Year: 2015

Before leaving the US

Take it or leave it

When researching what people took with them when they made the big move there seemed to be two trains of thought: the minimalists and the maximalists. In the former category would be people such as au pairs or students going for a year or even our friends Tracy and Alan who are there to stay. You would see them at the airport with a suitcase, a backpack, and a smartphone or tablet for entertainment. They would be headed to fully-furnished accommodations where even the silverware is included. Count me in that group.

At the other extreme, especially if the spouse’s company is paying the bill, are the folks who want to take everything, including the kitchen sink, since even that common item is sometimes taken with the previous tenant since it was their own property they brought to the rental. Since electrical appliances from here won’t typically work in Europe, this group will need a storage container or a spare room for all of the items they can’t use. Continue reading “Take it or leave it”

Unknown's avatarBob
Dealing with government

Taxes and other fun topics

Actually this is just going to be about taxes since that alone is fun enough for one blog post. Before we start, just a reminder that we aren’t tax attorneys, so as with everything else on this blog this is just what we’ve experienced and not advice to you. So what kind of taxes can we expect to pay? If you rent a property and are living there on January 1, you have to pay a habitation tax that covers things like police and fire protection, street lights, road maintenance, and other services that anyone who lives in a community might use. Although it varies around the country, a rule of thumb is that it equals about one month’s rent. The owner of the property that you are renting is also paying a higher amount in property taxes. The third tax on that same piece of property is a daily resort fee of about $1 if it is rented out as a holiday home. Continue reading “Taxes and other fun topics”

Unknown's avatarBob
Before leaving the US

Health insurance

When applying for your initial long-stay visa for your first year in France and then to remain staying in the country beyond that, you must prove that you have health insurance for your whole stay. This is one of those items that differs from one consulate to another. One will simply state that you must have health insurance while another will be very specific telling you, for example, that there must be a zero deductible with a minimum $50,000 coverage with expatriation to the US included. Some will even list the names of insurance companies that they will accept.

There are two types of insurance that might satisfy this requirement based on the needs of your consulate. Traditional travel insurance that you would get to cover a canceled vacation, lost luggage, car rental damage waiver, etc. often includes adequate medical coverage including repatriation and can often be bought to cover a trip of 364 days. Continue reading “Health insurance”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

Catch-22

The key to a successful new life in France is a bank account. With it you can go anywhere and do anything. Without it you are stuck, dead in your tracks. Almost all of your bills are paid directly from it and your income is put directly into it. Your debit card is tied to it and you use that “carte bleu” to pay for everything from restaurant meals, to train tickets, to supermarket purchases. Even your monthly rent or mortgage payment comes right out of your account and into the landlord’s, perhaps at the same bank, and there’s the rub. Continue reading “Catch-22”

Unknown's avatarBob
Before leaving the US

The chicken or the egg?

Once you make the decision that you’re going to move to France you are then faced with a variety of choices of things that have to take place before you can actually leave. Unfortunately it seems as if they all need to be done at the same time but obviously they have to be done in some kind of order; hence, the chicken or the egg. One biggie is applying for your visa which cannot be done any sooner than 3 months before you leave the US. Since you don’t know if an appointment is going to be available when you are ready to book it, looking about 4 months ahead seems to make sense. So once you get the appointment the mad dash begins to gather everything the consulate wants to process your request.

You need an airline ticket before going to the consulate, but what date do you book that for? Your visa might come through in two days or it might take two weeks or more. Curiously, most consulates tell you that you should NOT buy the ticket ahead of time but only bring in a reservation and then buy the ticket once the visa is granted. We have been unable to find an airline that will let you make the reservation without buying the ticket within 24 hours. Continue reading “The chicken or the egg?”

Unknown's avatarBob
Dealing with government

All the same but different

France has 10 consulates in the US  and when applying for a visa you must use the office that has jurisdiction over the state in which you live.To get a long-stay (1-year) visa to live in France you have to prove essentially three things: that you have enough money to live on your own, that you have your own private health insurance, and that you have a place to live. All of the consulates agree on those points but then they begin to differ. The Atlanta office wants both an English and a French translation of every document. Chicago wants a letter explaining why you want to move, as does the NY office along with your FBI record. Some want two photos with your application while others want only one. Some want it stapled or glued and others don’t want it attached. Continue reading “All the same but different”

Unknown's avatarBob
Life in France

Carcassonne it is, but why and where?

So why Carcassonne? First, there’s the climate. On average, it’s 10 degrees F cooler in the summer and 10 degrees warmer in the winter than Atlanta. No snow! There’s a fresh fruits and vegetables market three days a week in the main town square that’s within walking distance of any apartment or house we are likely to rent, as is the train station and even the airport. There are a dozen super/hyper markets around the edge of the city all accessible by sidewalks, bike paths, or the 1 euro bus. For water access there’s the Aude river and its parks, the Canal du Midi with tree-lined walking/riding paths, and a huge lake for swimming. For history, how about living beside two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Canal du Midi, opened in 1681 and Europe’s largest medieval fortress that is a town unto itself. Each summer the city hosts a 6-week long music festival with dozens of concerts weekly, many of them free. Famous singers known throughout Europe plus worldwide names like Elton John, Sting, and Bob Dylan have performed. Did I mention that Carcassonne sits in the middle of France’s largest wine-producing area? Talk about living in wine country! Continue reading “Carcassonne it is, but why and where?”

Unknown's avatarBob