John is an absolute Gem! He has been a great help to us navigating the ridiculously complex and antiquated French system. I cannot recommend him high enough!
No, the carte vitale is not the most stressful. The carte de sejour is easily more stressful as without it you are ejected from the country. You Brits will never appreciate the horror of this and the behaviour of the fonctionaires at the prefecture towards those of us dependent for our existence on that little plastic card. Even my French boyfriend had steam coming out of his ears last time on his own and my behalf. I'm contemplating making a naturalisation application this year (if I can get a renewal of the carte de sejour - unlikely unless my work situation improves) and god help me with that!
Hi Elizabeth, could you email me your details at info@pleasehelp.fr so I can advise you. thanks. John
I would willingly pay the fees mentioned if legal advice is included. Not in sense of representaion, but just guidance as to where to find an honest evaluation of my cadastre vs bornage problems.
Also I want to know if I can protest that the case against my neighbor for assault and battery is taking too long and causing untold stress
I don't know Mike, perhaps a technical glitch, happens occasionally. Nothing has been removed intentionally.
James, I posted a comment and don't see it. I posted "Not True. Lack of French language and lame attitude." The real reasons for not understanding the "dreaded french administration."
John has provided me with very good advice about getting a working visa for my partner. When I contacted my university employer to determine if my partner was entitled to a "spousal" visa I was told absolutely no. I contacted John who immediately contacted his legal team to determine if that was indeed the case. His legal team advised that my partner may indeed be entitled to a visa! We are still not 100% sure but either way I feel confident knowing that John will help me explore all the options. John is very prompt and keeps you updated throughout the process. I highly recommend his service!
Having been here 4 years now our Carte Vital was obtained within the first few weeks doctors organised bit of a hiccup with the tax fonciere as it was sent to our old UK address but quickly rectified, neither myself or wife spoke more than a few words of French only a little better now but all these were obtained with the minimum of fuss infact it was the UK DWP that screwed up having me married to a woman in Bristol and sending me her S1 and other details but of course it was my fault. The French side went like a dream we expected trouble after hearing and reading all the horror story's perhaps its this area more user friendly or maybe my youthful good looks and boyish charm carried the day
Great idea! Too late for us, because after 17 years we left France this year (but am still trying to tidy up with the government re taxes and stuff).
We are now settled (or getting to) in Italy and find the same endless rules and regulations seemingly all constructed so as to harass foreigners..... but at least the people are much more friendly and really wanting to help navigate those rules ! It is a delight !
My bank was of no help to me whatsoever even though I do have legal cover....I gave up with them as it was too complicated to explain my situation of non payment of wages following a bankruptcy to them! John of Please Help explained everything very clearly to me and helped me immediately with a letter to send to the Mandataire which certainly got things moving....thanks John!!!
Banks do 'Assurance/Assistance Juridique' programmes which cover almost all problems including those with the Authorities, and of course there is 'The médiateur de la république'....(also online)
A 'very fast turn around' is spot on. John came up with answers,after a few telephone calls, in a couple of days on a long ongoing problem concerning Urssaf and my pension, when noone,not even my accountant could sort it out. Unfortunately the outcome was not good but I at least now know,and he's pointed out other directions I could take. Apart from his professionalism he seems to be a very nice man. Thanks James for posting this.
nice to know someone is reading, thanks Ley
Looks like a great idea and I could certainly use some help. Trying to be helpful also I noticed that the website needs checking for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes (e.g. carte vitalS).The phone numbers on the contact page need to be checked also - certain digits seem to be reversed. Thanks for the info though and I will consider using their services in the future.
I wish I'd known about this service when living in France 2 years ago. I had many issues with obtaining a Carte Vital for myself and my daughter even with Italian passports. Good to see there is help available