Healthcare in france: how to register an s1 when in french system?

WHEN SOMEONE IS IN THE FRENCH HEALTH SYSTEM BY RESIDENCY AND SO ARE ALREADY IN THE SYSTEM, THE CHANGEOVER SHOULD BE SIMPLE. WE EXPLAIN READER QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE IN THE FRENCH

HEALTH SYSTEM BY RESIDENCY, UNDER PUMA, AND YOU REACH STATE RETIREMENT AGE AND GET AN S1 FROM THE UK? Once you have reached state retirement age and obtained the S1 from the NHS Overseas

Healthcare Services, you can register it with your local _caisse primaire d’assurance maladie_ (keep a copy). As you are already in the system, the changeover should be simple. Your social

security number will not change and your _mutuelle_ should not be affected – because your state reimbursements will not change. However, Rachel Thomas-Bonnet, of Perfide Albion, who helps

Britons in France with paperwork, said that she has sometimes known the _caisse_ to send out a new _carte Vitale_. She said the changeover is usually “relatively simple” if you present a

copy of your S1, passport, proof of address and, preferably, a recent _attestation de droits_ which can help officials identify you in the system. If you have an account at _ameli.fr_, you

can download an _attestation_ from your personal space under _Mes démarches_. You can also obtain them from machines at Cpam offices or request one on 3636. Ms Thomas-Bonnet said, in her

experience, there should be no disruption to your rights, depending on the efficiency of the officials in your local office. If you were to experience temporary issues with your carte

Vitale, however, you can ask doctors and pharmacists for paper _feuilles de soins_ to apply for reimbursements from Cpam afterwards if you have to pay upfront. In future, you should request

a British Ehic (European Health Insurance Card) to use for health cover when visiting other parts of the EU (though not the UK). Once you are covered by the UK for your healthcare, you will

be eligible for exemption from French social charges on foreign pension incomes. You may also be eligible to pay a reduced rate of social charges on property and investment incomes, though

French officials have yet to confirm if this right remains after Brexit. RELATED STORIES Moving to France from UK: Catch-22 issue for pensioners and visa S1s Ehics: What is needed for French

residents to access NHS on UK trips? An overview of the French healthcare system in 2021