Hi
Just joined your group and would like to say Bonjour

Hello and Welcome to BE. From your bonjour, I'm assuming you are or at least live in France or a French speaking country. Please take a few moments to tell us a little about yourself and what, if anything, we can help you with. Perhaps you are here to make acquaintance with other Brits living in your area.

Our forum's guidelines are in the link at the top of the site's intro page. Please have a read and if you have any issues with posting, etc. seek assistance from one our helpful moderators.

Again, welcome to BE.

Hi Rete - Thank you for getting in touch
No I am English and still live here. My husband and I are currently learning French (to help us when we take the leap over to France) .
My husband is retired and I retire officially in February. We have our home to sell then want to come over to find a home. We are currently trying to work out how we make this big move.
If anyone could give us advise as to what order we need to do things we would really appreciate it. We know we need a long term visa but it is too early to apply for this at the moment.
Then we have to sort out a bank account, and currency agency to transfer funds over to buy a new home. Any advice or recommendations would be good.
If there is a classic car enthusiast out there what do we have to do to regarding bringing the car over? (we have read somewhere that cars have to be up to todays standards regarding emissions etc. but a car over 50 years old is not emission friendly so how do we get around this? (in order of not breaking any French laws).
Finally - if someone would be kind enough to let me know of local estate agents (I have been looking at the international sites) but it would be nice if I could browse through some local estate agents properties. We are looking at Lower Normandy, Brittany, Charente and the South West. We would both like to hear from the community about their knowledge of living within these regions .
I look forward to hearing from some of you (I hope).

The Welcome Inn is for introductions so as you have asked specific questions about a move to France I will move your thread to that forum.

Good luck with your research and welcome to the forum.

Rosemary

Thank you Rosemary (sorry for using the wrong thread - I am not very computer friendly).

You did not use the wrong part of BE but you would not have received answers to your questions about moving to France so to save you asking the same questions again in the France forum I thought it prudent to move your thread.

Hopefully the lovely members here will be along shortly to give you some insights.

Rosemary

Hi, and welcome to the French forum.
Here are a few links which make interesting reading for those wishing to make the move here. Visas are a sticking point, especially since Brexit.
https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/web/france-visas/home

Moving to France FAQ's

It is often suggested that one spends some time getting to know France by touring (especially during off-seasons, winter etc) as holidays during long daylight summer seasons can give a distorted 'real life' impression.
As a classic car enthusiast, there are many vehicles here well over 50 years old, and the system has concessions which allow for non-emission friendly cars. However some changes may be required such as the car's headlights (adjustment for apposite dipping etc) and possibly other features to meet safety conditions.
Others here may be able to suggest estate agents in your preferred regions.

Recently I was researching bringing a clasic car into France.
As far as I understand it, if a car car comes from a country not part of the European union, one needs a 846A certificate from the French customs. That means paying VAT and duties on the value of the vintage car. If it is imported as a classic car in the process of moving in to take permanent residency in the country, I believe the VAT and duties used to be completely waived, but I'm unsure whether this is still the case post Brexit. Whichever way I believe the 846A certificate still must be acquired in the days following the arrival of the classic car in France.
If anyone knows precisely the current procedure for importing a classic car from the UK, as Noddy's mate used to say, "I'm all ears."

Hi, I've just come back from holiday and wanted to wish you Welcome to the France forum, too!
A few points come to mind: As suggested, come over and spend time in some of the areas you mentioned, out of season. You may find that they are dead in winter... You can also visit local estate agents. It has often been advised not to burn your bridges in the UK (i.e. sell property), in case things don't turn out well here and you want to return to the UK.
You may be fit now, but as you get older, you tend to consult more frequently, so make sure that there are medical facilities nearby! The same applies to land - as you get older, you don't have the same energy to maintain it (French rules are severe concerning the risk of fires).
If you have children from previous marriages, you should ask the Notaire dealing with the sale, how best to protect them when you die (French Succession Law is a nightmare).
The main issue is getting a Visa, but, as you say, it's too early.
Sorry I can't advise on other subjects....