Not according to the EU Registering residence abroad after the first 3 months - Your Europe
You can check other countries here Registering residence abroad after the first 3 months - Your Europe
I picked a few at random & the only one that I found that does not require EU citizens to register after 3 months residence is Ireland.
Presumably if you have some official French-issued document because you live here you will have to be fingerprinted. All French people have a carte dâidentitĂ© and our fingerprints are taken for that. So convenient having a CNI and it is free. Never understood the UK anti-ID card hooha.
No idea why EU people arenât fingerprinted if they stay somewhere but my (French) daughter wasnât for her Aufenthaltserlaubnis in Germany where she was working last year. Non EU people are fingerprinted eg an Australian friend of the daughterâs. Thatâll be the case for UK citizens shortly.
Crikey! Can this be true?! I have seen a table which posts 903.20⏠for a 65+ retired single person. Itâs a significant change. As I exchange the minimum possible from GBP to $ as the FX rate is so dismal, Iâve been working on the 903.20⏠figure for many months now. That extra could have been going gangbusters in my Scottish Wids pension fund - and as not a res of GB, come the day, I donât think Iâll be able to put any back.
Due to failure to sell my flat in Valencia - went on sale in Feb two weeks before lockdown - and no joy since, Iâm arriving in FR on Nov 5th with the intention of securing a pukka tenancy with utilities non-compris, as proof. I hope that does the trick.
Yes it is correct. They are being very generous and not really asking for much proof of anything, certainly not the levels weâd all been concerned about. If you are âinactifâ and been here less than 5 years youâll need passport, current proof of domicile (so yes utilities are fine), proof of resources over the RSA figure and proof of healthcare coverage.
So I had better get a health policy chop-chop? How much leeway do they give for one to get that sorted? Is this one for the sainted Fabian? He does seem to be able to save souls on a regular basis. 
And after 90 days, as an S1 person [in Spain] one can apply for that?
Iâm not sure about the healthcare side of things as you say perhaps @fabien can help with that. But if you have an S1 then there should be no problem changing it to here I wouldnât have thought. Iâd go and see CPAM as soon as you arrive.
And I forgot to say earlier, just to confirm, for those who have been here less than 5 years everyone will get a 5 year residence permit.
Thatâs a maassive change, too. Back-along, one year was mooted, renewal for one year, maybe two âŠ
For those who have been here more than 5 years all you will need to provide is a copy of your passport, a copy of your current proof of residence and proof of settlement from over 5 years ago. That is it. All over 5 years will receive a permanent 10 year renewable residency permit. If you already have a CDS all you need to send is that and you also get the same permit.
I know, they are being (I think) fabulous and making all our lives very unstressful!
Stress! Tell me about it! Iâm packing up my life, to arrive in FR on Bonfire Night, into a F1 type hotel in Caen ⊠I donât care what I rent, as long as itâs a pukka rental but âfurnishedâ according to the French [from the ads Iâve seen] can mean as little as âhas laminate floors and double glazed windows.â Luckily my van has a single IKEA bed in it and two TOG 9 duvets. I could rent the lanminate floors and double glazed windows and live outside in the van 
I would have thought thereâs many a gite which has had no business for the season and is now faced with 6 months of more nothing. A six monthe proper rental of one of those would be good.
Anyone know of such a beast? In Normandy?
If you are at all concerned as soon as you find something (perhaps a 12 month rented furnished while you are waiting to sell / buy) Iâd go and see the mairie and ask them for an attestation.
Mmm⊠with the best will in the world⊠the Mairie can only Attest to something that is 100% sure⊠so not likely to provide the paperwork until the person really is settled⊠in whatever manner.
What is âreally settled - in whatever mannerâ in official terms, for a retired person? Over and above having rented a property and taken utility services?
If they have a rental contract (even for 12 months) this would be fine. It is just proof of having arrived that is what they are after. I guess it depends on the mairie and what Christopher has otherwise. i think though as a retiree if he gets himself down to the CPAM and gets that ball rolling, has an edf bill as soon as he can it wonât be an issue.
That is fine if you have those things, that is all they are asking for. youâll be fine, you are arriving a couple of months before the deadline so will have enough âevidenceâ in good time.
I guess in time these French acronyms will be rolling off my keyboard with the best of them
Meanwhile - wassa CPAM? Please
It is the health cover place. Mind you now Iâm questioning myself (the French love a/ to have accromyns for everything and b/ to change what everything is called regularly to really keep you on your feet 
). Others - is it CPAM the physical office???
Caisse Primaire Assurance Maladie⊠the offices of Ameli.fr (French Health)
Ahhh phew I was right, just had a blonde moment there for a second!
Anyone who arrives before end of December and gets their ball rolling straight away⊠will be alright⊠according the the French GovâŠ
but the closer to the 31/12⊠the quicker off the mark with getting documents and proof/trail on the goâŠ