scpc/accueil.do

Geoportail is the French equivalent of Google Earth but it also has a wealth of official information including the cadastre.

http://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/accueil (go to Themes Geoportail, Parcelles Cadastrales)

Water leak?

What you need to know:

http://www.quechoisir.org/environnement-energie/eau/eau-potable/actualite-fuite-d-eau-facturation-plafonnee?

Home rental law

http://www.french-property.com/guides/france/working-in-france/letting-property/intro/
http://www.anil.org/

Rules on ejecting tenants: http://www.survivefrance.com/forum/topics/legal-info-getting-tenants-out-needed

Repairs and Service Charges (Les Charges) - what the tenant has to pay for.

Charges: http://www.droitdulocataire.fr/spip.php?article18  
Repairs: http://www.pratique.fr/location-reparations-a-charge-locataire.html

Banking:

http://www.britline.com/
http://www.ca-languedoc.fr/english-version.html

UK Pension

The number for the UK Pensions department is 00 44 191 218 7777.

Winter Fuel Allowance

Even if you live in France you can claim the UK winter fuel allowance

This is the claim form: http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@over50/documents/digitalasset/dg_202418.pdf

Taxation:

For help with taxation 

http://www.advicefrance.com/

http://www.labellevieguernsey.co.uk/index.html

French government site: http://www.impots.gouv.fr/portal/dgi/home

For information/explanations on French tax return forms go here:  http://www2.impots.gouv.fr/documentation/2013/brochure_ir/files/assets/basic-html/toc.html 

Capital gains tax:  

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F10864.xhtml

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imp%C3%B4t_sur_les_plus-values

http://www.pap.fr/argent/impots/plus-value-et-residence-secondaire-la-nouvelle-exoneration-enfin-precisee/plus-value-et-residence-secondaire-la-nouvelle-exoneration-enfin-precisee-a9506

Local taxes

Taxe Fonciere. Are you entitled to a rebate?

http://www.pap.fr/argent/impots/la-taxe-fonciere/taxe-fonciere-les-exonerations-et-degrevements-a1975
http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F3171.xhtml
http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F59.xhtml
http://www.frenchentree.com/fe-legal/displayarticle.asp?id=41113

Taxe d'Habitation

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F42.xhtml 

Government and Official sites:

http://www.gouvernement.fr/ is the main government site

www.service-public.fr has everything you will ever need to know.

What to do if:  http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/N13042.xhtml

The index:   http://www.service-public.fr/tous-dossiers-az/

What to keep and how long to keep it: 

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F19134.xhtml

http://lannuaire.service-public.fr/  a search here will find the details of just about all local government offices.  Just type the name of your department into the search box on the left. The resulting page will have almost too much info but under the search box there will be sub-catregories like “mairies” or “gendarmeries” 

Need access to an official document? Try here: http://www.cada.fr/ . You will find material on privacy laws, medical records, planning permission and a whole raft of other things.

French parliamentary ombudsman http://defenseurdesdroits.fr/

Utilities ombudsman  http://www.energie-mediateur.fr/

Complaints about the postal service: Call 3631. I haven't tried to call them but the post office insists they are the only people who can deal with complaints, for example, about packages being tampered with or lost.

See also: http://blog.toutallantvert.com/2009/09/11/colis-perdu-colis-non-livre-en-retard-appelez-le-3631-numero-de-telephone-gratuit/

Insurance

Ombudsman -- Médiateur de la Fédération Française des Sociétés d'Assurances (le.mediateur@mediation-assurance.org)

Information on renewing or cancelling your insurance:

http://www.assurland.com/resiliation-de-contrat-assurance/resiliez-plus-facilement-votre-contrat-avec-la-loi-chatel.html

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_Chatel

http://www.frenchentree.com/france-brittany-insurance-finance/displayarticle.asp?id=10479

http://www.opinion-assurances.fr/classement-assureurs-habitation.html

Noise pollution  http://www.bruit.fr/FR/info/Les%20textes/01020200 which takes you to the site of the Conseil National du Bruit.

The site http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr is where you will find the official texts of French laws but it isn't all that easy to find what you want and it's not easy reading.

For the law on noise pollution, for example, you need to go to the home page and then search under "Lois et règlements", "Les codes en vigueur", "Recherche d'un article", "Code de la santé publique", article "R1334-30" and then click on "Lutte contre le bruit" in the page that comes up!

