Hello, all - I’m the lesser half of an Irish couple living in the US (two decades) and intending to move to France in three years or so for a relatively early retirement. We’re focused on the Languedoc-Roussillon (as was) area, probably somewhere a bit inland from the Perpignan-Port-Vendres axis. That’s mainly because it’s what we’re familiar with and love the area from multiple holidays there before we moved from Ireland to the US (and a couple of times since) but we’re not completely wedded to the idea. We’re lucky that our EU citizenship allows us to bypass some of the hoops through which non-citizens must jump but plan to spend the next couple of years learning the ins-and-outs of the process and brushing up on our spoken French in preparation for the real action!
Looking forward to absorbing the wisdom of the group and hopefully contributing something useful as well.
Don’t rely on the airport for anything more than internal daily commuter flights to Paris Orly, daily flights to N.Africa and in season to Stansted,Birmingham and Leeds in the UK.
I’m also the other half of an Irish couple (we both have UK passports too) and just a word of warning as regards joining the French health system.
My “early retired” husband can no longer stay with my employer’s private insurance so applied in February to join PUMA as an “inactif européen”.
It is taking forever. The government agency that handles such cases is the CREIC in Nîmes. But there is no way to contact them direct. All communication has to be done through the local CPAM who, in our case, are pretty useless.
The amount of paperwork we’ve had to submit has to be seen to be believed.
To be honest, I’m finding French administration in general far worse than it used to be. Everything seems to take forever, the digital platforms (which are increasingly the only route) are rubbish and it’s difficult to get hold of staff. If you do manage to speak to an actual human, often they seem indifferent and/or incompetent.
After nearly 28 years, it’s starting to put me off the idea of staying in retirement. I think we’ll give it another couple of years then we’ll be off.
Sorry to be so negative but this is how I feel right now.
Thanks, and no need to apologize - everyone needs to be aware of the reality of the process.
We nearly moved to France from Dublin in the early 2000s so have been aware since then of the layers and layers of red tape involved with anything in France but, to your point, upon reconnecting with the idea of a move there in the past year or so, it’s become obvious that it certainly hasn’t become any less bureaucratic. We’re giving ourselves a long runway to plan and even decide whether it’s the right thing.
You are probably aware but the coast is practically a no-go area for July and August especially around Argèles to the west and Barcarés to the east with the thousands of influx visitors that clog up the roads, make it difficult to shop and generally swell the population by a great deal so going inland is a better idea. We have friends who live in Canet as year round residents, being from there, but have bought pieces of land further inland where they go for the whole of the summer as sometimes they cannot even get out of their driveway for tourists parked across it and who ignore warning signs. One couple put a mobile home, an above ground pool and make a lovely terrace and enjoy being out of the madness and they can pop back to do washing, check the house etc whenever they like. House prices have gone up a lot, mine was built in 2022 and already has increased by over €80k as immos are desperate to ffind properties to sell when families hold on to them for next generations.
Indeed. It can be busy in those coastal towns. We stayed in Sorede the last couple of times and had the benefit of it being quiet when we wanted it and then just being a short drive from where the action is when we wanted that. For a full move we’d be looking somewhere further in as well.
Also if going inland, make sure you don’t buy a property that is out in the wilds surrounded by woods and brush that you cannot control all the time regarding maintenance of said surroundings,because we get so many wild fires down here all the time and you are obligated now by law to keep all the inflammable stuff well cut back from any dwellings and roads and this can become difficult as you get older/cannot afford to pay professionals to do it.
Can you drive a manual gearbox car? I ask as your basic rental cars here will normally be manuals, so if you’ve got used to autos in the States, you’ll need to order an auto in advance.
On the subject of driving, come to a complete halt at Stop signs here in France for long enough to apply handbrake, check roads are clear and then move off. On the spot fine if the Gendarmes catch you.
Oh, and the tolerance for speed limits is 5% here. Ask me how I know…
Getting registered in all the State services takes… as long as it takes. Forget fast responses to emails. In fact, unless you’re dealing with La France or large businesses, forget any response to emails.
Phone them or visit in person.
If you write a French cheque for a tradesman, they may not cash it for a year and you have to ensure your bank account has enough balance for this cheque to clear at any point.
All of this may be familiar as you know France, but somehow there is a difference between being here on holiday and living here and trying to get one’s life sorted. And be realistic about how much you can get done in a day. If you are looking for bathroom fittings, wanting to talk to an estate agent, trying to sort out registering with a doctor, be aware that most places shut between 12 and 2pm still. Large supermarkets stay open, so can be useful for some DIY stuff etc, but the specialists close. All too easy to have a lazy breakfast and half the morning’s gone and suddenly it’s a rush to get round all the tasks you want.
Also, ordering and delivering can take time (15 jours - ie a fortnight) is not unusual. Retail outlets do not carry large stocks. We cleared out the entire stock of light switches in Castorama Agen of the type we wanted for our cottage (not a large house) and we needed more than they had.
Yep, started driving in Ireland and passed my test in London, actually, too many years ago to care to remember. Not too many automatics on the road over there in the 80s and 90s.
They call that rolling ‘stop’ the ‘California stop’ over here. It’s a favourite way for the cops to make quota. Instead of mini roundabouts or traffic lights we have four way stops at junctions which work very well since people almost invariably obey the rules but they make it very, very easy to ignore the fact that you have to come to a full stop.
Very much agree with that, @SuePJ - it would be very easy to get lulled into believing that you can replicate your occasional two weeks in the sun into a lifestyle. Thankfully we’ve made several major moves out of our comfort zone over the past few decades and try not to take it lightly. We would never be daft enough to discount any input and advice from the people who’ve actually done it and are living it. All very much appreciated.
Just curious and obviously don’t answer if you don’t want to but what’s wrong with California? We’ve spent many a happy February in Ocean Beach. Couldn’t afford to live there, unfortunately.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with California.
That’s just what some people call it here when you don’t come to a full stop at a stop sign because it’s a stereotypical thing that California drivers are perceived to do. Other stereotypes being that NYC and NJ drivers use their horns a lot and are aggressive, southern drivers drive slowly, Florida is full of old people cruising in the overtaking lanes - all just stereotypes. I’ve driven in a couple of dozen states and have seen all of it everywhere.
You seem to be having a bad day! Yes the bureaucracy can be slow and painful but once you are sorted then thats it. I have my system for tax so it doesn’t take too long and apart from that we rarely have to encounter officialdom.
Hope you get through these hoops and can experience the positives of France again. We are going to move again shortly and can’t think of another country that has more positives and fewer negative than France.
Thanks Jane. But I think it might be more than that. We’ve been here nearly 28 years.
France has changed. We’ve changed. Time to move on maybe. We’ll see.
Hugely! And so have we. We just can’t think of where else to go. Ireland was a possibility but the health service is in tatters. Have you a destination in mind?
