I still haven't got my carte vitale, after 3 years.... and I'm French!! I just had the nerve to leave the country for a couple of decades...
Carol, do you have health insurance in France? If yes, your husband is entitled to yours, without additional charge, unless you want to take a "mutuelle", those start around 11 euros per month. I'm French, but had a difficult time coming back here (after Russia......) as everything needed to be justified a billion times. The best, if you can is going straight to the office and sorting things out with them. I've found them to be surprisingly helpful, much better than they were a couple of decades ago.
Jayne...you guys are braver than we are....my husband...64...we moved here 3 years ago....is winging it...no insurance for health....and we are terrified. He cannot be provided with any health cover here as he doesnt work, he had his free two years prior to retirement....so needs insurance..we were quoted nearly 1000 euros a month! sorry...but give me the (free at point of delivery NHS)....12000 euros when you only have pensions....and one rented our property bringing in 10k a year...and we also were hit with 18k taxes, again,....as 3 years on still paying double tax!!! I am beyond p*ssed off! I frankly dont care anymore...Hollande doesnt want us...or only wants to fleece us...fine.....if neccessary we will rent out the house for ever....had enough of filling in forms..forms being lost...I know the whole thing about enjoying the laid back lifestyle..believe me..I had low blood pressure before coming here...I should think I am stroke food here...so annoyed and constantly irritated are we by cock ups, lost papers, requests for repeat letters...aggggghhhhhhh!!!!! yes Brian and Andrew...give me good old Blighty any day! at least I dont have to blo*dy register every letter....and have my complaints ignored....for us it wasnt meant to be...for those of you patient enough to work through the maze of forms/registered letters/lost items etc...you deserve a medal!
Hi Sheila. I wish you luck and hope it all works out soon. Andrew is a star.
RSI has been the only organisation to bring me to tears since living here. I waited 2 years for my carte vitale despite visits, calls etc. I needed it urgently as after living here 6 months I had a reoccurrence of cancer, to me that in itself was not a problem, but trying to use an attestation at the hospitals was a complete nightmare. On the plus side, I did not need to get anything translated though.
I learnt the hard way that you have to send everything lettre recommande otherwise it conveniently gets lost. I still have to do it at my local La Poste but if I drive to the village where I used to live its not necessary. The other thing was never to ask more than one question, send many letters just containing a question otherwise they would only answer the first.
I know how emotional it is but once you have overcome RSI you can take on the world :)
Hi Sheila
I can only wish you good luck with all this admin work here in France. The problem there no real rules. I moved with my family in 2010 and I was asked to provide my husband's and kids birth certificats translated in french. I just ignored the word " translated" and sent all birth certificast in english. I thought it was worth a try because at the end of the day they will just send it back to me. I got carte vital 6 months later. My friend did the same and received her carte vital. so try and sent the paper in english and you will see.
Good luck anyway and I am ready to call on behalf you or with you if you wish.
love it Sheila...keep us up to speed....am looking forward to your mailings!
Are you affiliated to a private insurance company too? The way I understand it, everybody is.... I'm at "Mutuelles du Soleil", I didn't choose, it was just decided that way but up until now, they have dealt with all the issues I've had with RSI.
Oh do it. The two of us here complain very formally, LRARs and all but we are not lawyers and lack that finesse of understanding the nuances of law. Go get her Sheila.
Korean?
oh now you mentioned the D word....my husband believes that discrimination is frequent...but towards Brits...is endemic.....he reads all the threads on SF and saw the thread about the guy who has received a speeding fine...for when he and his car was in hospital....he has asked for a photo...which isnt forthcoming but he has been told the fine has upped to over 180 euros...which he apparently has to pay... and he can then argue about....but he wont get the full figure back....he has a very English name and my OH is now working on a giant conspiracy theory...surrounding how the French are trying to get rid of the Brits!
not translated into english because they have mainland european plugs on them so are not destined for the UK market Carol, those with UK plugs on them have the manuals in english...!
