Registering as a resident

[Admiral]

#6 Health System: The health system though excellent can be a bit of a mine field to start with.

You can continue to live here as long as you keep your British passport up to date without having to register as a French citizen.

Nicely understated about the health system - or trying to get into it. The health care here is excellent and much faster than the UK.

Why not look at applying for the European Health Insurance Card? This could be vital in the early days. Heaven forbid that you need to attend hospital for any reason, but if you do this card will smooth the path of beaurocratic nit-picking and cover some of the cost of your treatment. It won't work visiting the GP, dentist or private health care.

But, as my learned friend so wisely put it, you don't have to register as a French citizen as long as you keep your British passport up to date.

As he also said; be prepared for paperwork and more paperwork down to the point CPAM might well ask for an authenticated French language version of your birth certificates. It's up to you to find an official translator and pay for the privilege.

Private health insurance - or top-up - is an absolute minefield with a lot of folk arguing it's wasted money because the insurers query everything.

There is an English language newspaper in France that is promising to publish an in-depth look into French health care in their December issue. connexionfrance.com. Good luck with that...

Now - about registering a car in France. Sorry brain already hurts. Another time maybe.

Bonne chance.