Q&A: Avoid fees on UK money transfer

The old age pension can be paid to you in euros, the exchange occurring automatically in the banking system when the sterling payment is made.

With regard to the bank charges, it is usually the case with most banks that regular pension income from abroad suffers no charges.

However it is impossible to name those individual banks which do or do not operate the “no charge” facility as their methods vary depending on where they are located.

The best thing to do would be to ask the bank, before you open an account, if they make a charge on receiving regular foreign pension income and if so either argue the charge or find another

bank.

As to the best option of payment, this is really down to individual choice, as one could argue that having UK income changed into euros more often could result in an overall better exchange

rate than doing currency exchanges less frequently - just as one could argue the opposite.

The relevant issue is not so much the banking costs but one of exchange rates, which, being impossible to predict, means it is entirely up to you.

With regard to the health insurance mutuelle, the aim of these policies is to ensure that, once the government has contributed its share of the costs the remaining element is then covered by

the policy (subject to limits).

Take care as some of these policies will not reimburse anything if the government fails to contribute - for example for homeopathic or non-generic medicines, which are not generally covered

by the state health system.

The basic requirement for a mutuelle is that you belong to the French state health system. The E121 confirms that the cost of belonging to the French state health system will be borne by the

UK.

You still have to go to the health office, the caisse primaire d'assurance maladie, in order to register to access the health system. You should then be able to be covered by the mutuelle.