Start micro entreprise: social security
 

I (Dutch) want to emigrate to France the in January and start at the same time a micro entreprise (B&B).
The advantage of a micro entreprise is that we are in the social security immediately.

I will send the Cerfa form for the creation of the micro entreprise to Urssaf online, but I don't have a social security number yet.
I presume it will take some time before I receive the necessary documents.
How long doest this take before you receive a validation? I don't like to take the risk to become ill during this waiting period without medical coverage.

Has someone experience with this recently?

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

Hello Pilou, it didn't used to take too long although this year there have been reports from Brits about it taking an age, but that was probably due to the sheer numbers arriving in France to beat Brexit and the offices getting overloaded, plus Covid restrictions and staff absences etc. So it's hard to give a definitive answer beyond, shouldn't be too long but there are no guarantees.

Your PUMA entitlement starts on the date you open your business, so even if you don't have the paperwork and you have to pay upfront for any treatment, you should get your 70 or whatever reimbursed in due course. But of course you won't be able to take out mutuelle cover (if you are intending to) until you have your social security number, so you would be stuck with your co-payment for any treatment before the mutuelle is arranged..

If you have concerns about healthcare it might be wise to take out private health insurance to cover the settling-in period. Unless you already have a place in France to live, you wouldn't in any case be able to start setting up the ME immediately, since you will need proof of address etc etc etc.

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

Hi Pilou
Welcome to France although, didn't you use to live in France in which case Welcome Back !

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

Ah well if you already have a French social security number that should speed the process up, a lot of the delays seem to have been over the issuing of social security numbers.
Once you have a sécu number it is yours for life. I worked in France then left and it was nearly 40 years before I returned but I had to find my original number before they would process me, they wouldn't issue a new one!

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

Sorry ET, I think he used to live in France but maybe I'm mistaken ...
I just remember having some pleasant conversations with someone who left France for Portugal and I think it might have been Pilou (But maybe not).

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

You are right
https://britishexpats.com/forum/port...uction-899704/

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

Oh, Thanks for that.
2017 ... Time flies !

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

HI, thanks for your answers, EuroTrash! Very usefull.
We lived in France from 1997 to 2016 and then left for Portugal, but we plan to come back in 2 weeks to start the ME.

In the past we paid to Urssaf for Couverture Maladie Universelle (now PUMA) as residents in France, but I don't know what is the social security number: On the old paper of Urssaf I see: N.N.I number and Numéro cotisant. Which one is the social security number?

We still have our house in France, so that is no problem.
I think the NNI is the social security number. But I can only find the number of my husband and not my number. I had no number, because I was "attached" to the number of my husband.

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

I saw on internet the NNI is the social security number. Happy that we already have one.

Is it true that we have to re-open that number at CPAM with the document S1106?

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

Yes the NNI is your social security number.
I think that if you apply to open a micro entreprise you will be asked for that number. I am not sure you will use the S1106 if you're getting your health coverage via your micro entreprise (I didn't, but that was a long time ago and things may have changed).
Also, I note that you are saying "we". France no longer has the ayant droit system where one spouse was "attached" to the cover of the other spouse. Now, each adult has health cover in their own right (own number, own carte vitale, own account with CPAM) so I suppose you would both need to apply separately. I'm not sure how this would work if one of you is setting up a micro entreprise because ME is basically a one-person business and provides health and social security cover for one adult and their dependent children if relevant. It is possible to register a spouse as a "collaborateur" in the business so that the spouse also gets social security cover, but it can get a bit complicated and there is an extra cost. It might be easier (and less expensive if they are retired) for the other spouse to register simply as a resident, as you did previously, assuming you have some source of unearned income you can provide paperwork for.
Maybe someone else can fill in more details and give clearer advice, I'm a bit vague about it but I do remember the ayant droit option being phased out several years ago.

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

Thanks for the info!
My husband will become 'entrepreneur' and I will become 'conjoint collaborateur'. The idea behind this, is that each one of us wants to build up a small french pension in order to escape from the high social security contribution to the Netherlands once we are retired in France.
And we will both work in the ME (parahotellerie).

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

Sounds perfect :thumbup:
Hope the move goes smoothly for you.
'(I won't even ask how high social security contributions are in NL, if FR is low by comparison :eek:)

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

Just to clarify, your own S.S. number will start with a 2, followed by your year of birth, then your month of birth, then 99 (presuming you were born in the Netherlands), and 6 others.
Your husband's will start with a 1, followed by his respective figures.
As said, you must each have your own individual number....
(For general knowledge, for France-born, the Département number is given after the month of birth, and 99 for those born anywhere outside France).

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

I find it hard to believe that social charges (and taxes in general) anywhere else could be higher than in France.:eek:

Re: Start micro entreprise: social security
 

It’s a matter of perspective we pay higher social charges but have cheaper homes, England pay less social charges but pay more income tax individually and have road tax and higher house prices.