As things are changing by the day, I’ve started this thread to post OFFICIAL (French or British) government updates.
I’ll add new ones as they appear or feel free to post your own.
Here’s todays from the Gov.uk site.
Driving licences:
Holders of UK driving licences who are resident in an EU country should exchange their UK licences for a driving licence from the EU country you are living in before 29 March 2019. For more information see driving abroad.
You should register your UK licence with your local town hall or prefecture in case it’s lost or stolen. You can change your UK licence to a French licence by completing an application form and sending supporting documents to Centre d’expertise et de ressource de titres (CERT) at Nantes. See Service.Public for instructions.
The UK Government will continue to pay state pension, child benefits, and disability benefits to eligible UK nationals in the EU after the UK’s exit from the EU. Find guidance on benefits and pensions in a no deal scenario.
If you’ve worked in France, contact your local pensions office, Caisse d’Assurance Retraite et Santé au Travail (CARSAT) – see CLEISS and Sécurité Sociale.
If you haven’t worked in France, you should claim your UK state pension by contacting the International Pension Centre.
A translation of what the French Government has said.
Exchange, no re-test needed.
In case of absence of withdrawal agreement There is no transition period in this case and the conditions specified above according to whether you are traveling in France as a tourist or a resident apply from the date of the implementation of BREXIT If you reside in France, specific and reciprocal provisions will later specify the terms of exchange for UK license holders residing in France If you are a tourist in France, you can drive for the duration of your stay with your driving license obtained by exam in the UK. International driver’s license is not required if you have a translation of your driver’s license If you intend to settle in France, after the transitional period, your British driver’s license is recognized on the French territory during a one year, but you must request the exchange within this period
Has anyone got the Belgian Government slant on all this…
This link is not really up to date… with all the UK confusion…there will probably be more detail to be found elsewhere… but the link is still interesting…
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 29 March 2019, your access to healthcare is likely to change. The NHS has more information about healthcare for UK nationals living in and visiting France.
The UK government has or is seeking agreements with countries on healthcare arrangements for UK nationals after 29 March 2019.
If you plan to visit on or after 29 March 2019, you should continue to buy travel insurance for the health treatment you may need, as you would for a non-EU country. If you have a UK-issued EHIC, it will still be valid until 29 March 2019.
Once you’re registered as resident, you can get a social security card for healthcare (Carte Vitale). You need to register with your local Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM) – they can tell you the documents they need for registration. You should also get top-up insurance cover (mutuelle) to cover the cost of healthcare not covered by a Carte Vitale.
The sneaky bastards are dropping these gems into their information page oh so discretely. Blink and you would miss it…
Here’s the Guardian’s report:
British nationals who have retired to EU countries including Spain and France will no longer have their health care covered by the NHS in the event of no deal, the government has confirmed. My colleague Lisa O’Carroll has the full story here.
You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you live in France and get an exportable UK pension, contribution-based Employment Support Allowance or another exportable benefit.
Healthcare for UK nationals resident in the EU in the event of a no deal exit :
See also :
This Guardian article highlights that the government’s “overseas healthcare” phoneline has updated its pre-recorded messages to include a no-deal warning, telling those who are considering moving to another country within the EEA or Switzerland that their S1 application will only be processed if they apply “in the next four weeks”.
PUMA might be the solution indeed but before being eligible for that you need to be a resident… And in case of a no-deal it will become much more difficult to become resident. Basically, you’ll need to get a carte de séjour which in turn will require you to get:
Proof of financial independance (some money aside)
Proof of cover for public liability
Proof of medical cover for at least 1 year
Everyone that’s already a resident should be ok but anyone else might be in trouble. That’s why I’m urging everyone that doesn’t have dual nationality to ask for a carte de séjour RIGHT NOW.
For now, the CDS is free and super easy to get AND will get you covered in case of a hard ball Brexit (for a couple years at least). If you don’t anticipate you may be caught with your pants down in the cold
