Ha ha - I have to say, i haven’t considered lockdown haircuts essential so far -and Madam didn’t have her heels out!
Should dress up for the medecin / dentiste though - good tip!
I am pleased and relieved to say that after 4 months and 29 days, my C.V. arrrived on 30/04.
However, lets’s not get all chipper about FR admin. After receiving the first of what we could call a ‘cover note’, some weeks after application, in person with dossier checked and approved *, I got a billy doo from an office in Le Mans, asking for a mug shot and signature. It would have spoiled the fun down in Le Mans if St Lo had asked me to bring these to the original RV, no?
I also received a second ‘cover note’ some time after that. And since the C.V. arrived I have had a third ‘cover note’!
Having come thru’ two inspections, with no issues, of self, car [physical] and car [documents] by the Douanes at the Spanish border and two hours further up the road, I went through the wad of paper in dossier ‘Car’. I found I had three ‘cover notes’ from the broker/insurance company before the definitive certificate and two more from the matriculation office.
My surname is Nation, so my location services company for the meeja was called Nation’s Locations. I’m wondering if there’s any mileage in an entity called Nation’s Attestations Because there’s a lot of them about.
- At the risk of repeating myself, if the Spanish, who are some way towards the back of the grid when it comes to administrative efficiency, can issue a C.V. and a ‘CdS’ at the time of an RV for those things, where one’s dossier has been checked and approved, there is no reason why the French couldn’t. They simply don’t wish to do things that way. See below.
In another thread, about car insurance, Fabien has introduced the perfect Franglais word for all these fankles with FR admin - ‘complexify’.
Isn’t that brill!? See my moderate rant above. Issuing of C.V. a perfect example.
1 Like
Can anyone advise please? Our private health insurance will expire on 30 June. We have applied by post to CPAM in Guingamp but apart from the avis de reception (dated 25 May) have heard nothing so far. It is my fault for not applying sooner I admit. Will we need to extend our private health insurance or can we assume that having applied to CPAM things will be backdated once they get round to looking at our applications? Having said that I expect they will want more from us. Does anyone know how long CPAM Guingamp is taking to process files? I have tried calling the English helpline only to get a message in French before being cut off.
French naturalisation is just as heavy going, Derin, my dossier was over 3cm thick and it took over 3 years. Normal really when you consider what you’re asking for but I hope german bureaucracy moves faster for you 
Less than a month would be extraordinarily fast. I think the average is a couple of months. You rights will be dated to the moment where they accept your application, not when you sent it in sadly.
Have you tried phoning or booking an appointment with the actual CPAM?
Thanks Jane, I thought that would be the case. I did try to phone for an appointment but couldn’t understand the message in French. I tried putting in 22 for cotes d’armor but that didn’t work. Do you know what the message asks for, is it the full postcode? I do understand French quite well but my hearing isn’t perfect particularly over the phone.
@rendi60 Diane,
Is the number below the same one that you are ringing?
You mention Guingamp, so I assume you live in Brittany Côtes-d’Armor.
I just tried it (knowing it is the weekend and closed) but the message is in English. Do you get a French message using this number during the week?
https://www.ameli.fr/cotes-d-armor/assure/english-pages
“Call our French Health Insurance Advice Line :
09 74 75 36 46
Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m”
Yes that was the number I tried. I was thinking the phone queue was too long and that was why I was cut off. I did phone during the week. When I phoned EDFs English speaking helpline I mentioned to the operator the French recording at the beginning of the call and she said she thought it was telling the French that they had phoned the English line! I will try again. I don’t mind paying for private insurance although I would prefer not to, the only problem is I have very limited cover because I have high blood pressure and so they won’t cover anything cardio-vascular.
1 Like
I have found 08h50 Tuesday mornings to be a good time ring. The early birds at 08h30 have already been dealt with and you get in before the 09h00 crowd. Monday’s are always a nightmare. Good luck.
1 Like
Thanks Andrew. Well, it is now 18 month since I submitted my application (and a year since I passed the language exam that they insisted that I do!) and still nothing. Initially, I was told it could take 2 years and when I enquired on progress after a year had gone by I was told it could take 3 years! 
1 Like
You need to consult with @fabien about this.
Assume nothing.
AFAIK it is illegal in France to restrict cover for any pre-existing conditions but is a feature of English Health insurance.
You can contact fabien through the Insurance affiliate link on the main banner at the top of the page.
Certainly MOH has no problem getting insurance here with the same condition. We’re with @fabien
1 Like
That will be a “top up” insurance though, won’t it, Sue? I think @rendi60 needs full private cover just at the moment until her CPAM stuff comes through and she can get a top-up? I’m sure @fabien will be able to tell Diane if there are full short term insurances that don’t exclude her condition…
2 Likes
I agree with Graham @rendi60 - he also has policies that can be cancelled fee free as soon as you get your SS number through and ones that can be converted to mutuelle insurance once you get your French number.
2 Likes
Of course. Sorry. I just replied to the previous posting. I didn’t read the whole thread.
Thank you all for this useful information. I will look into it before I do anything else.
1 Like
Hi Graham,
Actually it’s not illegal. Top-up health insurance won’t restrict cover but private medical insurance would so it’s important to be careful as rules can change depending on the type of policy we’re speaking about and even in France we have medical exclusions for PHI for example.
Your assumptions are correct Angela. PHI can come with medical exclusions, not mutuelles (top-up)
That was probably in the back of my mind when I wrote it.
1 Like