Well, I guess not everybody is happy in France!! So some of you may wish to go back to the UK or leave for sunnier countries like Spain! So here is what you need to do:

Tax: You must i nform your local tax office by a simple letter with your new address in the UK on it and the exact date of departure from France.

French health system: You must write to them (CPAM, MSA or RAM, etc.) informing them that you are no longer living in France and send them the carte vitale back. Obviously, probably best to do this once you have left France in case you have an accident on the way back!!

Health top up insurance: You can ask CPAM to send you a letter stating that you are no longer on the French health system and that is sufficient to cancel any top up insurance. With my company (Allianz), a proof of address in the UK or proof that you are covered by the NHS is enough to cancel your top up. Really depends who you are insured with.

House insurance: If you have sold your house in France, the certificate of sale given to you by the Notaire on the date of the signing of the deeds is what insurance companies need to cancel your house insurance cover. You will then be reimbursed any cotisations taken from the date of the signing. If you haven’t sold the house and are keeping it as a holiday house, just write your insurance company to inform them that it is now a holiday house (premium is cheaper for holiday house). You may want to amend the amount of the content covered as well.

Car insurance: Proof of car insurance in the UK is enough to cancel your car insurance contract in France. If you have sold the car, then the insurance company needs the sale certificate (certificate de cession). Insurance companies cannot cancel car insurance contracts just because you tell them to!! They are obliged by law to make sure the car is insured as it is a French law obligation.

Self-employed with RSI: If you decide to stop your activity prior to departure, you must write to the Centre des Formalités des enterprises (Your local CFE)to inform them of the date of the “cessation d’activité” (the exact date you wish to stop your business). They will then inform RSI who will in turn send you a letter with a final bill.

Professional insurances: The letter from RSI or CFE stating the “cessation d’activité” is what your insurance company needs to cancel your professional insurance.

Bank accounts: Best to keep them opened at least 2 months after you leave especially if you paid most things by direct debit. Direct debit cannot be stopped straight away (takes one month) and the reimbursement will usually be done by direct debit. So keep your French account open until you are sure everything is sorted.

Conclusion: Not sure I am going to sell many insurances or investments by telling you how to leave us!! But I always feel that my job is to accompany my customers all the way! So you can be sure if you join us that we won’t let you down even if France has disappointed you!! Be sure we won’t!

And remember to check out our web site www.bh-assurances.fr where you can now register to receive our monthly newsletter on which you will find each month new article.  You can also follow us on Facebook: “Allianz Jacques Boulesteix et Thierry Hatesse”.

And don’t hesitate to contact me for any other information or quote on subject such as Funeral cover, inheritance law, investments, car, house, professional and top up health insurance, etc…