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Ministry looks to ease foreign income citizenship hurdles
Calls for more flexible guidance to be issued to prefectures with regard to French citizenship requests from retirees with foreign pensions
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Readers highlight issues with UK pension life certificates sent to France
Postal problems cited as one contributing factor; some readers offer solutions
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Life certificate pension suspension ‘left me overdrawn and stressed’
Retired journalist Jane McIntosh, 72, said the decision to stop her payments took place in December 2025
French pension top-up is repayable from estate
I receive a pension top-up benefit in France. Is it correct that this must be repaid from my estate when I die? T.F.
Yes, sums paid out for Aspa pension top-up benefit for low-income pensioners in France may be recuperated from your estate but only if your estate is above €39,000 after taxes and debts.
If Aspa was paid to a couple, each member is taken to have received half of it.
The amount to be recovered has a cap per year of benefit payments, which varies according to the number of people in the household who were receiving Aspa.
In 2019, it was €6,940 for a single recipient, €9,217 for a couple. This has not yet been updated for 2020 - see tinyurl.com/yg8t8zm8.
Sums eligible to be recovered from inheritance due to a spouse or civil/other long-term partner can be deferred until after their death.
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