Vehicle safety checks are changing.
Anyone who owns a car in France will be familiar with the biennial vehicle safety checks, called the ‘contrôle technique’ (CT). Two new checks are being added to France’s mandatory vehicle roadworthiness tests, bringing the total to 136 – but not all cars will be affected. A ‘contrôle technique’ is the main roadworthiness test for […]
UK Voting Rights for British citizens living in France
Over the last few years we have reported on the lifetime vote for those who have lived outside of the UK for more than 15 years. Those UK residents who lost that right to vote because of this rule will now be able to re-register from January 2024 (subject to Government completion of secondary legislation) […]
The Professional Liability of the Microentrepreneur
by Roger Haigh, MBE. Following on from our two articles in the last edition of ‘Keeping in Touch’ about setting up a business in France (1) and (2) Roger Haigh MBE outlines some of the other responsibilities micro-entrepreneurs have, such as professional qualifications, insurance and competition. The micro-entrepreneur is above all an individual entrepreneur, an […]
Scams – How to protect your personal data.
The incidence of scams is increasing. They pose a constant worry to many of us. One useful Government system ‘FranceConnect’ is a digital authentication guaranteeing the identity of a user to official sites or applications. It is based on existing accounts for which their identity has already been verified. This has created a new layer […]
Restrictions on plastic packaging of fresh foods
In the French government’s efforts to reduce waste another law came into effect on July 1st 2023 that restricts what fresh foods can be packaged in plastic. Other than 29 listed exemptions and items sold in batches weighing over 1.5kgs, plastic can no longer be used to sell fruit which must be presented loose or […]
New motorbike safety checks
There is to be a new safety test that will affect all two-wheeled models that are 125cc or above. This ‘contrôle technique’ (CT) will become compulsory in France in early 2024. As of 2022, an estimated 2.5 million people hold motorbike licences in France – and another 1.5 million use scooters and other motorised two-wheelers […]
Making Driving Safer.
Several new measures have been introduced to make driving in France safer. They cover penalties for drug-driving, a new ‘road murder charge’, harsher penalties for speeding, digitalised driving documents and medical tests for those ‘unfit to drive’. Below are the five key changes announced by the government. 1. Automatic licence suspension for drug-driving Those found […]
How much motorists in France will pay in fees in 2023
In France car registration varies depending on where you live, the type of vehicle you have and how polluting it is. The cost of a car registration is rising in 2023. Once you have brought a car in France or imported a car you then have one month from the date of purchase to register […]
Health Insurance Travel Card.
Please note different rules and procedures apply if you hold a UK Form S1. If you are a French resident and plan to travel within an EU/EEA country or to the UK then you will need to have your own carte européene d’assurance maladie (CEAM). This is the French version of the European health insurance card (Ehic) […]
France Improving Online administrative task for ‘les Etrangers’.
The French government is committed to putting more and more services online and this includes services for foreigners living in France. The website ‘Administration Numérique pour les Etrangers en France’ (or ANEF) continues to be developed to encompass different administrative tasks for foreigners in France. The ANEF website continues to be developed to encompass different […]