Car insurance in France works pretty much the same as in the UK, with just one main difference: you cannot let your insurance lapse. Unless you have sent your insurance company a formal letter of résiliation (cancellation) by registered post at least two months before the renewal date, by law you have to pay up for the next year.

If the car is sold, destroyed, written off, or re-registered outside France, you should inform the company in writing as soon
as possible.

The best deals are often with direct companies operating solely over the phone and via internet. To keep your no claims bonus (bonus/malus) from the UK, all you have to do is produce a document showing the percentage no claims bonus you had in the UK when you are buying car insurance in France.

House insurance is obligatory if you are renting, but not if you own your own home, and care should be taken when buying a policy because companies are notoriously reluctant to pay up for minor damage, often setting an unrealistically high franchise (insurance policy excess).

For example, a franchise of €200 (£136) for a broken sink is often higher than the cost of replacing the sink, and means that in effect you are not insured, in spite of having paid out for insurance.

It can sometimes be better to seek out the cheapest and most simple insurance that only covers major disaster (fire, flood, burglary).

Playtime protection

School children are not legally obliged to have insurance, but will need it for school trips, plus for some sports and extracurricular activities. It is therefore a good idea to buy it at the beginning of the school year. Mutuelle Assurance Elèves (MAE) specialises in this insurance, and gives the best value. Cover includes damage your child might do: to school property; to another child’s belongings; to him or herself; and to his or her belongings, ie loss of satchels, musical instruments, sports equipment or glasses. If you take the expensive option (still only €25  [£17] a year), the contract also insures your child 24 hours a day for accidents and damage. So it would cover replacing a sink in your house, were it to be damaged by your child, for example.

Once you’re insured under the French health-care system, you may still want to buy top-up insurance in the form of a mutuelle. This will mean that 100 per cent of any medical expenses are reimbursed, and will also (depending on the policy) pay for little extras like lighter (more expensive) casts on broken bones, and if you were hospitalised, a private room with television and a non-stop supply of bottled water. As with all insurance, the trick to getting a good deal is to get as many quotes as possible, read the small print (use a magnifying glass if necessary) and ask your friends and neighbours for their experiences and opinions.

For sports such as skiing, bull running, and paragliding, you may need special cover and the sports centre you use often offers this. But check your existing policies first as you may already be covered. If you are, take a photocopy of your insurance policy along with you to avoid paying for insurance you don’t need. Children in particular are often covered for activities such as horse riding by their school policy as well as by their riding centre’s insurance (the licence), and by your health insurance policy.

Insuring your money

If you have a French carte bleue (ATM, debit or credit card) be careful to insure it. It is not expensive and you can usually do this at the bank. It is well worth doing so because if the card were stolen, you’d have to pay to replace it. Also, French banks don’t replace money stolen from your account by thieves, identity scams, or any other criminal activities, which are sadly becoming a fact of life in France as in the rest of Europe, unless you are insured. You can usually insure all your other documents at the same time – sometimes even with help in replacing them thrown in – and this insurance is probably well worthwhile, when you think of the time and expense involved in replacing French paperwork.

In the case of any complaints, the first step should be to ask if your insurer has a mediation service. If you exhaust all in-house mediation efforts without gaining satisfaction, you can then contact the Médiateur de la Fédération Française des Sociétés d’Assurances. Don’t forget that if you’re stuck with an insurance problem, or correspondence you can’t understand, in rural areas you can often get
informal advice and help at the local mairie.

On the other hand

The French are high consumers of insurance products, but you might want to weigh up the costs against the risks. If you live in Cannes, how often is your roof likely to be damaged by snow? Check your policies carefully for overlap. You could find that you have legal costs protection and/or life insurance on all of them.

Life insurance is a murky field, especially if you speak limited French, and is probably best purchased through a financial adviser. It may be that you’re better off retaining your existing UK life insurance, and only someone specialising in this field can advise you. Again, get as many opinions and quotes as possible and take a magnifying glass to the small print.

Fact file

• Leaflets about the MAE are available from schools, and more information is available on their website www.mae.fr

• The Médiateur de la Fédération Française des Sociétés d’Assurances can be contacted by telephone 00 33 (0)1 45 23 40 71, by fax 00 33 (0)1 45 23 27 15 or by email le.mediateur@mediation-assurance.org

• Civil liability is third party cover for damage that you, your family, your pets or your property might cause a third person. (A tile being blown off your roof and falling on your neighbour’s head, for example)

• For car insurance, au tiers means ‘third party only’, tous risques means ‘comprehensive’. But check the small print for exclusions!

• Veterinary insurance is available in France, but is generally not worth it as the premiums are so high. The same is true of insurance for glasses, unless they’re included in another contract (eg travel, sport, school, etc)

Disclaimer
This dossier article is intended as a general guide only.  For specific information relative to your own situation, please use the contact details in the factfile.  The information given here was correct at the time of publication.  However, if you notice a gremlin causing typos or any other inaccuracies, do please let us know.

Updates
This article was last updated 15 September 2007