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LIVING IN FRANCE

Legal matters, property, and health: 6 essential articles for life in France

The difference between avocats and notaires in France, why you need to check your storm damage insurance cover, what to say if you fall ill, French recycling rules, driving in 2024, and citizenship language requirements – they’re all in this week’s rundown of must-reads from The Local

Published: 31 December 2023 10:38 CET
Legal matters, property, and health: 6 essential articles for life in France
Damage to a building following a storm in 2023. (Photo by GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP)

Both avocats and notaires are legal professionals in France, and both should be addressed with the formal title Maître. But while both have significant training in French law and can offer legal advice, there is a big difference between their roles.

The role of notaire is unique to France. They are legal experts who can offer advice, but they are appointed by the French government and as such act on behalf of the State, rather than on behalf of a client.

EXPLAINED: The difference between a notaire and a lawyer in France

Home insurance is compulsory in France, whether you own the property you live in or you rent – and it must include some level of storm damage cover.

At this storm-heavy time of year, this is good to know – but make sure you know what your insurance actually protects…

How to ensure your French property is insured for storm damage

It’s the season when the horrible bugs strike and have us all spluttering into a tissue, so here’s the vocab you need to deal with coughs, colds and flu in France.

Coughs, colds and flu: What to say and do if you fall sick in France

France has a remarkable set of anti-waste laws that lay out a six-year plan to reduce waste, end single-use plastics and encourage consumers to repair and recycle their stuff. Here’s what is in store for 2024 and beyond

Plastic bans to repair bonus: How France’s anti-waste laws work

Law changes, speed limits, fuel prices and road signs – there are a lot of changes coming if you’re a car or motorbike user in France in 2024.

What changes for drivers in France in 2024

If you want to become French you will need to speak the language to a competent standard, but – roughly – how long does it usually take to reach that level?

How long does it take for your French to be good enough for citizenship?

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LIVING IN FRANCE

How to prove to French authorities that you are alive

If you live in France you'll be used to official requests for all sorts of documents, but one that may come as a surprise is being asked to prove that you're still alive. Here's how to do that.

Published: 19 September 2024 15:57 CEST
How to prove to French authorities that you are alive

Official processes in France usually involve collecting together a big dossier of documents, and requests for certain type of certificate are common (the one for ‘a birth certificate issued within the last three months’ regularly baffles foreigners).

A request that is less common – but still vital – is the request for a Certificat de Vie – a certificate of life, which is basically a piece of paper asserting that you remain within the mortal realm.

Here’s how to get it and why you might need one.

Who needs it?

You only need to provide this certificate if it is requested from you.

The people most likely to get a request for a Certificat de Vie are pensioners. Pensioner providers regularly ask for proof that you are still alive, and if you don’t provide it it’s highly likely that they will stop paying out your pension.

The people most commonly asked to provide this are people living in a different country to the one paying out the pension (so for example people who have worked in France but then moved to another country, or pensioners who have moved to France) but they are fairly widespread for all types of pension.

The other people most likely to ask for it is the benefits office, especially if you are receiving a French Assurance invalidité (disability benefit) or Allocation de solidarité (top-up benefits) – as with pensions, failing to send the certificate can result in your payments being stopped.

Some people may instead be asked for an Attestation sur l’honneur de non-décès (sworn declaration of non-death). This is simpler to provide because it’s not a specific form it’s just something that you write out in formal French declaring that you remain alive, and then sign and date.

You can find templates for creating an attestation in the correct format and legal French here.

How to get it

There are two ways to obtain the Certificat de Vie – in person or online.

If you live in France, you go along in person to your local mairie and ask them to complete the form for you – it’s form Cerfa n° 11753*02, but the mairie staff will know that. Be sure to take with you official ID (ie passport or French ID card), and depending on your circumstances mairie staff may ask for extra paperwork such as proof of address.

Once you have the form, you can send it to whoever has requested it, either by registered mail or a scanned copy uploaded to an online portal.

You can find a sample copy here to show you what the form looks like.

If you live outside France, you can request the certificate at the French consulate, while some police stations will also provide it (depending on the country).

But for those living outside France there is also an online option, which now includes the option to verify your continuing life via your biometric details, meaning that you don’t even need to leave the house.

This would be useful to people who have worked in France for part of their career, meaning they get a partial French pension, but have then either returned to their home country or moved to another country.

In order to use this, you need to download the app ‘Mon Certificat de Vie’ – find full instructions on using it here.

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