I believe you have misunderstood the changes that Brexit has made for British citizens moving to France. Before Brexit it was possible to do exactly what you said that you wanted to do ; visit France and while there decide you want to stay and become a resident; set up a little business to keep you going while you find your feet; seek a better job at expand your own enterprise; register with the health service and any necessary professional bodies. Since then times have changed. It is still possible to move to France to live but you now have to set the wheels in motion before you leave the U.K. The first question you have to ask your self is, are you going to have to work or do you have sufficient income to be accepted as an inactif visitor? If itâs the latter you go through a process that starts with a visa that leads onto a temporary Carte de Sejour and eventually if you keep ticking all the boxes permanent residency after 10 years. If you are going to have to work there are two basic routes. The first option is to apply for a job in France. The problem with that is that you have to have something very special to offer, to be in a high demand sector. The second is to apply for a visa to create your own business in France. To do that you need to produce a watertight business plan and have the means to support yourself until the day that your business reaches the high threshold needed for you to stay. If either of these routes suits you you need to spend time on the France Visas site and look at exactly what is required. Moving to France becoming a resident, looking for casual work then applying for a visa is not an option.
To be clear Robert, all the matters you are discussing would fall into the âyou must get it rightâ category. My own move here was based on advice from KPMG, who were my tax advisors at the time. Iâd also used PWC in the past for other moves. Iâm as straight as a die and I totally endorse your decision to get professional advice. I wanted a throat to choke if anything went wrong 
However, you will discover when you live here that are many areas of life in France that are not black and white. Iâve alway found the idea of following rules that the locals disregard amusing. Thatâs when my flippant indices would be relevant.
I hope you get it all sorted out and embark on a great life in France.
Very sound advice David.
Hello Robert, just my thoughts on your desire to take up residency and work here legally. Itâs complicated.
Am a non-EU citizen (American) but have permanent residency here. I came here on a âprofession liberaleâ visa to be self-employed ie. auto-entrepreneur (now called micro-entrepreneur) 11 years ago to teach Business English at Universities. I obtained healthcare coverage through my self-employment status and pay for it through social charges based on my earnings.
All legal residents here for at least 90 days are entitled to healthcare benefits. But you have to apply for it. And there is a cost. I donât know if thereâs a special provision or reciprocation as a UK citizen. Hereâs link to info re. CSM referenced by Fabien.
Yes, unfortunately, there is no nomad-type visa here for working remotely. Some try to do it still with a long-stay visitor visa but it is illegal and risky.
Finding an employer to sponsor a visa is next to impossible. However, there are several non-sponsor type work visas (such as mine referenced above) available here.
https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/self-employed-person-or-liberal-activity
Hope this helps a bit and good luck with your planning for your move.
Sorry to drag this up again but, since weâre on the subject of the CSM, does anyone know whether itâs payable if the person claiming entitlement to healthcare through PUMA is NOT yet drawing a retirement pension but their non-claimant spouse IS drawing a pension?
Think Iâll probably need to toddle along to URSSAF and ask them.
Maybe @fabien knows.
Itâs 5 years continuous residency that leads to permanent residency not 10 years providing you meet the criteria. Or have I misunderstood that you are referring to a 10 year card on reaching 5 years.
@kim You have understood perfectly, itâs me that made the mistake. I meant the 10 year card after five years. It is a long time since I went through all that. The point Iâm trying to make is that although a British citizen can visit France for 90/180 days anything else means applying for a visa, either as a inactif visitor or as an employed or self-employed worker, from the U.K. Itâs the idea of coming over as a visitor, deciding to become resident then sorting out employment when in France thatâs a non starter. The idea that you can be a remote worker while in France without a work visa and proper arrangements between the employer and France is something completely different. Anyone who wants to do that would be better off looking at Spain. Spain not only has a Digital Nomad Visa it also allows individuals to set up as self employed while working for an one overseas, non EU company, France does not.
One thing that I do not think has been mentioned in all this is métiers en tension. If RobertLT were to be qualified for and want to take a job in a shortage occupation, the work permit xould be granted quasi automatically. Although of course continued residence would be dependent on continuing to work in a secteur en tension, unless another route is found (e.g. finding a sponsor in a different sector).
Unlike working remotely below the radar on a visitor visa, you would then have a clear status as a worker, have all the right registrations and paperwork and be properly contributing
The list of métiers en tension varies ftom one département to another.
