# Can we live in France? Irish citizen with a British spouse.



## Alex.Candy

Hi

I have an Irish passport and my husband has a British passport. We have owned a house in France that we have used as a holiday home for the past 14 years. We currently live in the UK

We became civil partners in the UK in 2007 and then converted this to a marriage a few years later. 

We would now like to move to France full time is this possible?

We don't work any longer in the UK and when/if we move to France we might keep a few pigs as a hobby rather than for income. We currently live on the income from a few investments and some savings. 

I know that I can pretty much just move full-time to France but what about my husband?

Any advice?

Thanks

Alex


----------



## Bevdeforges

If you have EU rights to move to France as a retiree (or as an "inactif") then your husband can request a carte de séjour (residence permit) as the spouse of an EU national "exercising your Freedom of Movement rights." He would have to apply for the carte de séjour within 90 days of your arrival in France, and you'd need the usual round of i.d. documents (passport, possibly birth certificates), plus proof of some form of health cover (for both of you) and proof of residence (usually a utility bill or something similar). If you aren't receiving a pension, they'll probably want proof of your "financial resources" (i.e. income).

After three months of residence, you can apply for CPAM cover (i.e. state health system) and if you're receiving some sort of retirement pension, they won't hit you up for charges. (I'm not sure about the status of those eligible for a UK S1 these days - others here on the forum will be able to advise you on that.) Just be aware that you probably should look into taking a mutuelle to cover the medical costs that the CPAM doesn't reimburse. You should base your mutuelle on your own assessment of what level of coverage you need, based on the availability of local medical personnel, hospitals, etc. and your own medical needs and issues.


----------



## Veronica

Alex.Candy said:


> Hi
> 
> I have an Irish passport and my husband has a British passport. We have owned a house in France that we have used as a holiday home for the past 14 years. We currently live in the UK
> 
> We became civil partners in the UK in 2007 and then converted this to a marriage a few years later.
> 
> We would now like to move to France full time is this possible?
> 
> We don't work any longer in the UK and when/if we move to France we might keep a few pigs as a hobby rather than for income. We currently live on the income from a few investments and some savings.
> 
> I know that I can pretty much just move full-time to France but what about my husband?
> 
> Any advice?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Alex


This excerpt from a French government site should help you.

*Visa*

Where the members of the EU/EEA/Swiss national’s family are other foreign nationals (‘third country nationals’), they must submit a visa application to the consular authorities in their country of residence, unless they are exempt. Applications are made online : France-visas.gouv.fr | The official website for visa application to France.


The French authorities take particular care to ensure that visas for family members of EU/EEA/Swiss nationals are issued as quickly as possible, under a fast-track procedure, to make it as easy as possible for them to enter France.


Under this fast-track procedure, it should typically take no longer than four weeks to obtain a visa. Furthermore, family members of EU/EEA/Swiss nationals are not required to pay any visa fees.




*Residence permit*

Once in France, the application for a residence permit “Member of the family of a citizen of the Union / EEA / Switzerland” is compulsory and must be made to the Prefecture of the place of residence, within 3 months of entry into France.


This residence permit allows the exercise of any paid or self-employed professional activity, without any particular procedure.


The exercise of a regulated profession remains subject to the obligation to justify the required diplomas and subject to the authorization of the competent authority if necessary.


The residence permit “Member of the family of a citizen of the Union / EEA / Switzerland” is issued free of charge and valid for 5 years. It is renewable.
The renewal of this title must be requested at the Prefecture within 2 months before its expiration.


----------



## Nunthewiser

Veronica said:


