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Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

Old Oct 24th 2007, 2:48 am
  #1  
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Default Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

OK. Longish story.

We, yours truly and OH, are British citizens, but left the UK 30 years ago. I've lived in the US (5 years), Canada (4 years), Germany (8 years) and then Canada again for the last 14 years. I intend to retire to France in 7 years from now at the latest.

Obviously I have not contributed any payments to NHS in that time.

I see discussion on the board about various forms, E-106, E-120 etc etc, which I suspect I can't get? Are there any experts on here who know whether we will be eligible for any health care benefits in France when we eventually retire there? Or will we have to get full private coverage?

Thanks in advance.

Novo
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Old Oct 24th 2007, 5:50 am
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

Originally Posted by Novocastrian
OK. Longish story.

We, yours truly and OH, are British citizens, but left the UK 30 years ago. I've lived in the US (5 years), Canada (4 years), Germany (8 years) and then Canada again for the last 14 years. I intend to retire to France in 7 years from now at the latest.

Obviously I have not contributed any payments to NHS in that time.

I see discussion on the board about various forms, E-106, E-120 etc etc, which I suspect I can't get? Are there any experts on here who know whether we will be eligible for any health care benefits in France when we eventually retire there? Or will we have to get full private coverage?

Thanks in advance.

Novo
Sounds very complicated. ;-)
Even if you was an EU citizen and retiring early (under 65) you would not be liable for cover, you would need private.
To get those forms from the NHS you would need to live in the UK and have enough stamps paid in and fit the criteria.
I know when you reach 65 in the EU countries you are covered for health care as they have an agreement amongst themselves, I don`t know about countries not in the Union though.
I think the best bet would be to contact the French Embassy in Canada and ask there, as Canada are sort of linked to France maybe they have some sort of agreement between the two countries.
Val in France may be able to help more though.
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Old Oct 24th 2007, 6:39 am
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

To get EU cover as a UK citizen you would normally have to apply for an E121 (if you are of retirement age) from the Dept of Work and Pensions but its likely you dont fit the criteria not having made many payments to the system (although I'm guessing you have made some prior to you moving abroad) ... you'd need to check on 0044 191 218 1999 (DWP Overseas Medical Benefits section) to be sure.

Health eligibility rules in France are changing in March 2008 and becoming more stringent for people not of retirement age. Look at the thread on the French section
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Old Oct 24th 2007, 8:22 am
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

[QUOTE=Novocastrian;5460135]OK. Longish story.

We, yours truly and OH, are British citizens, but left the UK 30 years ago. I've lived in the US (5 years), Canada (4 years), Germany (8 years) and then Canada again for the last 14 years. I intend to retire to France in 7 years from now at the latest.

Obviously I have not contributed any payments to NHS in that time.

I see discussion on the board about various forms, E-106, E-120 etc etc, which I suspect I can't get? Are there any experts on here who know whether we will be eligible for any health care benefits in France when we eventually retire there? Or will we have to get full private coverage?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Novo
you can only obtain E106 etc if you have been living in UK and paying NI contributions before you move to France.
You will need to take out private medical insurance when you move here.
Best thing to do is wait until you arrive and then make an appointment at your nearest CPAM office. They will be able to tell you exactly what, if any, benefits you are entitled to.
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Old Oct 24th 2007, 12:46 pm
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

[QUOTE=val50;5460677]
Originally Posted by Novocastrian
OK. Longish story.

We, yours truly and OH, are British citizens, but left the UK 30 years ago. I've lived in the US (5 years), Canada (4 years), Germany (8 years) and then Canada again for the last 14 years. I intend to retire to France in 7 years from now at the latest.

Obviously I have not contributed any payments to NHS in that time.

I see discussion on the board about various forms, E-106, E-120 etc etc, which I suspect I can't get? Are there any experts on here who know whether we will be eligible for any health care benefits in France when we eventually retire there? Or will we have to get full private coverage?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Novo
you can only obtain E106 etc if you have been living in UK and paying NI contributions before you move to France.
You will need to take out private medical insurance when you move here.
Best thing to do is wait until you arrive and then make an appointment at your nearest CPAM office. They will be able to tell you exactly what, if any, benefits you are entitled to.
Thanks everyone and especially Val for the helpful PM. I have some research to do.
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Old Oct 24th 2007, 5:39 pm
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

[quote=val50;5460677]
Originally Posted by Novocastrian
OK. Longish story.

We, yours truly and OH, are British citizens, but left the UK 30 years ago. I've lived in the US (5 years), Canada (4 years), Germany (8 years) and then Canada again for the last 14 years. I intend to retire to France in 7 years from now at the latest.