My OH who was the greatest Francophile in the world till we moved here...he says categorically he believes it is racism.....funny little things he noticed...if you buy equipment here...washing machines, coffee makers, TVs... etc...and we bought the lot when we arrived...French makes...that were translated into 10 languages, German, Italian, Greek, Portugues... blah blah blah...but not English...I kid you not...amongst the 8 or 9 new bits of kit we bought...not one translated into English....why? I am going to check out the need for expensive translations in other EU countries as my interest is piqued now....but it seems to us that there is almost a need to raise funds from every office in existence in France....why else does every letter need to be registered...many offices will ignore an unregistered letter..why? doesnt it count if you havent had to spend a few euros sending it?....telephone calls to official offices are often hopeless and how come you get cut off so often? are the phone lines that bad or do so many officials think its an ok way of getting rid of an unwanted phone call.......I do believe life here is much more difficult for a miriad of reasons....ok...rant over!
Exactly my point Carol. Our birth certs are in two of the official languages of the EU, and our passports are in three of the official languages of the EU. I'm probably going to have to cave in on getting Henry's translated because he changed his surname for professional reasons, so there is a Deed Poll. I got a quote from a local traducteur assermenté of €30 per document, but as she's local, I don't have to travel more than 4 kms to show her the originals.
Actually...there is another thread...cant find it now...with a woman moving to France...who has been asked to provide translations for all her families birth certs...she makes the point of it costing well over 200 euros and has complained to various offices stating this is not the free movement of Europeans through Europe....
Thanks Carol. Way back when the earth was cooling, I studied European Law, so this one doesn't know what's coming down the line at her. I can quote all relevant case law if necessary and flood her inbox! The Four Freedoms are one of the pillars on which the EU is built, after all. And that's before I get to discrimination. She's picked on the wrong person! :-)
Is this the free movement of EU citizens throughout the European countries? Shiela it appears you are having to go through the same hoops as non Europeans....telephone calls, emails....non of them seem to produce anything of use...we had similar problems and found face to face the only way to be 'heard'...really feeling your pain...x
Val, I am not aware of any changes in the last three years. Because we pressurised RSI/Ram and URSSAF in the first place we had 'temporary Carte Vitales issued, they were replaced just under a year after - we could actually see no difference but what the heck. With the CAF hassle we are having over our daughters' cards that have never been issued and the one office saying we need and the other saying we do not, we have not needed any extra documentation beyond photocopies of their birth certificates when we applied. There we had one hitch because I was away with work and there was a time limited thing to fill in and return which OH did and because she signed it was returned with a rude letter. Even when she called to explain they said she should have called to explain so that the deadline could be extended until after my return so that I could sign! She is a parent, we are hitched, etc so why? Well, their regulations make me head of house, strange one because we bought here in my OH's name because of our age difference which makes her the householder anywhere else... We have never needed translations, but then all Swiss docs are in three so I imagine they might figure out which one to read. Mine is all just English of course. Mind you, because my OH writes Swiss French which is slightly different, they did send back one explanatory letter saying they did not understand it, which when we checked with friends got a few smiles but was perfectly well understood. So, rules seem to be made up as they go along and their collective mood perhaps.
Your regional one seems to be in Montpelier - no idea how much of a trek that is for you, but here's a link to the list in case I missed another one.
http://www.rsi.fr//change-user/pied-de-page/adresses-utiles/caisses-regionales-rsi.html
Hope you're taking your wellies to Kilkenny!! Seriously, I hope the crup weather has blown over by the time you arrive and you have a fabulous time. Photos of the hat on your return please!
Thanks to everyone for replying - it is very much appreciated, and hopefully will also help others. Marie_Claire, the only address I have is a Paris address, and I am in Aude in Languedoc! Can't really afford to go to Paris, so any suggestions for finding the local RSI office would be much appreciated. Am heading off on Monday for youngest daughter's wedding in Kilkenny on Thursday, but hope to get internet access on and off throughout the week. Thanks all.
Now I'm scared - do I need translations? I've not sent any. I just sent photocopies of the documents they asked for. They haven't reverted (in over a month) to say there's any problem so I've just been waiting twiddling my thumbs to see what I need to do next. I was hoping nothing!