Hi,
We’ve owned a property in France for many years.
While working, we could manage just a few weeks stay per year, but now having both retired we’d like to have the opportunity to stay longer than three months per year.
I’ve been researching what’s involved, and can see that private health cover would be required. My question is; can this private health cover be sourced from a UK company (perhaps as part of a blanket healthcare cover package), or would we need to arrange this from a French private healthcare provider?
Hope this makes sense!
Many thanks in advance, any feedback greatly appreciated, as would any other advice on arranging longterm stay in France.
Best KEA
The limit with no visa is not 3 months per year in fact. It is 90 days in 180. So potentially up to 6 months per year.
If you are looking at applying for a visa, the heathcare arrangements will depend on what visa you apply for. A renewable one that gives residence, or a long stay tourist visa that does not give residence?
For a 6 month visa an EHIC card (or equivalent ) is sufficient for health care requirements. Mine was topped up with travel insurance but that’s not obligatory. You can then stay under the Shengen arrangements for the 90 out of 180 days. Not sure if you would have to leave the Shengen area before commencing your ‘new’ stay.
For the 1 year visa you need a private healthcare policy even if you don’t intend to apply for residency.
But on a vls ts you can apply to join PUMA after 3 months.
Many thanks Sandcastle.
I think the question wasn’t phased very well.
I understand that if you want to stay in France for more than three months at a time, then there is a legal requirement to have health insurance coverage. At present our thoughts are to apply for a long stay tourist visa. What we’re looking for is the facility to stay in France for periods in excess of three months, and for more than a total of 180 days per year.
I hope this better explains things.
Many thanks for your help.
KEA
Many thanks Nici,
That’s a great help. We do have an EHIC card, but as we’re looking to apply for a 1 year visa, we’ll need private healthcare cover. Would you know if this needs to be arranged through a French provider, or could we arrange though a UK company?
Best, KEA
Ask @fabien or use the insurance tab top left
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Many thanks Marc, will do.
Best KEA
You might find this useful:
From a podcast that Fabien took part in recently with a French lawyer, it is better to go for a 12 month renewable visa so you can be flexible in your arrangements (things can alter plans that you didnt foresee) so the follwing year etc its a short form to teapply, without that you have to reapply as if you hadnt previously had a visa.
Many thanks Corona,
Yes, that sounds very sensible and would best suit our plans.
Best, KEA
Like to know how you get on with your visa as its part hopefully of our plans in a year or two.
I believe this would make you liable to French income tax.
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That’s the one we applied for.
The passports should be back with us shortly, from the look of the online tracker.
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Any issues to be aware of?
We had our “interview” in Edinburgh. You apply via TLSContact and they have an office in Edinburgh, Manchester and London.
The application process is online, though there is a reasonably helpful helpline. There are some unnecessarily tricky stages in the application process. For example, I created an application for London (unwittingly) and then couldn’t get an interview in Edinburgh. The error message did not refer to this: it was only when I rand the helpline that they worked it out. If your application number contains the code for London, then you can’t apply to Edinburgh: you have to start again. Our (correct) reference starts FRA1ED2… - you can see the code for Edinburgh there.
Our application was for VLS-TS, the renewable visa (leading to titre de sejour: I assume that’s what the “TS” bit indicates) as inactifs.
You need a copy of everything for each application (though the kind lady at Edinburgh photocopied a fair amount for us because I had only one copy of bank statements).
I’d read as much as I could about it, because eg it’s not clear from the official website that you need a photocopy of your passport (just the first couple of double pages).
When you start the application, you may have other questions - I’ll answer if I can.
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Are you British in receipt of your State Pension? If so you don’t need private health insurance but you get an ‘S1’ from the overseas team at DWP as France will cover your healthcare costs in the same way that every French citizen gets cover - which to say most of the costs but not all.
Many thanks
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That’s something to look forward to!
What proportion is not covered, and is it worth insuring (if that is even possible)?
The proportion varies between 0 and 100%, depending on the actual act. But you can take out complimentary insurance (mutuelle) if you wish to cover some or all of this.
We did for a year and found it cost us more than we got back so now have a specific complementary insurance for hospital treatment - which can be VERY expensive.
Once we get older we might revisit this decision.
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