The national speed-limit on ordinary roads (i.e. excluding divided highways and motorways) will go down from 90 km/hr to 80 km/hr, as from July 1st. Motorway speed limit will remain at 130km/hr and dual carriageways at 110 km/hr. HANDS FREE mobile-phone use is banned in France. Regarding the use of a mobile phone while driving, … Read more

The holiday season is round the corner.   It may sound obvious, but before you do anything else, make sure you have comprehensive car insurance and home insurance in place. If you have any insurance-related questions, please do contact us – our expert insurance advisors will be more than happy to assist.   Although the … Read more

The no claims bonus in France is expressed in coefficient, and not in percentage. It starts at coefficient 1 as a new driver. The coefficient that is earned is multiplied by 0.95 each year without claim at fault until it reaches 0.50 which is the maximum entitlement.   For instance with a coefficient at 0.72 … Read more

When bringing in a UK registered vehicle to France, you have a duty to register it with your local French authorities, either prefecture or mairie. This involves getting a “carte grise “ (the equivalent to the log book) and new French number plates. Normally, French insurance companies cannot insure vehicles registered in foreign countries because … Read more

1-Opt for a limited mileage policy : If you drive less than 4000km or less than 8000km per year, you could qualify for a low mileage policy which could save you between 15 to 20%.   2-Understand and check your cover: If your car is worth very little, don’t insure it fully comprehensive; cut out … Read more

We have put together a list of tips with our partners Verisure to reduce the risk of break-ins.   Lock all entries of your home, even when you are in the property; this includes gates, windows if possible. Daylight burglaries are on the increase, they simply come in through the unlocked front door when your … Read more

In 2016, France introduced the PUMA system, Protection Universelle Maladie.   What does it change for an early retiree wishing to live in France?   It was created to simplify access to health care and avoid living in France with no health cover. It is also useful for self employed people in France who automatically … Read more

In the event of a theft (vol)) the first thing to do is to report the incident to the police. They will provide you with a receipt of your report that you will need to send to your insurers. You need to state clearly the items stolen, with evidence of ownership if at all possible, … Read more

Since November 2017 it is no longer possible to register the sale of secondhand car at the Préfecture , the office that used to handle registrations. Everything must now be done online.   Registration of the vehicle is now done on the website of the Agence nationale des Titres Sécurisées – ANTS. This agency is … Read more

The government website about living in France gives a lot of information on official guidelines about general living, working, retiring and of course Brexit. From all the articles I have read from different sources, this is probably the safest!   You will find links on the French government site about Brexit which is very informative … Read more