steveok

Hi Guys and Girls,

New here, looks a interesting site,

My wife and I spend a great deal of time each summer travelling France, love the place, you are all so lucky to live there.

Ok to the point, We are going to the Vendee for a 5 month period from May 1st, My car insurance will allow 60 Days, so what do I do about the rest of the time there?

Please advise, I have looked everywhere.

Thanks

Steve

tee1

What level of cover do you want? Under EU law your current car insurance has to provide you with third party cover with no time limit and no additional premium. A lot of the call center monkeys (I can call them this as I had the joy of working in one) don't know this and will tell you otherwise, just laugh and make sure you correct them.

You could have 3 months with the same cover you have on the UK then it would go down to third party. If you want fully comp for 5 months your going to have to arrange something in France. You not supposed to have double insurance though i.e a uk policy and a french one at the same time

steveok

Hi thanks for the answer,
I was on the phone to my insurer when you post came in, They want £30.00 admin fee and will give me something like 150 days, plus charge me £21.00 for 4 days over their free days. They have no idea about unlimited, do you know any web site that has it in writing so I can shove it up there bums?


How long can we drive the car for under our own insurance?
Sorry to rattle on, but do you know how long we can totally stay in France working?


Thanks So Much

Steve

steveok

3rd party is fine

steveok

Just got this from the Citizens Advice Bureaux

Driving abroad
You will have third party motor insurance to drive in any European Union (EU) country, as long as your policy was bought from any EU-based insurer. This includes those based in the UK. However, third party cover is often inadequate, and it is advisable to contact your insurer to arrange extra cover.
Your policy may also give you third party cover to drive in some non-EU countries. Check with your insurer to see if the country you are travelling to is included in your policy. If it is not, you will need to take out extra cover.

So what your insurer don't tell you is, that they want to charge you to extend Fully Comp, and that 3rd party is on there already.

Dont you lust love rip off Britten

Im_and_Er

Working ?

You need to expand on that because with some exceptions for seasonal work if you work in France it could well make you French resident which potentially changes everything !

EDIT: On the insurance issue direct them here:

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/...e/motor_en.htm

steveok

5 months working, you need to be there over six to pay local taxes etc. I think!
Thanks for the info, it pointed me the right way.

Thanks
Steve

Im_and_Er

I'm afraid you think wrongly, you can become French resident the day you set foot in the country, and without working or earning a single cent either !

If your 5 months is is somehow calculated to avoid paying tax you had better revise the plan.

If you work in France you must do it via a properly established business and you will have to pay tax, that is pretty much all there is to it. Otherwise it's called 'working on the black' and can be a serious matter if caught, including for those who have employed you.

cyrian

My daughter couldn't get her UK insurance (Direct Line I think) to cover her in Ireland for 2 months because she "was working". Holiday extension cover was ok.

tee1

Yeah this is what I was on about. It's in your car insurance policy booklet too. All part of the EU motoring directive and free movement of traffic.
More often than not though the call center does not know this and will reel off some speech about how they can't cover you or how it will cost a kidney etc. In my case my car insurance would just not accept they had to provide insurance for my time in France despite me quoting their own policy booklet back to them.
In the end I posted a copy of the EU directive and highlighted the relevant parts to my insurer got an apology and 3 months fully comp insurance for free which then went down to third party for the rest of my time in France

Scots in Treignac

Check out your car tax and MOT as well. I fell foul of the system last summer for the car I had in France and also for one left in the UK.

I was going to be in France when the tax was due and too soon to get it early.

I couldn't do it on line as the disc would have been sent to Scotland (no use to me in France!)
As it happened, I had to visit Canterbury for a Golden Wedding so I did it then.

The car in the Uk cost me a fine of £60.

Another time, I'm thinking of getting a SORN on my car when I am in the UK and taxing it from a date that doesn't interfere with the French trip.

Scots in Treignac

Don't forget your own health insurance

Holiday annual trip lasts about 45 days

Try somethng for backpackers. or a cheap flight back to the UK for a day or two.

Also your house insurance in the UK,
I was told my house shouldn't be unoccupied for more than 60 days.

As it happende my daughter used it for a freind's wedding so we were OK.

Im_and_Er

For pretty obvious reasons the training their telesales people receive probably neglects to include this fact !

EuroTrash

steveok, there are plenty of UK insurers that provide comprehensive cover for unlimited European travel, as long as the policyholder is UK resident and the vehicle is 'normally' kept in the UK, i.e. isn't left abroad on its own.

NFU Mutual being one of them.

EuroTrash

Scots in Treignac, you can tax your car months ahead of the due date if you are going to be out of the country. You don't have to wait until the month before.