Hi OldPro,

I would agree that there is no reason to panic just yet, nor for a long time or possibly ever, for these reasons:
1) It will take at least two years to negotiate all the terms of the Brexit, 2) if you're established as a resident in France for at least five years, you can apply for citizenship and keep your UK passport as well, and 3) even if you are not able to benefit from some reciprocal arrangement between the UK and the EU (like Switzerland, and other countries in the EEA), which would be the worst case scenario, you could probably still become a legal resident of France...like the thousands of non-EU citizens who live here today.

Legal residency in France can be more or less complicated for non-EU citizens, depending mostly on whether you plan to work. If you are not looking to work in France, you would need to show that you have the means to cover your living expenses and medical costs. You would still receive your UK pension in France, if you're retired. The only cause for concern for pensioners would be the reciprocal health coverage that is currently covered by the European S1 form. Again, worst case scenario being that UK pensioners would no longer have free basic coverage in France (I won't make a guess as to how likely that is), and that they would find themselves in the same case as American, Australian, and other non-EU retirees in France. They would still have the choice between comprehensive, private insurance or applying to the French PUMa system, where they would have to pay roughly 8% of their income in contributions. Any stable and regular resident of France for over three months, regardless of nationality, can apply for a Carte Vitale/PUMa.

What is my source for this information? I'm an American living in France, very active in several expat communities, and I run a business helping English-speakers from all over the world (so EU and non-EU citizens) to enjoy life in France. I know that the Brexit vote is very upsetting and is causing a lot of anxiety, but even the worst case scenarios are not a reason to give up on your dream of living in France, in my (informed) opinion.

Regards,
Dennelle
www.renestance.com

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I agree in general with what you have written RubyTooz. There are a couple of points I would expand on.

First, as I wrote, some people seem to think that if they move between now and the official exit, they will have no problems. The 5 year qualification will not apply to them obviously and so they may indeed find they have a problem. I do think it is likely they will be allowed to apply for a long stay visa to remain resident, but there is no guarantee they will be accepted. Some seem to think they just have to get in before the exit date and they are guaranteed to be allowed to stay. They would probably have to meet all the same criteria that any other non-EU national must meet, just like the thousands of non-EU residents in France today had to.

Re retirees, UK pensions MAY be frozen at the rate they are being paid at the time of the exit. Healthcare is therefore not the only concern for pensioners.

UK pensions are currently index linked if the person chooses to live in certain countries but NOT in others. The current situation depends on EU membership to guarantee that. That agreement will end on exit and so unless an agreement is made to cover it, they may find themselves in the same position as UK pension recipients who chose to live in Canada, Australia and the rest of 150 countries in total, who get NO increase in their pension from the day of their first payment outside the UK. It's frozen and that MAY happen in this case.

See point 4 here: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-3654687/Scaremongering-aside-Brexit-mean-pensions.html

Nor is that the only concern retirees will have. The exchange rate has just resulted in a 10% decrease in the income of those UK retirees already in other EU countries. So I can't agree that the 'only cause for concern' a retiree will have is healthcare.

I am a dual national (UK/Canada) who has spent the last 30 years living in various countries as a citizen and as an immigrant and by necessity have had to become very familiar with the ins and outs of many things affecting living in one country vs. another with income in another country.

So while I agree there is no reason to panic, there is also no reason to think nothing will change. In fact, things have already changed as of the morning after the referendum. My concern is that some people seem to think nothing has or will change. While hoping for the best and trying to remain optimistic is fine, sticking your head in the sand and ignoring reality is not a good way to plan for anything.

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