Moving to France — part 3 – More practical details and the challenge goes on
In “Moving to France — trying, anyway,” I started this series on the how-to of moving to France, and then the how-to of living in France. Especially if you’re a US citizen, in any case not an EU citizen, it’s not that easy and many things have to be taken into consideration. While the debt ceiling crisis was not yet solved, I lived in fear of the US dollar crashing relatively to the euro, as that’s the only type of income I have. Living in Nice, France, is a bit (or a lot) cheaper than living in California, but if the USD falls, this advantage evaporates.
Transportation
And of course you can never count on anything lasting forever! The public transportation was so inexpensive — ten rides cost ten euros — but Lignes d’Azur decided to do away with the paper tickets, only sell “passes,” and if you’re buying the rides piecemeal, they’re now 17 euros for 10 rides, plus 2 euros for the pass.
If you’re here all year, it’s worth buying a mobile pass via their app — but guess what, the app doesn’t work for iPhone any longer. The Lignes d’Azur website to purchase a pass doesn’t appear to work. I’ll have to go to the pass office to try to get this resolved, and not being alone in my dilemma, there is a very long line in the boiling heat, in July. A person comes out to find out what is needed by the people needed, but they don’t seem to have all the information, either, and had never heard of the app. Public transportation is really good in Nice — it’s worth the effort, but it is hard.
We finally have an address of our own and scrambled to get home insurance and a contract with the French electrical company, EDF (Electricité de France), so we could finally enjoy some of the perks of being locals. You can’t buy a car if you don’t have insurance or electrical bills, and it was a relief to provide the bank with a local address. There are also city programs for seniors, such as dance parties!
Insurance
Home insurance
Home insurance is pretty straightforward, although as is often the case, you need to pay via bank transfer. You go into an agency – we chose MAAF – and you’ll be signed up. Of course you need ID.
Car insurance: prepare before you leave your life in the US!
Car insurance on the other hand is more complex, and it’s best to prepare before you leave the United States, if you’re a US citizen or former resident. To obtain car insurance you need to prove that you previously held car insurance, so you need a proof of coverage certificate from your former insurance company, or companies, covering the entire time you were insured with them and showing any claims/ accidents you may have had. The certificate should preferably cover at least 14 years of insurance to get the best rate. If you have no proof at all (in the format that is required), you can’t get insurance at all!
In the age of AI, this is incredibly difficult. Via chat, on the first go, I did contact a real life employee at Geico, who promised «excellent» service. However, I received proof of coverage for just one single day… in 2021! After that, impossible to reach anyone, by phone or via the website. Finally, after much loud complaining on social media, I was able to obtain a part of my proof of coverage. With other companies, it’s hard too; you may be able to speak with a live person, but they’ll hand you off to each other, without any resolution in sight.
Note: You’ll also need an international driver’s license if you don’t have a French license.
Part 2: Moving to France – the nitty gritty
To be continued!