Education:

http://telesup.univ-mrs.fr/index.php


http://www.orientation-formation.fr/


http://www.cned.fr/

http://www.facilitutors.com/

Training

http://www.afpa.fr/

EU policy: 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/eqf_en.htm

Need help learning French?

A collection of ideas posted by SFNers:

http://french.about.com
Tex and Tammy -- http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/
www.bonjour.com
www.mylanguageexchange.com/ - this is a site which allows you make contact with others who want to learn *your* language and in return they teach you *theirs*!
http://www.formez-vous.com/en/
http://www.francaisfacile.com/
The BBC, RFI (Radio France Internationale)and TV5 Monde offer some great ways to learn french at all sorts of levels. For RFI go to http://www.rfi.fr/lffr/statiques/accueil_apprendre.asp

The Pimsleur method: https://www.pimsleurdigital.com/?adloc=adwlearn-lang-1&courselang=&gclid=CNeyjcns37ECFQMhtAodQmEAPg

Rosetta Stone, a company in the US that produces language software. Recommended but pricey.

http://livemocha.com/pages/languages/learn-french/

http://www.survivefrance.com/profiles/blogs/need-help-with-your-french-here-it-is

www.french-word-a-day.com

Childcare:

http://www.mon-enfant.fr/web/guest/accueil  

Vaccinations

http://www.kidsinfrance.com/2012/02/vaccinations.html

Suzanne Fitzgerald kindly produced this chart from her  French Carnet de Santé and UK Red Book. She says the vaccines have different combinations - UK gives Men C as part of 3m, 4m and 12m routine vaccines whereas in France it was given at 2 years (Meningitec). She was given both BCG and Hep B routinely as she travels and the incidence in the UK, particularly London, is rising.  MMR timing is different too as well as boosters.

You can get the vaccination here:

Centre de Protection Maternelle et Infantile (PMI)  

For vaccinations and other care for babies.  If you take the vaccines to the PMI they will do them for free.  You can have all your consultations there for free as well and they are really helpful as they only deal with children under 7 years old.  Much better than taking up the doctor's time, especially if your doctor is not particularly child friendly. 

To find your nearest PMI, Google pmi + your department and follow the link to the “Service Public” page which will give you the full list for that department. Alternatively got to http://lannuaire.service-public.fr/  and search (box on the left of the page) for your department and scroll through the results.

Advice on registering a birth in France, getting a child's passport, the right to French nationality

http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-france/consularbirthregistration

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/births-deaths-marriages-civil/registering-a-birth

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/find-an-embassy/europe/consulate-bordeaux

The French side:
http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F961.xhtml (registering a birth)

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F295.xhtml (on the right to French nationality)

Passports:

http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/what-passport/children-under-16/apply-child-passport#supporting

http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/what-passport/children-under-16/

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/WhoiseligibleforaBritishpassport/DG_174145

Charities:

http://cancersupportfrance.org/contact

www.csf-languedoc.com

http://www.donnons.org/

Chats du Quercy: Cat rescue and rehoming or simply for advice.

http://chatsduquercy.fr/ or call 05 6394 7397

Pets:

Bringing your pet with you?

These are the requirements to enter France with your pet animals (cats, dogs, ferrets ...) taken from the site of the French embassy in the UK.

1. Identification: clearly readable tattoo or microchip under the skin (this is an electronic identification system).

2. Valid vaccination against rabies (first vaccination and boosters). 

    (both 1. and 2. are specified in the passport.)

3. An EU pet passport certifying valid rabies vaccination delivered by a Government-approved vet (in the UK, a local veterinary inspector). The passport also provides a record of past vaccinations, but a valid rabies vaccination will be the sole requirement for pets from EU Member States to enter France.

Since 20 May 2005, pets under three months old and not vaccinated against rabies are not allowed to enter France. The animal is allowed to enter France 21 days after its first full anti-rabies vaccination.

Treatment for tapeworms and ticks is not compulsory but is advisable.

This French Ministry for Agriculture document provides further information.

http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/IMG/pdf_pdf_mouvements_intra-europeens_non_commerciauxments-2.pdf

For detailed information visit the embassy's site at: 

http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Importation-of-animals-into-France,2780

Need to buy or sell something?

http://www.interencheres.com/ventes_aux_encheres/recherche_commissaire_priseur.php

http://www.agorastore.fr/

www.leboncoin.fr

Tourism

Paris -- http://www.parisinfo.com/sortir-a-paris/a-savoir-3/