I worked in France years ago, paid into the system and now am trying to claim my French pension.
A few years I asked the Pensions Tracing Service for help. They contacted ''Assurance Retrait Normandie, who then contacted me and asked for information.
I sent all the info they wanted, but never got a confirmation back from them.
A while ago I worked out how to access the lassuranceretrait.fr website, using an app called YRIS.
I could see all my work dates were entered into the system!
I’ve recently been trying to apply to receive my pension - at the age of 67. I’ve applied via the lassuranceretrait website
But I get stuck - they want proof of annual income and french tax details, from a French tax declaration I assume, which I cant provide. Also they want a Livre de famille and I have no idea what it is.
I messaged lassuranceretrait website for help but they advise I talk to people at this UK address:
The Pension Service 11
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 1LW
I dont think this is the answer, at this point I seem to be going around and around …
Unfortunately they do ask for phenomenal amounts of paperwork and the pensions agency Carsat are notoriously difficult to deal with. One lady on here recently couldn’t get them to pay her French pension into a UK bank account.
Many of my colleagues never even bother claiming their French pensions because they think it’s not worth the hassle. Is it a significant amount of money? If not, I’d be tempted to forget about it.
If you are resident in the UK, you have to make a request to the UK authorities, which they then validate and pass to the French authorities at CARSAT. Once the French people receive that, then the French process begins.
As far as a Livret de Famille is concerned, if you are not French or are/were not married to a French national, then you will not have one. The French authorities know this. I simply completed the form explaining that I did not have one as I was not a French national.
Yes. You get an employment history form from them which you complete, giving the dates of your employment in France. I downloaded my French employment history from the “maretraite” website and stapled a copy of it to the British form, writing on the form “see attached employment history for France” and gave the dates. This was then sent by the UK pension authorities to CARSAT who then contacted me and I had to provide more information to them.
CARSAT asked for my Livret de Famille, and so I explained in my covering letter why I did not have that. They requested copies of my sons’ birth certificates, which I also provided (their being born in France may have helped with that part).
Keep copies of every piece of correspondence. CARSAT does have a telephone line, open Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, but it’s incredibly difficult to get hold of anyone.
Sorry, I should have posted. The solution to getting bank details accepted was to go to a larger branch where a very helpful assistant had encountered the problem before and knew that the best way to deal with French bureaucracy is to put two rubber stamps and a signature on the document, with the signature over part of the ink of the stamp!
Helenochka, I think you mentioned in an earlier post, that you knew someone that worked for CARSAT Normandy. Would you be able to find out from them if there’s anything like an English speaking helpline please, CARSAT are driving me nuts with almost now weekly demands for the same information
Hi Debby
It’s CARSAT Strasbourg but yes, certainly I’ll ask my contact if there’s a general English-speaking helpline.
I’d assumed from your last post that the problem had been resolved. Sorry to hear they’re still playing silly b*ggers.
My husband received his pension 1 year after it was due. My pension was due to start at the beginning of 2021, every bit of info’ they asked for they got and confirmed they’d received it, ( I learnt to ask for confirmation). I won’t bore you with details but I had to have major surgery in 2022 and my pension took a back seat whilst I recovered. Fast forward to the back end of last year when they wrote and asked me to fill in a basic form so they could finally process my claim. I filled it in, ( kept a copy), sent it back asking them to confirm receipt and they did. Since then I’ve been sent the same letter almost every month, they always confirm receipt and then send another one. I got another of the bl***y letters last Thursday, 2 copies in the same envelope and another one arrived in today’s post grrrrrr.
My experience of CARSAT Normandy is that when they keep asking you for the same information, it’s because you haven’t replied in the exact format they need. Check the details - are you missing a checkbox, signature or rubber stamp on a document?
Sorry, I should have said a big thank you, my only excuse for my bad manners is I’m seething mad and trying hard not to say some very rude words, in regards to CARSAT, if they ask me one more time via my espace personnel, to be patient, I’ll probably explode!
Hi Jacquie, it’s very straight forward letter, they say this is how much you’re due now or this amount if you defer payment. I always tick the pay now please box, say where I am, date it and sign, I get OH to check just in case I’m being stupid and off it goes back to them. I then tell them via my espace that’s it’s been returned and to confirm the have received it. I’ve asked if there is a problem with my reply and they say no, all in order, be patient. Ho hum!
Sorry, I got you confused with Jacquie, whose problem has been resolved.
Debby, which telephone numbers have you already (unsuccessfully) tried for CARSAT? So I can tell my colleague’s husband, in case he tries to give me the same ones.
3960, but it only rings a couple of times then goes dead. I have to be honest after being out of France for the last 5 years my French is very , very rusty and I’m no longer confident of making myself understood anymore!
