Five-year residency rule confirmed

THE critically-ill who are among the thousands of early retiree expats to be denied French state healthcare from April still do not know if they will receive special help.

Such residents are unable to take out private health cover because of existing illnesses.

The government had promised to detail their situation in early October. Government spokesman Stéphanie Gaillard said the information would be part of a “circular” distributed to local state health bodies (CPAMs), explaining recent changes that deny cover to “inactive” (non working) foreigners who are below UK state retirement age.

Ms Gaillard said: “The circular has been delayed because discussions are still underway.”

The changes do not affect people who have an E121 form (who are of state retirement age) or an E106 (which gives new arrivals two years of state healthcare, based on National Insurance contributions in the UK made in the previous two years).

The Labour and Social Affairs Attaché for the British Embassy in Paris, Georgina Hill, said the embassy was liaising with the government and the circular was “on its way.” The embassy has placed information on its site www.amb-grandebretagne.fr

Ms Gaillard and Ms Hill confirmed that Britons who have been resident in France for five years are not affected by the recent changes. Ms Gaillard said they can stay in, or join, the CMU - the state healthcare regime which has been assisting foreign non-workers up until now. People pay to subscribe to CMU according to income, unless this is very low.

“Inactive” early retirees who have not been in France for five years and are already in the CMU have until the end of March to find private insurance to replace it. Newcomers are not able to join. Ms Gaillard said those in France for five years were exempt because the changes are connected to initial entry requirements, which do not apply once a person has gained a “permanent right of residence” after five years, as defined in the Code de l’Entrée et du Séjour des Etrangers. She said it was up to prefectures to rule on whether a foreign resident had the required period of “legal and uninterrupted residence.”

A spokeswoman for the prefecture of La Vienne, in Poitiers, said anyone wishing to prove their five years’ residency should visit the bureau des étrangers at their prefecture. They should take documents such as recent utilities bills and tax demands.