Azuregold

Hello! This is my first post on the forum as I'm struggling to find information about the process to follow regarding the CPAM when leaving France. I was working in France and left at the end of September. I'm going back at the end of November for a few days to finish off admin things and collect the rest of my possessions. I need to tell the CPAM that I'm leaving but I can't find out any information. I don't have a Carte Vitale, although I did receive the forms for it and do have an attestation. I don't have an Ameli account and can't register without a code! I've tried both Google and calling various CPAM phone numbers, but the numbers just cut out immediately (I have put in the country code and checked the numbers several times). What I want to avoid is going to the office and telling them, and then they say that I have to do XYZ, as I'm only there for 2 full working days. If anyone has any information about this or experience of it, I'd be very grateful to hear from you. Apologies if someone else has posted a similar question and I haven't seen it. Good day to all

EuroTrash

Why not just write and tell them in a letter? But TBH if you're leaving France permanently why are you worrying, it will all come out in the wash. Now that you are no longer contributing as a worker, before longer your rights will expire automatically; how long that takes depends on how long you contributed for.

And presumably you'll fill in your final French tax declaration next May to declare your income during 2017, and on that form you will enter the date you left France, and that info will be recorded.

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!
When my Anglo/French daughters left France, they didn't inform their respective local CPAM offices. It's only when you move within France and have to change CPAMs that you must let them know.
To have peace of mind, write a letter snail-mail to your local CPAM office, announcing that you have left France. You should also inform your local Tax Office, so that they can send next year's Déclaration de Revenus and Taxe d'Habitation for 2017 to the correct address.
Keep all official documents, esp. your Attestation and S.S. number, together with your payslips, in a safe place, as the time that you worked in France will count when it comes to applying for your Pension, wherever you happen to be when you retire.
Hope this helps, but some one who has left France after having worked here may come along with more details.

Novocastrian

Given that we're all in the EU, my experience with the German equivalent may be relevant. I echo dmu's advice to keep records. But your taxation ID is the single most important one.

I lived and worked in Germany for 8 years from the mid-80's to the early-90s and now as a retiree in the UK (and France) receive a welcome 400 euros a month from the German pension system.

south_bound

I would echo the suggestions to write a letter, sent AR if you really want to show that you did let them know.

Novo, do I understand right that state pensions within the EU are combined and paid by the country you last worked in ie. previous years worked in the UK will be added to the years worked in France when calculating the total amount and a single pension paid by France? Obviously private pensions will be paid separately by each pension scheme. I also have pensions to come from non-EU countries so they will be throwing money at me from all directions when the time comes, pity it will only be about 3.50€ from each!

Novocastrian

I thought that was the case too. But when I applied for my state pension in the UK, giving them my lifetime work history, the DWP sent me a letter suggesting that I apply for a German pension, which, after suitable bureaucratic to and fro, I was awarded.

It's possible that although Germany was the last EU country I worked in, the very last country I worked in was non-EU (Canada). So I might be an exception to the rule. I really don't know.

My UK pension is tiny, much less than the German one. But most of my pension income comes from state and private Canadian sources.

Because of the collapse of the pound post referendum, both the $Cdn and the euro bits have gone up quite a lot.

Currency diversification is not a bad idea.

dmu

I can answer from experience! I applied for my French Pension after having done the statutory trimestres, which included the years which I worked in the UK before coming to France. I gave my British NI Number to the Agent and, hey presto, my whole employment history came up on his computer, including when, as a 6th-former, I worked in a local shop on Saturdays and paid my stamp!
I get the French State Pension plus one from the Caisse des Cadres and other minor ones, based on my côtisations here. After filling in forms from Newcastle, I receive my British Pension separately, based on my contributions in the UK. I did work for 6 months in Zürich and paid into the Swiss Pension scheme, but didn't think it worthwhile to mention it. I wish I had, it all adds up, after all....

south_bound

Thanks both for taking the time to reply. I'm still confused though, are you saying you receive state pensions from both UK and France separately in recognition of contributions in each country, or that the last country in which you worked takes account of time served in other EU countries and adds it to their own? How does that work with regard to the required number of years contribution, in that you need 30 years in the UK but 40.5 years in France to get a full state pension? I'm still a few years away but its all part of the planning.

Sorry for taking this off topic - feel free to move it to a separate thread if need be.

dmu

The last country in which you worked takes account of time served in other countries. Everything should come up on the Agent's computer if you give your various S.S. numbers, and the countries concerned sort things out once the procedure has been triggered off. I imagine that, if you finally apply for retirement in France, you'll have to justify more trimestres than in the UK for the French Pension to kick in... Some one who has gone through this will correct me if I'm wrong.
The State Pension I receive quarterly from the UK is in fact peanuts, but it adds butter to the spinach, as they say!

InVinoVeritas

I always thought it was the country in which you had paid contributions for the longest period which was responsible for combining multiple EU state pensions?

Azuregold

Thanks for your reply. I think I'll take my chances when I'm there in a couple of weeks and go and see them.

Azuregold

Thank you for your reply and yes it does help. I'm going to just go into the office when I'm in France with my certificat de travail and pole emploi attestation amongst my documents. Hopefully that will be enough. Thanks again.