Healthcare Update November 6, 2007

THE body in charge of Social Security in France has confirmed today that the five-year residency rule under which early expat retirees can continue to be affiliated to the French healthcare system is definitely in place.

It comes after several readers reported confusion among local health authorities (CPAMs) as to whether the rule is valid.

Social security spokeswoman Stéphanie Gaillard said: “An EU citizen who has lived legally in France for five years and has obtained a permanent resident certificate from the prefecture cannot be refused access to the CMU.”

She added: “Precise information is going to be communicated to the CPAMs very soon.”

As for the prefectures, she said they may or may not be aware of the rule relating to membership of the CMU but this was not their job. Their role is simply to assess the claim to five years’ residency.

A spokeswoman for the prefecture of the La Vienne department, in Poitiers, told us that someone wishing to prove their five years’ residence should go to the bureau des étrangers at their prefecture and bring documents showing dates and their name and address, such as tax demands, rent receipts and utilities bills. The prefecture can then issue documentation which can be shown to the CPAM.