Obviously I have not contributed any payments to NHS in that time.

I see discussion on the board about various forms, E-106, E-120 etc etc, which I suspect I can't get? Are there any experts on here who know whether we will be eligible for any health care benefits in France when we eventually retire there? Or will we have to get full private coverage?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Novo
you can only obtain E106 etc if you have been living in UK and paying NI contributions before you move to France.
You will need to take out private medical insurance when you move here.
Best thing to do is wait until you arrive and then make an appointment at your nearest CPAM office. They will be able to tell you exactly what, if any, benefits you are entitled to.
Yeah I understand that with an E106, but you don't apply for an E121 (retirement) often for years after you leave the UK do you. My thought was if they would be entitled to this anyway after all the years they had been away
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Old Oct 24th 2007, 7:59 pm
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

[QUOTE=Mitzyboy;5463267]
Originally Posted by val50

Yeah I understand that with an E106, but you don't apply for an E121 (retirement) often for years after you leave the UK do you. My thought was if they would be entitled to this anyway after all the years they had been away
On the DWP site I am sure it says you will be sent the E121 to your last known address 3 months before your retirement date.
The retirement date they are thinking of extending to 70 eventually also. ;-(
I am not going to look for it cos that site is a major paperchase. ;-))
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Old Oct 24th 2007, 9:33 pm
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

[quote=jdr;5463728]
Originally Posted by Mitzyboy
On the DWP site I am sure it says you will be sent the E121 to your last known address 3 months before your retirement date.
The retirement date they are thinking of extending to 70 eventually also. ;-(
I am not going to look for it cos that site is a major paperchase. ;-))
I was told we (my wife as she reaches retirement first) has to apply to them 6 months prior to retirement date .... otherwise they'll never know the right address.
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Old Oct 25th 2007, 1:35 am
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

[QUOTE=Mitzyboy;5464004]
Originally Posted by jdr

I was told we (my wife as she reaches retirement first) has to apply to them 6 months prior to retirement date .... otherwise they'll never know the right address.
Thanks for all the input. One extra thing that I should have posted (I did to val by PM) is that my wife's mother is French. So it might be that she can get a French passport (to go with all the others) before we go permanently.

OTOH, having talked to the OH this evening, she "seems to remember" signing away her right to French citizenship sometime before she was 21. This would have been before UK EU membership I think.

Does anyone know the rules here?

(She has an English father, a French mother, was born in neither country, has a British and a Canadian passport, but not one of her birth country, in Africa).

Our lives have been (and continue to be) complicated.
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Old Oct 25th 2007, 9:31 am
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

[QUOTE=Novocastrian;5464597]
Originally Posted by Mitzyboy

Thanks for all the input. One extra thing that I should have posted (I did to val by PM) is that my wife's mother is French. So it might be that she can get a French passport (to go with all the others) before we go permanently.

OTOH, having talked to the OH this evening, she "seems to remember" signing away her right to French citizenship sometime before she was 21. This would have been before UK EU membership I think.

Does anyone know the rules here?

(She has an English father, a French mother, was born in neither country, has a British and a Canadian passport, but not one of her birth country, in Africa).

Our lives have been (and continue to be) complicated.
Hi Novo,
I found this on the internet (you got my curiosity going).
http://www.euskosare.org/euskal_herr...ch_nationality
Strangely enough it's from the French consul in Argentina but seems to answer your questions. One thing I found interesting, and follows on from another thread on the french forum, is that you can apply for naturalization if you've lived here for more than 5 years. I didn't know that
Reading through the info, it doesn't look as if your wife would be able to claim
citizenship but I still think it's worth contacting the French Embassy to confirm.
You might also find this interesting
http://www.parlerparis.com/articles/lapurchase.html
Val
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Old Oct 25th 2007, 2:37 pm
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Default Re: Health care for long term expat Brits in the EU?

[QUOTE=val50;]
Originally Posted by Novocastrian;

Hi Novo,
I found this on the internet (you got my curiosity going).
http://www.euskosare.org/euskal_herr...ch_nationality
Strangely enough it's from the French consul in Argentina but seems to answer your questions. One thing I found interesting, and follows on from another thread on the french forum, is that you can apply for naturalization if you've lived here for more than 5 years. I didn't know that
Reading through the info, it doesn't look as if your wife would be able to claim
citizenship but I still think it's worth contacting the French Embassy to confirm.
You might also find this interesting
http://www.parlerparis.com/articles/lapurchase.html
Val
An impressive bit of googling there val! Thanks so much. It seems OH was right and she abandoned her right to French citizenship back in the late 1960's.

Ah, well... Plan B.
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