Help and info S1 forms

Oh ye of little faith…
To be a fair comment, you would have to also include the fact that most cloud storage systems synchronise with your local drive (as in the case of Dropbox) and so, in effect, there are the paper copies, the scanned in image stored in the cloud and the local copy on your hard disk of the scanned in copy.
Belt, braces and knicker elastic if you like, not to mention the suspenders :rofl:

We sent formal letters, passport copies, photocopy and translation of birth certificates (stamped by official translator), W A attestations, refusal of S1, copy of bills (to prove address) and RIB. Guingamp received (sent accuse reception) 25 May, received Carte Vitale 10 August about 2-3 weeks after we sent photos.

So I looked at sute for infomation required for CPAM I didnt notice any meantion of translated paperwork best I recheck get on top of it all ready to take .
Guess id better take similar info for medical although non of list is the same as for CPAM but cant hurt .I was told take what is required and then some !!

I was an early retiree, had to get a letter from the Newcastle upon Tyne people saying that they would not cover us for healthcare anymore. Then we spent about a year and a half going backwards and forwards to the CPAM people in Limoges. Became our regular place of entertainment. Must have given them two or three copies of most things. File was too large to be carried! Still did not elucidate a Carte Vitale. In the finish my partner took a job at the local apple picking orchard, got two Carte Vitales within a couple of weeks! Even though my partner fell off the ladder at the orchard and had to go to hospital on the orchard owners insistence, had a bruised finger. Resulted in two carte vitales and me being called a concubine (how sweet)! on my carte vitale. Never mind, that is how we got ours!

Ooo thats an option although when we went to the London visa cente we had to sign a piece of paper to say we wouldn’t work . Dont know how long that works or that we need to apply for another visa to work who knows its a minefield.

You’ve signed to say your won’t work… for the duration of the Visa for which you applied.

Now you are non-european any employer should check that you have the right to work (having first checked there isn’t an european available to do the job). So you would be stuck with dodgy employers which may not result in the right social security affiliation to get you into the health service.

Gone are the days when people could open any old business as a micro-entreprise turning over tuppence, and get access to the health service. Sorry.

Once you have your legislation letter it should all fall i to place.

In duplicate!

I guess so for at least the first year when we renew our visa and maybe see if can get employment the cost of retirement in France is quite high. We will see our options as a retired but too young for S1 , not working, new to living in France keeping up with the paperwork etc. Were on visitor visa currently as only type avalible in April 21 so had little choice and cant currently apply for residency till our initial visa to be renewed.

Hi. I am also an early retiree. My understanding is if you have got on the health system by working or being self employed (but running a gite does not count), France becomes your competent state. Thus when you do get your state pension, they will not accept your S1 from the UK and thus you will be liable to full French social contributions of 17.2% on your pensions and investment income when you do officially retire, as opposed to only 7.5%.
Have I got it wrong? I also considered this as a route onto the health system, but was advised against.

Running a gîte as a LMNP does not count, but once your turnover hits €23,000 you have to register as a LMP, louer meublée professionnel, pay cotisations etc, etc so the same as any other self-employed person.

And yes, once you start paying into the French social security system through cotisations etc then you risk France becoming your competent state for ever after, just as you said. What I’m not sure about is whether this happens instantly, or whether there is a transition. So for example if you have just 3 years French contributions and 30 years British do you have a choice rather than this being automatic?

The other thing to explore is whether loosing the S1 would be a completely bad thing if your pension entitlement is transferred to France and you get an equal/better pension here that isn’t dependent on £€ fluctuations? Retirees here on French pensions strike me as generally having a pretty good quality of life!

If you are serious about wanting to stay in France, then look now at the conditions you will have to meet for the type of residency you want so you have time to meet them! Don’t leave it until the last minute as that’ generally a bad idea here…

I’m quite confused by this.
As far as I know, the full range of visas was available in April 21? What makes you think it wasn’t?
Also, if you are currently living in France, what kind of “residency” do you feel you are missing out on, that you want to apply for but can"t?

I may be wrong but I thought the basic rule was that it’s the last state where you worked and contributed before you hung up your boots for good that is supposed to remain your competent state, so if you work and contribute in any other country even for a short time after leaving the UK then the UK is not your competent state. The flipside is that if after working out of the UK you then go back work for a short period in the UK, the UK does become your competent state again…Although in practice this doesn’t always seem to be quite how it works, but whether that’s because the two countries aren’t given full info or whether they have discretion I do not know.

You may be right! That’s why I said I wasn’t’ sure as this is a complex area and one that needs careful (and possibly professional) thought.

My guess is that Kazz is on the standard 12 month visitor visa, as with no job etc, not enough savings/income to qualify as an inactif early retiree wouldn’t have been eligible for anything else?

I see, that makes sense to me now. In that case I agree you have given good advice about working out a serious roadmap towards fully meeting the conditions for one of the residency statuses. I don’t see how it can becrealistic to be hoping to find employment in France if you are here on a visitor visa. Nobody can offer you employment because on a visitor visa you don’t have the right to work in France.

What was @kazz4662 's plan to deal with healthcare and longer-term for visas generally?

Good evening we currently have a years health insurance ( Required now for LS Visa ). But have been advised to start the process of joining the French Health system to see how far we get / if we need other information. Yes we have a years LSV-TS which can not be changed until 6-7 weeks before run out date. Ideally as we are now living here permanently we wold like a residence permit so are trying to get our ‘eggs in a row’ for that . Things may change as they do we’ve managed to get the car onto French system just looking for insurance then number plates. Also have had our medical all fine there.

This is potentially a huge hurdle. Having joined health service, registered your car, bought a house, etc etc may cut no ice with the immigration service when you come to renew your visa. They are perfectly capable of rejecting your application and restricting you to 90/180 days. It is their right.

You are now a third country national, and there are precise conditions that you will have to fulfil to get a residence visa. The bottom line is of course money, and the main residence permits are for people who have a suitably salaried permanent employment, people who have a solid business plan to establish a proper income generating company, and people with sufficient savings and private resources. (Other categories may be relevant to you too, so look them all up)

Decide which category you are aiming for now! If you are planning on getting a job be aware that getting a permanent job as a third country national may not be easy.

I second what JJones has said, have a careful read through the conditions that must be met and see how they apply to you. It’s not really a case of, you will get residence permit because you live here. That’s how it was before Brexit, that’s how people got their WARP cards, by proving that they lived here. Since Brexit it’s more the other way round, you apply for a residence permit and if your application is successful then you can live here. Many people would like residence permits but it’s the ones who submit an application with solid proof that they meet all the criteria, that get them.

Thanks i understand that we had to prove we had sufficient funds before coming and enough to get us through and wirh luck we have. I was thinking if I was able to.get a small job before visa due that maybe a way to go as well. I also realise that I wouldn’t necessarily get a resident card because I am here and things change on a regular basis . Thanks dor the inout always good to get input though.

But you don’t have a work permit, do you? Nobody can offer you a job if you don’t have either the automatic right to work in France or a work permit. It would be illegal. That’s what we were saying about being realistic. You must check what the possible options are and what things aren’t allowed, and focus on the possible options. If you’re here on a visitor visa you are not allowed to work.