I did try to mention that but I didnât know the terminology. âThe problem with that is that you have to have something very special to offer, to be in a high demand sector. â What I do know is the professions that are listed on the France Visa site is short and very specialised.
Not necessarily, métiers en tension tend to be mundane jobs for which there is a shortage of workers. Cleaners, bus drivers, factory workers.
I think you may be thinking of the visa talent (used to be called passeport talent) which is an entirely different thing.
Thatâs interesting. In my region a number of restaurants have had huge problems getting staff so itâs not hard to imagine that there are shortages in other employment areas as well.
Hi Helen,
It depends on multiple factors. For example, if you are from the UK and this is a state pension, then you are eligible for the âS1â form, which guarantees you wonât have to pay the CSM on your pension income (thatâs just an example). If one of you is not retired and is therefore living off savings, then itâs also âtax-free.â
Just to clarify how this works: when married, you usually declare income on a joint tax return, and therefore the CSM applies (if applicable) to the household income.
I hope this clarifies things a bit, but my advice is always to have a chat with a tax lawyer so that their advice is legally bindingâmeaning that if they get it wrong, you have legal recourse against them. Since the CSM (like remote working) is quite a sensitive topic, itâs best to cover your back and live stress-free 
Wine not stress is the moto in France after all 
Thanks Fabien.
Weâve been living in France for years and I am planning to retire end of next year.
I will be receiving a pension from my employer, an international organisation.
Neither of us will have an S1 from the UK (Iâm too young to draw my UK state pension and my husband will never get an S1 because he worked briefly in France so France will be his competent state).
We currently have full private health insurance (du premier euro) through my employer.
When I retire, I will keep this insurance so I will not be « à la charge de la Sécu ».
My husband however will have to join PUMA based on residence. He is not permitted to keep my employerâs insurance.
I know the CSM will be payable on his portion of our « passive » income over and above âŹ23 184.
And I know he will be exempt once he starts drawing his small French pension in a few years.
My question is, would he also be exempt straightaway, on the grounds that I, his wife, will be receiving a pension? Iâve researched this extensively on the internet but the answer is not clear.
Based on @RobertLT 's PM to me that contained some information about resources, and thanks to David Mâs advice, then itâs looking like the safe, obtainable and legal way in RobertLTâs circumstances is the self-employed business visa route.
Can anyone remind what is the minimum income for non-WARP visa appliers now?
For the entrepreneur visa I believe you need a robust business plan showing projected earnings above SMIC. If it will be an innovative high earning business you can apply for the talent visa which gives you more rights. I am not aware that there is any threshold published for that, it is more about the businessâs potential for growth.
I think we can be fairly sure that for any visa application the normal minimum level of basic income will be required. Or if not stated as required should be a thing adding to the confort of the authorities issuing the visa.
Even if a business visa with a good business plan, Iâm sure they will be looking for proof that the applicant has an income at the minimum level generally required whilst building up the business. The more so, if there are dependents.
Iâm not sure SMIC level is enough which is why I asked what is the general requirement currently for non-WARP appliers. As that is the level of regular income Iâd prepare to prove. It seems capital doesnât work to cover this alone - no matter even if large - as there might be a view it can disapear or reduce in value (eg if held in stocks and shares).
I am not an expert though.
Carte de séjour "entrepreneur/profession libérale" d'un étranger en France | Service-Public.fr.
All the official information is there. It relates to the cds rather than the visa because that is what google found first but I think you will find the conditions are the same.
Yes if there are dependents I imagine they will expect more.
SMIC is the official requirement for most visas although it is not a tick box exercise, the fact that you can show SMIC does not of itself guarantee a visa. But the bar for a visa entrepreneur is not massively high. Many people obtain them.
Iâm sure that will go down well at the tribunal 
I do not know what that is supposed to mean. What tribunal?
It is not difficult to find out what is required. Applicants normally check this for themselves before applying And as far as I am aware, worst case scenario, you are not sent before a tribunal for submitting an application that does not meet the conditions. The worst that can happen is that your application is rejected and you have to reapply.
So I cannot understand your comment, but perhaps I just have no sense of humour
The problem is the right to work has been removed so itâs no longer simply a case of ticking the financial boxes. The people I wrote about earlier owned a property and hoped to be able to start up a hairdressers in an area with a large anglophone population. They werenât given the opportunity to see if the idea was financially viable their application was rejected. It appears that France doesnât think it needs any more hairdressers.
I donât know how to upload a screenshot so Iâve added a link to more information. https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/web/france-visas/self-employed-person-or-liberal-activity