bobbi2

Are there any recommended travel insurance companies in France, or do most people do this through their banks etc? I need something for ski cover (in France as well as europe in general) and also international cover for holidays.

RyanD

You can try https://globelink.co.uk/
It is the best I have managed to find.

dmu

Hi, if you're in France, then most big French insurance companies are "recommendable". I personally tend to avoid banks, as it's not their principal function in life. We use GAN but only because we know the Agent here personally... Go along to the Agency who dealt with your maison/responsabilité civile and car insurance. More logical to keep everything together?

bobbi2

At last we have Carte Vitales sorted in France and I think we have now found some good links for travel insurance, BUT if you own a home in the UK, but live (rent) in France paying tax here etc etc, what would happen if you went back "home" to the UK (as we do frequently) and needed medical treatment, say following an accident or similar? I suppose this would be where travel insurance would come in......or would it??
I appreciate that worldwide holidays require adequate cover for travel insurance but how about the UK? Having a home to visit in the UK but paying taxes in France complicates things a little but I know what the answer is!

Chapelgirl

If you have taken out an 'E' form certificate of entitlement (equivalent of the old E101s, E106s etc.) then technically I believe you have de-registered from the UK NHS and from your UK GP. The NHS entitlement is based solely on residency, not tax status, NIC contributions, property ownership or anything else. Strictly speaking, you must pay for your treatment and make a claim on your travel insurance, if you have it.

However, it is anybody's guess what would happen if you were to go back and see your old GP or a hospital A&E whilst you were in the UK, and you gave them your UK address. Given that the NHS spent 12 billion pounds on an IT system they never implemented I'm guessing their record keeping isn't all that, and you might get away with it. There are countless tales in that "quality newspaper the Daily Mail" about people being flown in to Heathrow for their "free" maternity care etc. on the British taxpayer.

I am not condoning medical tourism by the way. We haven't been back to the UK since we emigrated 3yrs ago, and we don't have a UK address. "Home" is now France. If either of us needed medical care I can tell you that we definitely wouldn't go back to the UK for it.