Basic Money Tips for Brits transitioning into French living

Sorry - I couldn’t quite understand that comment - you couldn’t give me a couple of extra lines.

Do you mean a passive income? I haven’t heard of a passive investment.

Exactly - the big enchilada had it going on - Matthew 21:12–17

Just have to understand the systems first!

There are strings attached to being a frontalier. In general it requires regular commuting. And you get a worker’s S1 which is only valid for the period you are a frontalier.

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Hi - I can’t quite understand.
So a Brit living in France and working in Spain returning each Friday night would retain S1? That’s wonderful if so.

(That was my life in Wales from England - so all good)

@SBcamsci I’m happy to have a zoom call to discuss… I’ll do a podcast with @cat in a couple of weeks. We are planning on doing one on investing in France and one more specifically on assurance vie as there are a lot considerations.

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Hiya @Dave_Lawson - everybody here talks really highly of you - can I book in with you after the podcast so I’m as informed as possible?
I thought I had everything in place but not being able to generate an active income through any route without losing S1 is challenging.
Just trying to work out what ‘Frontalier’ means … … could be a way out!
Easy to work in Spain and commute home each Friday night - had to do this for months albeit Cardiff to Cambridge and so can certainly attempt.
But I’ve a suspicion that it only works Britain to France not Spain to France as European.

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I wonder if jaywalking is a passive income?

Amazing @JaneJones -
… … first time I’ve been beaten by the system.
There is no way of working and retaining S1!

(looking at the time it takes London to Toulouse by TGV but the TGV isn’t cheap … …)

Ahhh but then again - that might just work … …

Oooo back on track.

Maybe if somebody wheels you down the road?

If you work in a country other than the UK (presuming you are a British citizen) then when you come to retire the last country you worked in will become your competent State and you will no longer be eligible for an S1 from the UK. If you work in multiple countries over your career the country where you are resident will determine which country is the competent one.

And no, you can’t just nip back to the UK 6 months before you retire.

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How did you know that was my next comment!
Funny!!

You’ve given me a challenge!
Like I said - curing cancer, Huntington’s super simple - but it can be impossible to fix human idiocy - goes by the name of bureaucracy and France appears to be the Heavyweight world champion in it.

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Einstein

Incidentally the Universe isn’t infinite! Silly Einstein.

As a British citizen you had the right to work in England and Wales but without the correct visa you do not have the right to work in Spain. Add to that that average wages are low and taxation high in Spain so it might not make financial sense anyway. If you want a challenge I’m sure that applying for French residency visa at the same time as applying for a Spanish work visa might be the ultimate one. Meanwhile back in the real world…

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@SBcamsci I’m happy to have a zoom call to discuss… “

You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din.

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I have never had a problem with French bureaucracy. Yes the French love to complain about it, but complaining is the national sport. If you approach bureaucracy with a British state of mind you will have a hard time, but if you don’t it will 99% of the time be fine.

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No. We complain about it but it is fairly logical and it works. Germany is no different. You just have to get your French up to speed and stop expecting things to be similar to the UK.

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Agreed. Having lived in a few countries, they all have their bureaucratic foibles. The difference is that we tend to be familiar with those of our own country so they feel like second nature, at least the processes that we actually use. Try claiming benefits in the UK and you’ll find out what bureaucracy is.

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Yes no problem, pod should be up in a couple of weeks. If you work in France and pay into the system etc then France will be classed as your competent state and you’d then be ineligible for an S1. I have clients that work in Suisse and live in France and they are classed as frontiliers … subject to tax and social charges in Switzerland but live in France. It would be difficult to get a visa that allows you to work in another country other than France assuming you are UK passport holder etc… I haven’t read the entire thread as it’s long.

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You have been with me since the start of this adventure and I believe it’s about to get surreal :-).

Hey! sorry @JaneJones @vero @JohnH - the idea didn’t come across too well.
Betetr worded - over-zealous behaviour of the taxation system which strangles its citizens.

So - if you’ve spent 40 years paying into the UK system to get an S1 - then doing a Saturday job in Lidl in downtown Foix really shouldn’t compromise that.
The Lidl’s next to Leclerc and Basic Fit and so I’ve already (at least in my head) started.

The logical thing would be for us to be able to opt out of whatever we’re opting in to by working. So - presumably the idea is that paying the small level of cotisations (a weekend job for a few years) pays towards some sort of health benefit - but we should really be able to just let the government have the money and opt out of whatever we’ve opted in to - so we don’t lose the larger benefit of S1.

The French government wins as it gets a tiny bit of money for free and I’m pretty sure that post-Brexit France kinda’ likes the prospect of UK funding its healthcare system. As am I sure that nobody retires in the UK from France. We have a joke here - there’s a show called ‘Place in the Sun’ on the TV which sometimes airs on 3 channels simultaneously. I wonder whether the European equivalent for retirement in the UK, 'd be called ‘Place in the toilet bowl with a broken flush thrown in for free!’.

Oooo - the dream of being the first person to commute into work on the till at Aldi, Coventry from Foix, Ariege each week is alive and kicking. I’ve checked and flexible rostering makes it possible.

(I consider this a victory and will sleep well tonight)