Insurance in France

Insurance is one of the few areas where things don’t differ TOO much between France and UK/Ireland.

House insurance, covering third parties, is compulsory. If you’re buying a house the notaire will inform you of this and may well suggest that you continue with the previous owner’s insurance company, since they will have all the necessary details. In our case, we also inherited the previous owner’s ‘no claims discount’, so it’s worth looking into that possibility and also getting some quotes from other companies. Get quotes for your car(s), a health insurance top up, or ‘Mutuelle’ at the same time. House insurance policies vary in what they cover, so look too at the small print.

Car insurance is relatively easy and as a temporary measure you can insure you foreign registered car in France. How long this can continue depends on the company but it's not long these days. Be aware that although they agree to continue to insure a foreign registered car, they may or may not pay out in the event of a claim if the car isn’t taxed and tested in it’s home country. Then again I have known people who have kept foreign registered cars after the tax has run out, have had a ‘controle technique’ done in France and have had no problem with claims. One of these cases where you need to ask the right questions, YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary! If you're car isn't taxed and tested in it's home country though, you will be in serious trouble in case of being stopped or having an accident. So don't think you can get away with declaring a car SORN in UK and just insuring it here, it won't work, at least not for long!

You should be able to transfer you no claims bonus with a suitable letter/renewal form from your previous insurer. You are also likely to get the same no-claims discount on all vehicles, you don’t have to build it up per vehicle as you would in UK/Ireland. A French NCD works differently in that it stays with the person rather than the vehicle. Thus if you have a 50% bonus on one car, you will automatically get it if you insure a second car. Then again, in the event of a claim, any bonus you lose (or 'malus' - a loading, that you gain) will be applied to ALL your vehicles. Insurance should normally be in the name of the first person named as the owner, so if buying a car and one of you has a better existing bonus than the other, best register a new car in that person's name.

For health top-up insurance, please see the French Health page.

Anyone with children in school will also need ‘Assurance Extra Scolaire’ to cover accidents and third party claims when your child is at or outside school. This is usually an ‘add-on’ to your house insurance policy.

You may also need life insurance if you are buying house and taking out a mortgage, your lending institution or perhaps estate agent will be able to help with this.

There are specific procedures for cancelling and for insurance claims, involving set notice periods, claims within specific periods of time, particular forms which need to be filled in. Any correspondence in these cases should be done by ‘lettre recommandé avec accusé de réception’, ie a registered letter where you receive a docket back as proof that the company has received your letter. You cannot easily switch and change insurance companies part way through the year in France - except in exceptional circumstances you have to wait until the renewal date and inform the company of your wish to change in the weeks preceding the renewal.

I know a number of insurance companies in the area so if you need help with filling in forms, getting quotes, understanding the policies etc, and in particular in cancelling or making a claim on a policy, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.