# Quitting work in France and retiring to France



## ken.pimentel

18 months ago, we moved to Brest on a work visa. I received a French Talent visa (which I think is the same as an EU Blue Card?) I'm now looking to retire here in Brest and plan to quit my job in a few months. At this point, we have all expected French credentials (resident and health cards) except our French drivers license (which is almost a year in processing!) We've even purchased a house, so we're pretty settled here.

I'm told that the next step would be to get a one-year long-stay visa for myself and my wife. I've read on the forum that these are reasonably easy to do if you can show financial support. 

My questions are:
1. We talked to two different expat advisers, one told us that we had to return to USA to get our long-stay visa and the other one told us that it was an online process and we didn't need to leave France. Looking for any other advice to break the tie. 
2. Regarding financials, while I'm 65, I want to take my social security when I'm 70 to maximize financial situation. Is it enough to show the authorities that I'm eligible for these payments? I have plenty of savings to show that I can afford to remain in France for the next 5 years. 
3. Since I'm already in the French health system, do I need to get third-party health insurance?

Thanks!


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## Clic Clac

ken.pimentel said:


> 1. *We talked to two different expat advisers*, one told us that we had to *return to USA* to get our long-stay visa and the other one told us that it was an online process and* we didn't need to leave France. *


Well, you're definitely due a refund from one of them !
Personally, I wouldn't have paid either of them - if they know half as much as Bev & the good folk on here I'll eat my hat with a good coating of marmite on it.

I've bumped your post back up so someone should spot it soon. 🤗


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## Bevdeforges

Looking at the website for the sous-prefecture in Brest, I think you're going to have to at least take an appointment to find out what to do next. https://www.finistere.gouv.fr/Demarches-administratives/Demarches-des-etrangers

If you have only been working in France for 18 months, I'm assuming that your passeport talent is still valid - usually they are issued for 3 years or so. And if that is the case, then you probably can just sit tight until you get to the end of your current "titre de séjour." But in any case, you won't be "renewing" your visa/residence permit, but rather requesting a change of status. I'm not sure if you can go from passeport talent to a "visiteur" status without returning to your home country. (I'm assuming the US, based on your comments on social security.)

The problem is that you haven't worked here long enough to qualify for a French pension - and it's when you retire to the French pension agency that you're considered "retired" here. I suspect the "usual" route would be to have worked on your passeport talent for "a few" years and by the time you were ready to change status, you'd be eligible for a multi-year titre de séjour (i.e. residence permit) so that your category wouldn't really matter.

The bureaucracy here sometimes has real problems with "atypical" situations like yours, so your best bet is to set up an appointment and simply ask them what they want you to do. They may well say that you're fine until the expiration date of your current passeport talent. Or they may say you have to return to the US to apply for a visiteur visa. Or they may be able to finesse the situation somehow. But you need to just sort of lay the issue on them and see what they can come up with. But better for you to deal with the prefecture directly than to have a lawyer or other paid "advisor" try to get around the system for you.


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## Crabtree

Generally in France if you go direct to a fonctionnaire as opposed to an advisor you will get the right answer from the horses mouth and in my experience if you approach it right they actually want to help you


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## Bevdeforges

Crabtree said:


> if you approach it right they actually want to help you


And key to that is to use the Polly Platt "magic phrase:" "Excuse me for disturbing you but I have a problem. Can you help me?" Don't suggest any particular route (i.e. to avoid having to return to the US for a new visa), but just lay out the problem and ask for their help and advice. Works wonders.


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## ken.pimentel

Thank you for the suggestion. It makes a lot of sense. I'm sure that appearing before them in person and requesting their help is the right way to go. Luckily my daughter is fluent and my wife speaks French very well. We'll report back our progress.


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