dmu

Indeed - is Mrs.KS thinking of moving to France before the Transition Period is over, or after? Depending on how many years she must work until she receives State Pension, there would either be the hassle of getting a French business set up and running and then closing it down after xx years, or the prospect of continuing to work in the UK for xx years and moving serenely to France as a Retiree.
@MrsKS - Is your French adequate to cope with French Bureaucracy? And it's not clear whether your OH is already living in France and you wish to join him permanently, If not, whereabouts would you be settling? (just so that locals can give the pros and cons on locations....)

MrsKS

Good morning everyone
Learning the language is something I need to do , understanding the bureaucracy is something we have to accept . Upper and lower Normandy is I think a good starting area . We Wanted to renovate a property but it would appear from the posts it’s a nightmare insofar as not being able to do things yourself .

EuroTrash

Yes it makes a critical difference.
ME is a simplified regime, and the way it is simplified is that deductions etc are based on turnover not profit. It is the only regime that does this.
To take an extreme example - say your turnover 40k. On that, as a service provider you will pay charges of approx 25% = 10k. If your overheads are low, say 5k, you will be left with 35k after cotisations and charges. If you pay subcontractors and you rent office space or whatever and your net profit is 25k, you will be left with 15k after cotisations and charges so in that case it would be crazy to choose ME.

There is a lot of info online about the various business structures. The government website is a good source because it is always up to date, eg micro entrepreneur is explained here
https://www.service-public.fr/profes...sdroits/F23961
Ideally you will need a decent level of French, otherwise you will always be reliant on someone else to explain things to you and help you through the admin. Businesses in France don't tend to run themselves like they do in the UK, there are more decisions to be made and more interaction with the authorities.
.
However, if you're not planning to move before the end of transition, then as a Brit you will lose the automatic right to work or set up a business in France. In that case you would preumably have to prepare your business plans in advance and submit them along with your visa application.

Another potential consideration of course is the outcome of the trade negotiations and whether or not they will affect your particular business sector. It hasn't yet been agreed what tariffs and barriers, if any, will apply to what types of service provision, so your guess is as good as anyone's. All you can do if you think your business might be affected, is keep yourself up to date with whatever guidelines the UK government spews out to businesses.

cyrian

Hi
You can do things yourself but many things need a local registered tradesman.
Think of electrical; plumbing; repairing and re-pointing walls; roof work and septic tank installation and servicing.
All of these things differ from the UK and if you don't comply with French standards then you will have problems when you come to sell the property.
If an estate agent has an older property to sell then they look for Brits (or Dutch or German) because the French want to buy a plot of land and get a local builder to
construct a modern double glazed and well insulated property.
Where we live there are several such companies who will build one of their off-the-shelf designs with modifications for your taste.
In a village not too far away, they have opened up an area of around 20 - 30 plots for building as described.
Try to spend some time in your chosen location and rent a gîte and explore the options.

MrsKS

Indeed this is all true . I don’t want a new build , plenty of them in the UK , also I don’t want a property which is so far gone it takes years to do up . I think with everything in mind and posts I’ve read, maybe a holiday home initially is the best route for our circumstances once we decide on the area/department . I think it would need to be in an area with Expats for sure due to the limited French we speak. Thanks for your input 🤗

EuroTrash

A holiday home for now is probably wise. As long as you have a comfortable income when you're retired you should have no difficulty getting a visa and a carte de sejour to live here as retirees. It's people who want to work and run a business here who will be most affected by Brexit.
After transition you'll be able to spend up to 90 days out of 180 days in the EU as a visitor, so you can spend up to 6 months a year here but split into 2 with a 90 day gap in between.
As a visitor you don't normally have the right to work here.
What is it about France that attracts you most - the climate, the food, the lifestyle, the countryside? As that will obviously play a big part in choosing your area.

MrsKS

I think for us it is the style of life and good value for your money when it comes to a property with land. The food for definite as french cuisine is absolutely delicious and the countryside in IMO is second to none. I have worked hard all my life and have never had an opportunity to be part of a community, our family are our friends , it would be great to meet and be part of a community, getting involved in activities etc, and hopefully picking up the language. One Estate agent said that Calvados was a good area and that the French there are welcoming to Expats so that department is of consideration.

