Hello all, and sorry if we are trawling over the same old nuggets you’ve answered ad infinitum.
We purchased our property in 16390 on the 14th September 2018, and have stayed temporarily before returning to the U.K. in December to finalise our permanent move. We have now moved out fully on the 23rd January and now wish to register with the various official bodies, Social Security/ Tax/ Health etc. (We are both British and lived all our lives in the U.K. and are 66 and receive U.K. pensions)
We have received our S1 forms and obviously need to register with CPAM which I understand for our area is in Angouleme.
Having spent some time reading through various topics and replies I’m now confused as to when and where we should register to the various bodies locally, as we certainly don’t want to get started on the wrong footing.
I understand Barbezieux is our local point of access for tax and social security, but as our French is very limited at present, I thought that I would ask for advice on the forum regarding these important issues.
Which is the first and most urgent registration to address and how soon, what documentation is required. We do have several months of utility bills, so hopefully that will initially be ok to get the ball rolling as regards residency, although I do understand that until we are fully in the tax system, there are some vagaries in that regard.
When should we register with social services and how?
When should we take the S1 to CPAM?
How and when do we apply to become part of the Taxation System.
Others will probably have different views. However if you “moved” here on 23rd Jan then you have yet to have the 3 months residence to be able to apply to join the health service.
Did you perhaps confuse the dates and actually became resident earlier?
Once you have lived here in a regular and stable manner for 3 months the first step is to join the health service. It’s very simple now. You each fill in the attached form take it along to your local CPAM with copies of all your documents (and take originals with you as they may wish to see them, especially long version of birth certificate).
And then if you became resident before 31st December you pop in to tax office to discuss making a tax return. No urgency as the forms won’t even be available yet. The tax year runs from Jan to December, so if you became resident in Jan then no tax return required until after the end of this fiscal year in 2020.
As for the carte de sejour…well views differ! Personally I’d make sure you amass everything to show you are resident and then wait until after B*****.
Oh and if you’re in a small place, say hello to your Marie so they know you are here. If you’re in a large place they will be supremely uninterested.
Frankly, it is best IMO to deal with folk face-to-face… Whilst Angoulême is where your SI and paperwork will be sent…(it is a Regional Office)… you would do best to work through your local CPAM office… 2 rue Jean-Remon, 16210 Chalais.
rule of thumb… keep a copy of everything you hand over especially the S1.
If you visit Chalais, armed with your S1’s, passports, birth certs, proof of where you live… you can set the ball rolling straight away. Talk things through at Chalais… they will explain how things work. No matter how weak your French… all will be well. (but a dictionary may help)
The link below was updated 11/09/2018 so should be correct, but opening times do change.
Oh… and you will need a Mutuelle to top up what is NOT paid for by the System… @fabien is a trusted advisor and comes highly recommended… if you wish to seek his advice… click on his name.
I think you are in a small commune… so, as Jane says… do go along to your Mairie (if not already)… just to let them know who you are and where you live. Such small niceties go a long way… and it helps when a Delivery or Post cannot find where “this person” lives… they often check with the Mairie.
Also, ask them for a copy of the latest bulletin… I think yours comes out in Jan and June. (maybe an on-line version) and ask about Recycling … you’ll need some yellow sacks and info should be available about how stuff is to be sorted and disposed of… The Bulletin will be full of local info… from emergency contacts to what fun things are going on.
Don’t worry about Tax just yet… that comes later… much later…
NB: Make sure your letterbox is highly visible and clearly marked with your names including wife’s maiden name (if applicable)
We read today that we might also need to approach the CPAM office either in Chalais or possibly Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire to obtain a Social Security Number. Do you know whether this is the case.
