I’ve filled the HMRC form relating to double taxation. There is a section the French fiscal office must sign and stamp but they will not do so until after I have submitted my first French tax return. I was cut off after a long wait calling HMRC where the person wasn’t sure and was searching for info. I found a form to send to HMRC but who knows how long it will take for an answer. Is there a work around or have people just waited and submitted the HMRC form for certification by French fiscal in May/June?
You shouldn’t need to wait until you’ve filed your first French tax return for the Impôts to stamp Form France Individual. Have you tried to make an appointment at your local tax office to provide proof of being resident here in France? If not, make the appointment and take along proof of an address, utility bills, bank statements, proof of being insured in France for medical coverage via CPAM attestation, private insurance certificate or S1. You may also have proof of applying for your CdS etc which you could present.
You may also have seen the thread on SF dealing with FFI experiences, albeit I don’t think anybody has raised your issue….Do let us know what happens.
Thank you George
Several forumites have posted abut the tax office refusing to stamp, for your reason, and another I think, the form wasn’t in French and I think at least one was escalated. Maybe have a search of the forum - or someone might remind us?
When in 2019 I wanted to submit my France Individual Form asap, I did not have a first tax return, and it was not needed.
When I did this in 2019 there was a form to complete to ask for your French Tax Ref number (numéro fiscal de référence). This was Formulaire n°2043-SD - Demande de taux personnalisé et/ou d’acomptes de prélèvement à la source Formulaire n°2043-SD | impots.gouv.fr
I filled in and took the form to the local impots, and was issued with a Tax reference number very quickly.
I then completed my first France Individual Form, filling in the numéro fiscal de référence. The Impots then stamped and signed the form on my next visit. (At the time there was a french translation which I believe HMRC no longer supply, I attach the 2017 file with french translation since it helped a great deal when I then visited the Impots.
france-individual_07_17.pdf (322.0 KB)
Now it appears you can create your online space for Impots without the Tax Reference Number as advised in this link Toutes les démarches pour obtenir son numéro fiscal de référence
Among other ways it says you can open www.impots.gouv.fr :
Click on “Your personal space” at the top right of your screen to access the “Login or create your space” box.
In the “Help” box, click on “You do not yet have a tax number”,
then click on the “Public Finance Centre” link.
You will then be taken to a contact form. For non-residents, you can simply specify a correspondence address in France.
I would nevertheless suggest you take the Form France Individual to your local Impots in person. Its best to avoid their really busy time in the run up to deadlines in May. I have found that I was able to just turn up and queue patiently and would be seen. (I have had to complete two France Individual Forms since to sort everything out with HMRC who had been very rigid!)
Bon Courage
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I had a lot of trouble getting my FFI signed, as I’ve detailed elsewhere. I had done a tax return before wanting it signed, but they just refused to sign it. I had to escalate the issue, pointing out that unless they signed the form then I would be paying tax on my UK personal pension in the UK and offsetting that against any tax liable in France. As a consequence France would receive little or no tax on my income, and a simple signature on a form would mean France would be able to tax me fully. That seemed to make a lightbulb light in some persons head and the form was duly signed.
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