Not quite sure what you're asking, Patrick. In order to set up a business in France you obviously have to have the right to live and work here. So it all depends what agreements are reached. If the UK stays in the EEA, UK citizens will have that right automatically. If not, you need to obtain a visa that entitles you to work here (eg compétences et talents), not easy, we would soon discover why non EU citizens have so envied our right to freedom of movement within Europe in the past.
Presumably you're thinking of applying for French citizenship purely because you think that as a UK citizen you will lose the right to live here. If that happens I think you can safely assume the UK will have nothing further to do with S1s (which are EU documents) for anybody. It's hard to imagine an agreement that says something like "UK citizens do not have the right to live in the EU, but the UK will cover their healthcare if they do."
My original question did not relate to speculaion about the future. I asked if under the current situation and legislation, the UK would stop the S1 for a person taking dual citizenship with France.
No, it has no bearing. You don't even need to be a British citizen. Say you were a French national who didn't also hold British nationality, but who had lived and worked all his life in the UK, then he retired and claimed his UK state pension and came back to France, he would be entitled to an S1 from the UK.
Similarly, under current regulations, Brits who have lived, worked and retired in France on a French pension, would be covered by an S1 from France if they return to the UK.
Of course it depends upon what agreements are reached but that is all any of us expats (including you) is saying or can say. I was hoping for a comment from someone what actually knows how it is for nonEU workers. My reasoning is that existing non-europeans may have a better idea of what the worst that can happen will be ie the extra issues and restrictions they had/have to deal with. For instance such a person might say applying for a visa was no problem. Rather than the endless comments of "wait and see, it might be alright".
Especially the issue of having most of one's clients in the UK and how that reflects upon remaining in France.
Getting a visa that allows you to work in France certainly is a very big problem for many non EU citizens, there are loads of Americans and others who would love to come and set up a business in France but aren't able to. Basically in order to get a visa you need to demonstrate how your business will benefit France and why France should want you. This can either be by showing that you're going to invest in setting up a company that will provide a worthwhile product or service but mainly of course employment for the French, so you have to submit detailed business plans and you'll get the visa if your plans look promising enough; no good if you just want to set a micro. Or you can apply for a "comptences and talents" visa for a project that's of value to France or French culture, that could be a micro and it's basically for people who have a special talent or skill they can share, artists or photographers or digital artists or suchlike. Those are the two main routes.
Thank you Anna, I was hoping so. I am due to get an S1 next year and assume that will still happen. I am also thinking about taking dual Nationality but didn't want to jeopardise the S1 - should it remain
What is an S1? I have had a house here since 1982 and have lived here on a permanent basis since 1993. I have never heard of an S1. I am on the French health system and assume that at the moment they send my two-thirds charges back to the UK. Is that what an S1 confers?
"I am on the French health system and assume that at the moment they send my two-thirds charges back to the UK. Is that what an S1 confers?"
Yes, basically, if by that you mean that France claims reimbursement from the UK.
Currentl the UK provide an S1 to persons of UK pensionable age, providing they have contributed enough into the UK Natinal Insurance. This negates the need to apply to the French NHS for membership and pay 8% of your income
Currentl the UK provide an S1 to persons of UK pensionable age, providing they have contributed enough into the UK Natinal Insurance. This negates the need to apply to the French NHS for membership and pay 8% of your income
"the UK provide an S1 to persons of UK pensionable age" - on condition that the person is not also in receipt of a pension from the other EU state where he lives. Eg if since leaving the UK you have lived in worked in France and you also get a French pension when you retire, then the UK will give you a pension but not an S1.
I've never worked in France and I have a UK pension but I still have never heard of an S1.
Well presumably you have one, whether you've heard of it or not. Or France wouldn't be able to reclaim your costs from the UK.
this may sound stupid - but i have always wondered what france gets from the uk to cover us via the old E121 or new S1 - we seem to pay an auwful lot and also for our mutuelle per month - yet from what i gather from friends in spain they don't appear to need a mutuelle or have much to pay out - it has always sounded like a double whammy for france - or is my imagination running away with me - just what does the S1 cover us for
If you have an S1, it means France can recoup from the UK the money that it pays towards your healthcare, which is usually around 70 per cent of the cost. So say for a 23 € doctor appointment, if your doctor doesn't take carte vitales you pay the 23 €, France refunds you 15+ € into your ameli account, and reclaims that 15+ € from the UK. If you have a mutuelle that will probably refund you another few euros, and France insists that you pay 1 € yourself just as a reminder that healthcare isn't free.
what about prescriptions does that come out of mutuelle after cpam pay or someone mentioned a limit that you had to pay each year before cpam reimburse - (not intentional getting off the referendum) but i hope people will accept it was part of questions asked
cpam/rsi/msa/cipav or another caisse will reimburse the amount depending on the colour of the label (up to 100%, some nothing) the rest will depend on the level of cover your mutuelle gives you - that's a "how long is a piece of string" question ;-)
I'm sure I read that too the other night on the official website Andrew. If you can prove you have been living together for more than 5 years I think. I'll try and find it.
I'm sure I swa something about "communauté de vie" but matybe I'm reading it wrong. Anyway, do the honorable thing!!