Hello everyone,
I’m going to be moving back to the UK around May this year and I was wondering what the process is?
I’ve spoken to a couple who have moved back and they said they just close down their accounts, insurance, etc and that was it.
I don’t have a house that I’ve bought so that’s okay. I just have an open bank account, insurances, Siret number, carte de séjour, etc.
I appreciate all your advice, and thank you in advance!
If you have a business Siret number then you need to cancel that officially with the relevent Chambre or you will remain under fire from URSSAF et al. I would keep the CDS in case you decide the UK is not for you after all and want to return, you have a limited time in which to be away. Just make sure all insurances are officially cancelled either by LRAR or in person at an agence or they will remain active and even a bank account might be left open for a bit until you decide otherwise. Its harder to start stuff up than resiliation.
The SIRET covers a business activity, which will also need shutting down:
Could be worth checking if France Impôts might still want an annual tax declaration from you for a certain number of years after you leave? For some reason I seem to recall seeing 3 years somewhere but can’t recall the context.
They didn’t ask when we moved back to the UK in 2011. (We moved back to France when brexit happened.) Received demands for holiday home taxes of course.
I’m not sure if I should start a new topic, but this seems as good a place as any for my query. Apologies if this is incorrect.
Anyhoo, due to a family problem back in the UK, my wife and I were considering various possible scenarios, one of which was for me to become a UK resident again and paying taxes there, while she continued as a French resident, paying taxes here ,obviously.
We would not be ‘separating’ as such because I would visit France for my allotted 90/180 days, (or maybe I could get a visa?) while she would visit the UK in the interim.
Does anyone know if there any legal reasons 
why this can’t, or shouldn’t be done?
Did I understand from your earlier post that you moved to France prior to Brexit? If so, do you have the 5 year or 10 year version of the carte de séjour?
From a tax point of view (assuming ‘legal reasons’ also includes tax) there are no “blockers”.
You and your wife would continue to file tax returns jointly in France, except that your wife would report her worldwide income, and you would report only French source income, assuming you become a UK tax resident. In the UK you’d report your worldwide income for you alone, and would include any French source income, with the UK giving a tax credit for French tax paid, to prevent double tax.
Thank you, George1.
Yes, tax was the main item. I thought perhaps we would declare separately, me in UK, her in France, but what you say seems fine for our needs if it becomes necessary. Neither of us has French income, (apart from livret A) only pensions and savings interest from UK. If Livret A becomes taxable as being non-resident, it would be irrelevant (the sum is small, the rate is derisory 
)
@Gareth (If your query is directed to me rather than OP, @cheeseandcrackers)
We moved to France in 2005, then back to UK in 2011, then back to France in 2019 before brexit became concrete. We now have 5 year TdS and of course had nothing at all first time round.
Ah, I see. I was thinking that if you had the 10 year card, then you could have perhaps benefitted from the longer time you’re permitted to be out of France before your carte de sejour is invalidated, to avoid you needing to get a visa. But I’ve just seen from you reply to George that you’re retired so the visa is probably not a problem so ignore me
Not ignored, I checked up on that.
Hadn’t realised it was 5 years rather than 6/10 months.
Thanks.