> This excerpt from a French government site should help you.
> 
> *Visa*
> 
> Where the members of the EU/EEA/Swiss national’s family are other foreign nationals (‘third country nationals’), they must submit a visa application to the consular authorities in their country of residence, unless they are exempt. Applications are made online : France-visas.gouv.fr | The official website for visa application to France.
> 
> 
> The French authorities take particular care to ensure that visas for family members of EU/EEA/Swiss nationals are issued as quickly as possible, under a fast-track procedure, to make it as easy as possible for them to enter France.
> 
> 
> Under this fast-track procedure, it should typically take no longer than four weeks to obtain a visa. Furthermore, family members of EU/EEA/Swiss nationals are not required to pay any visa fees.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Residence permit*
> 
> Once in France, the application for a residence permit “Member of the family of a citizen of the Union / EEA / Switzerland” is compulsory and must be made to the Prefecture of the place of residence, within 3 months of entry into France.
> 
> 
> This residence permit allows the exercise of any paid or self-employed professional activity, without any particular procedure.
> 
> 
> The exercise of a regulated profession remains subject to the obligation to justify the required diplomas and subject to the authorization of the competent authority if necessary.
> 
> 
> The residence permit “Member of the family of a citizen of the Union / EEA / Switzerland” is issued free of charge and valid for 5 years. It is renewable.
> The renewal of this title must be requested at the Prefecture within 2 months before its expiration.


In the instant case, there is NO requirement for the TCN spouse to get a visa, since the UK is a visa waiver country. What Bev says above , with the emphasis on the marriage certificate being the key document. EU rights are extended to the spouse through marriage.


----------



## Crabtree

I would say that you need to think carefully about your finances before you move-France is an expensive country so try to ensure that you can maximise your income especially if some sources can be described as "pensions"
The other thing that you need to consider is that keeping animals in itself can be a full time job especially as there will have to be lots of paperwork vets bills and of course you will need to be paying into the "System" if you are farming/small holding which if you are "retired" you will not do.What I am saying I suppose is look at seeing if the work will actually give you any tangible financial benefit.


----------



## Peasant

Crabtree said:


> I would say that you need to think carefully about your finances before you move-France is an expensive country...


I would dare say that, at least in my experience, it's generally cheaper to live in France than in the UK.
When we were deciding on where to move in France (five years ago) there wasn't, IMO, anywhere I could afford to live in the UK I wouldn't want to live, but quite a few places in France.


----------



## Befuddled

We certainly couldn't afford to live in UK on only our state pensions. No way.


----------



## Bevdeforges

The section of the French government visa site is a tad misleading - perhaps due to the translation into English and some of the confusion regarding the whole Brexit withdrawal agreement. To enter France as the spouse (or close family member) of an EU national, you "need" a visa - but only a short stay one. Since Brits can enter on a 90 day Schengen visa (i.e. the old stamp in the passport), that's what you need to do.

That's when the 90 day clock starts ticking on applying for the carte de séjour as the spouse (or close family member) of an EU national. There is more detail in the Service Public website - but they have "updated it" so that it's pretty tricky to find the information you need now that you need to check off boxes to tailor the information to your personal needs. Particularly annoying for those of us trying to help out foreigners looking for this kind of information online. There are options in the questionnaires to "just give me all the information without entering my personal situation" but it can be tricky to navigate.


----------



## Garywest12

Hi Alex, I am an Irish citizen living in France with a British spouse. I can confirm that it is possible - we have done it quite smoothly with a small town council in the Dordogne. I strongly recommend getting a good official translator from the council site or at least one approved in France and provide translations of key documents such as marriage certificate. Proof of residence in France - in our case Airbnb receipts - and proof of income also important. Best of luck but take heart - it can be done, Gary


----------



## ccm47

You become eligible for an S1 on reaching state retirement age with the younger partner being a dependent. Unfortunately that age seems to be a shifting target. Follow the UK government guidelines and do not be afraid to speak to the Overseas Health Group in Newcastle whose job it is to advise without trying to sell you anything. Link is 








Planning your healthcare


Healthcare information and advice for UK nationals moving to, or working in, the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland on or after 1 January 2021.




www.nhs.uk




Tel 0191 218 1999.

On the subject of pigs you might find this link useful: https://produire-porc-bio.chambre-agriculture.fr/elever-en-plein-air/les-points-reglementaires/.
Having kept sheep and horses over 40 years I would try before I started to identify:
my vet: not all of them do farm animals and you are bound to need one sooner or later.
someone who could care for them if we were not able to be around, or wanted a break away from home.
the location of the nearest abattoir: you probably won't be able to eat all the pork you produce so you will need to ensure correct slaughtering methods.
A charcutier or two who would buy your pork.
Personally I'm not sure if I could cope with losing all my animals just because a farm somewhere within the area has an outbreak of foot and mouth but best of luck with the project.


----------

