Since you’ve been back in the UK for 10 years and your old residence card expired ages ago, France basically treats you like you’re starting from scratch. The good news: your pensions + family in France actually make things a lot easier.
In your situation, most people go for the long-stay visitor visa (basically the “retiree visa”). It’s meant for people who aren’t coming to work, just to live life, be near family, etc. Your UK + French pensions count as proof of income, so you’re covered there.
You’ll just need to show three basic things:
You can support yourself (your pensions do that) You have a place to stay (your ex can literally just write a simple letter saying you’re staying with him — very French solution btw ) You have health insurance for the first year (your old carte vitale doesn’t automatically kick back in, but once you’re in France you can sort that out properly)
It’s a one-year visa at first, and then once you’re there, you just renew it in France, no need to come back to the UK or anything.
If things get serious with the ex again (lol), you could technically go down the partner/PACS route later, but that’s not something you need to worry about right now.
I’m going to be my usual pedantic self, and point out that it’s not for the first year, it’s until you get into the health system, which can be more than a year, or much less.
It’s worth looking for a policy that can be cancelled or converted to a mutuelle in the event that you get into the system earlier.
Make sure you apply for the long stay visa TS which is renewable and not T, which isn’t. If you are retired with a UK state pension you should also request an S1 from the DWP which fulfils the health insurance requirement. Mixed views about whether this will cover you immediately or still have to wait until formally accepted into the health system. But having already been in the French system should make this pretty easy and quick.
True but they said you have to show you have insurance for the full year which is the requirement they didn’t say you need to carry it for the whole year.
I’m not sure it’s just a simple letter - mind you, I did it years ago, so maybe things have changed. At the time I had to buy a special stamp from the local tabac. I think it was about 30 euros, which annoyed me because in the end my guest didn’t come!
I hadn’t picked up on that! You are right of course she will have to investigate as if she worked in UK after leaving France it can be that State of last employer is he competent State.
Yes I did work in the uk for 2.5 years , from 2018 to to the end of 2020 . Covid happened and for a while I was furloughed.
Got my uk pension in 2024 then the French one in 2025 . I am totally baffled by it all to be honest
Surely, no expense can outweigh the benefits of living in France!
Seriously though, there is a France type of residence card called CDS ‘retraite’ which despite its name is not for retired persons. It is for people who are entitled to (or have) a French pension and who, having left France wish to return. So that’s you!
I don’t know how that would work with a Visa, you would presumably mention it at application. I also don’t know if it affects any minimum income requirement.
I do know that you can acquire France nationality through ascendancy from your French children, though you have to live in France for 25 years. Unsure whether that is in one go, or you can take ‘breaks’. The webpage just says 25 years.
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