Wendybee

This is my very first post ever on a forum anywhere! Having only moved into our home in France less than two weeks ago I naturally have dozens of questions but I'll limit myself to one at a time! My husband and I are both in our early fifties and have retired early. We have private health insurance. Do we therefore still need, or will we even be able to obtain, a carte vitale? Can you register with a doctor without one? I presume you probably can and you then either pay your bill yourself or have your insurer pay it for you? Advice from someone whose circumstances are the same would be useful. Many thanks.

Im_and_Er

Hi and welcome to the forum.

If you are not afilliated to the French health system then no you cannot get a Carte Vitale and other than for continuity there is no need to, or advantage in, registering with a doctor. In fact I don't think it will even be possible.

Not wishing to pry but are you not able to get an S1(E106) from UK ? If either of you have been working there and paying NI for the past couple of tax years then you should have some entitlement to one which would allow you to join CPAM which in turn would get you both a Carte Vitale and along with it some 70% of your costs covered, possibly more. The balance you can cover with a mutuelle.

Regarding private insurance, to count as legal and qualifying towards your 5 years residency, after which you can join CPAM automatically, I hope you are aware that it must be full and comprehensive.

This site spells it out.

Finally there is still some conjecture as to how the French are going to implement the EU ruling that denying health care to so called 'inactifs', such as yourselves, is against EU rules. Theoretically it should be as simple as getting a letter from DWP in UK that they wil not issue you with an S1 (as it used to be prior to 2007) but knowing the French they will twist and bend that to their own ends not to mention individual CPAM offices putting their own slant on things !

smithyandlisa

We arrived under pretty much the same circumstances as yourselves, except we had no private medical insurance.

You don't mention when you terminated your employment in the UK.

We gave up our jobs just a month before arriving here.

You are entitled to up to 2 years reciprocal healthcare, depending on when you ceased working.

Once you can prove yourself to be resident, (you will quickly learn that a current EDF bill is the key to almost every door here) you can register with a GP and then, (if you fall within that required timescale) apply for a Carte Vitale. Ours came through very quickly, about 3 weeks, but you will be given an attestation in the meantime, which will enable you to apply for reimbursement of approx 70% of everything you pay. Just remember to keep the brown "feuille de soins" which will be given to you at each visit to the GP, consultant, pharmacist etc.

After 18 months here we received a letter from Newcastle telling us that the umbilical cord had been cut, and we were no longer entitled to reciprocal medical care.

You will have to wait until you have been resident for 5 years before you can apply for a Carte Vitale funded by French healthcare, unless of course you work.

I registered as an autoentrepreneur, teaching English, in April of this year. I was therefore entitled to apply for my new CV, which arrived once again in a matter of 3 or 4 weeks, and also covers my husband. He'll be flying solo soon, as he found full time employment a couple of months ago! Never thought I'd be sooo excited to see a salary paid into a bank account.

I can tell you that after more than 2 years with no CV, and insufficient funds to pay for private medical insurance, it really was a relief to see that little green card in my post box. The photo is pants, but who cares!!!!

Sorry if this is a bit long winded. My husband will tell you that I never use just one word if I can possibly use three.

This has been our experience. Hope it helps.

Good luck with your new life. What part of France are you in?

Im_and_Er

Given the requsite NI contributions in the tax year of departure and timed correctly it's possible to squeeze 2.5 years out of an S1(E106)

Ka Ora!

Welcome to the Forum, Should you get any issues Myself, Sue or Mitzyboy a shout.

Wendybee

Thank you for your replies. Unfortunately before moving to France we worked in the Channel Islands and whilst that gives us the right to live and work in the EU there's no reciprocal health agreement so I think that until we've been here for 5 years or become employed we're stuck with the private health insurance option

Kontiki

I do not think that by working elsewhere takes away your rights as a EU citizen, it will be your birth certificate that determines that point. Bearing in mind you are not allowed in France (theoretically)without means of income which is above the amount they give if you were to be on the social (400) approx. But I do not think that you are NOT untitled to a Carte V. It is of course the luck of the draw in France with just about everything. But go to your doctor and register with them and make the application in the normal way and cross your fingers.

It is interesting to note just how crafty they can be though, try applying for social security out here. they will ask you to prove that you have no other income. That is an impossible task, even if you went to every bank in the world and got letter saying you had not an account with them, does not stop someone sending you money. But some are lucky and get it so never say never with the French.