Category: Before leaving the US

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
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
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