Addition;- you say comfortable income , what is your estimation of that please sir?

cyrian

Eurotrash is not a sir

The reason that property appears cheap in France is that it doesn't appreciate in value like in the UK.
When you refurbish or improve a French property it is unlikely that you will get your money back unless you are in one of the urban areas where there is high demand.
Properties can take several years to sell in France.
Many years ago someone posted on here and they had upgraded a LARGE property but when they tried to sell it - it was still on the market after 6 years.
If all your money is invested in a French property then after a period of time (for whatever reason) you decide to return to the UK then you may not be able to afford a suitable property in the UK.
Some Brits who have been desperate to return to the UK a) couldn't sell their French property within their timescale and b) couldn't afford the type of property they wanted in the UK.
A holiday home seems like a good first step or consider renting which is more common in France anyway.

Previous posters have asked about the cost of living in France - do a forum search.

MrsKS

Hi and thank you for your input. The property can be left to children when we pass away and they can use it as I understand this is the "norm" when you die, unless you make a specific request in your Will. This is not a purchase to make money, it is for the remaining years of our lives to be happy in a country we believe is best suited to our personal needs. If we ever needed to return, we can live with family , so we are lucky in that regard . Noted re "sir "

cyrian

You cannot make a special request in your Will.
Children in France have an absolute legal right to an equal share of the property and the remaining spouse has the right of "Usufruit" - a lifetime right to remain in the property.
Any money is split equally between the remaining family members.
For example you cannot disinherit a child in France.
You cannot say that you want child-a to inherit the house
Inheritance is very different in France and you should read the appropriate sections in the previous link I supplied above.
Because we do not know each posters personal circumstances, it is inevitable that replies and information are general and the poster must choose what is suitable for their circumstances.
HTH

MrsKS

I want to leave the property to my children so i would not to override anything. I've been advised, If you are resident in France, in the absence of a Will or other inheritance planning measures being taken, the rules of an intestate inheritance apply.

These grant automatic rights of inheritance to a surviving married spouse and children, or to other relatives in the absence of a surviving spouse or children.

Nevertheless, a French Will (or Will made in any other country over assets based in France) cannot override French inheritance laws, which grants entrenched rights of inheritance to your children,

However, since 2015 it is possible under European law to adopt the inheritance laws of your home country.

In the presence of a Will, and without use of the European law on successions, only your children retain their entrenched rights of inheritance (you could actually disenfranchise your spouse, if you so wished, provided you had children!)

EuroTrash

As said - I'm a right little madam, not a sir, but you can call me what you like
But it's not my estimation that matters, it's what France considers sufficient.
If you move as an economically inactive EU citizen, ie before transition,, the rule is that you need sufficient income not to become a burden on the state (because obviously freedom of movement would be unsustainable if people were allowed to move a country and take more out of the system in healthcare and benefits than they pay in). The French government publishes a figure that they consider sufficient income, it's not high, and you can find it here https://www.service-public.fr/partic...osdroits/F2651 - for a couple under 65 it's currently 847,17 € per month.

If you apply for a visa after the transition it's likely that the criteria will be somewhat different. For one thing it's a means for countries to control immigration, so it tends to get adjusted according to whether they're happy to take more immigrants or if they need to curb immigration. For another thing they want to reduce the temptation for people who are here on a visitor visa to work on the black, and logically the better off you are, the less you will be tempted to work illegally for a few extra euro. But if you have decent pensions and a bit of rental income you shouldn't have any problems getting a visa.

Normandy is an excellent choice, it's where I live - near Calvados but not in it.

MrsKS

Hello lady , Im so sorry 🤭 so now I’m envious you live in calvados . Thank you for your advice , I think I’m now getting somewhere . I will look at the link you’ve provided. If the transition period is extended due to COVID 19 , I may well be in France sooner rather than later and if we settle in calvados I will treat you to a few glasses of wine 🤗

EuroTrash

I like wine.
BUT, this is cider country. Cider, pommeau (the apple aperif) and calvados (the apple spirit).
I'm unfortunately not there right now, for complicated reasons, but I imagine it is very pretty with all the apple blossom in the orchards.
There is at least one other regular forum contributor who is an honorary Norman. Are you out there, Novo?

MrsKS

Cider is great too :] . Sorry to hear you are having a few complications and are missing out. I hope you ok and will be at your home soon. If cideris your tipple the offer still stands.