Emigrating to France

Considerations

All kinds of considerations are involved when asking yourself: do I wish to emigrate? And then, having made the decision to emigrate is not all. Do realize that a large part of emigrants returns within 10 years. Seeing that homesickness is often mentioned as a reason, it is important to take this into consideration in determining the location of the French home. Considerations whether to emigrate to France or not.

Transport

Transportation can be a big issue: how can the home be reached? Only by car, or also by TGV or by plane? In other words: how fast can you be back in Great Britain, in case of an emergency or otherwise?

Local distances

Do take into consideration that the distance to the bakery, pharmacy, GP etc are important. Not only during summer, but certainly also in severe winter weather conditions quite important!

Climate

It has been proven that the climate is an important factor for a lot of emigrants. Because of the size of the country, it makes a big difference whether you are looking around in Normandy or in the Dordogne. Do realize that France has micro climates in many places. In the Var, but also in the Vendée, where you can enjoy extra sun hours. This also influences the vegetation.

Knowledge of the French language

In which way does one prepare for the change in language and culture? The language barrier causes for many to feel not understood in France and as a consequence, not feel happy living amidst the French. While children quickly become familiar with the language in school, the parents often have to make do. The credo here is: start in time. There are many courses available in this area in Great Britain.

Whose name will the French home be registered to

Once the area has been decided and a suitable home has been found, the next question arises: in whose name will the home be bought? Is it important to include any children in the purchase? Or should the longest living partner always be protected against any claims from the children?

SCI

Maybe you have seen the abbreviation SCI in this respect. It stands for Société Civile Immobilière, a management company, which means that you establish an SCI, buy shares in the SCI and the SCI obtains the property of the French home. This is mainly done in situations where several people buy a property together. As soon as one person wants to opt out, he or she only has to sell their shares in stead of part of the proprietorship. With the above, I have aimed at starting the thinking process for those who consider emigrating to France.