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28/04/2007, 3:40 allan37 Joined on 19/04/2007 Posts 17 Re: Moving from Australia to France Re: money transfer from Australia, the way I think we're going is by using Commonwealth Bank's IMT (international money transfer). It's $22 per transfer and takes 2 to 5 days. Our online interest will be providing the bulk of our income. Once we settle in we might move the money  elsewhere, but for now we'll just transfer from Australia. We're comfortable financially here in Australia atm, but we live simply. Hopefully we'll be okay in Normandy too. I emailed Sextant French Property and they said we could pay for our house using an Australian cheque and that we didn't need a French bank account straight away, which is good news for us. We'll probably want to open an account with CA when we arrive in France. We're slowly gathering the information we need - thanks to everyone who's helping. Allan    Report

28/04/2007, 7:59 LyndaandRichard Joined on 01/05/2005 Posts 1,024 Re: Moving from Australia to France We paid for our house by a simple telegraphic transfer to the french solicitor who handles the property transfer.   TT'd him the deposit and then TT'd the final payment. Do make sure though, that you make arrangements with your local Commonwealth branch to accept a fax for the IMT/TT. Most banks require you to appear in person to make the transaction. Normandy is quite a beautiful region.   Hope you're not from QLD though, because the change in climate will give you a major shock!  We chose the centre of france because you get the QLD summers, and the milder winters. Also, are you aware that you will have to pay your way into the medical system here? Your Property in France    Report

29/04/2007, 2:13 allan37 Joined on 19/04/2007 Posts 17 Re: Moving from Australia to France Hi LyndaandRichard - we've been living in Ballarat in Victoria, which can get quite cold in winter,  so the change in weather in Normandy won't be as dramatic as for some! We'll definitely visit the Commonwealth bank first to make sure everything we work smoothly before we go. We might use TT as well, we'll mention it to our bank. I'm in the process of asking questions about the health care system in France atm (see my thread in Health in France). How did you cope with the registration process? Language is my biggest concern when dealing with government departments. What do you think was the most challenging aspect of your move to France from Australia? Thanks for your advice. Allan    Report

29/04/2007, 10:13 Ron Avery Joined on 29/11/2004 Aveyron 12 Posts 3,393 Re: Moving from Australia to France  Mel wrote: Hi Allan,  Please bear in mind that you must have a French bank account up and running before you can make a house purchase. Mel No you don't. It is to be recommended but not essential.  Money for house purchases can be transferred from any bank account to that of the Notaire handling the sale.  You do need a French bank account afterwards to pay for healthcare, tax, phone, electric, water etc You should also think hard about using CA  Britline, OK to start and if you don't speak much French, but if you don't end uo in Calvados it can be very inconvenient to pay money into your account as other CA "branches" in other areas operate as separate banks, so transfers can take time.  Wait until you get settled and open an account with a local bank, far far easier. Hardest thing about living in France?  It is France.  They don't all speak English, the language barrier is the most difficult to overcome and one of the prime reasons why many people go back to their homeland. In the Charente area, it was estimated that 2 in 3 return home within three years due to isolation and language difficulties, this ratio is probably true across most of France. Why not post a sensible answer, people will appreciate it more    Report

29/04/2007, 10:28 cooperlola Joined on 05/05/2006 72 - Sarthe - home of les 24 heures du Mans Posts 6,438 Re: Moving from Australia to France I'm with Ron on this one.  Language can isolate you if you are not careful. Oddly, it isn't the bureacratic things that cause the main problems - our local CPAM (who deal with health care) have at least one person who speaks English and they are very helpful - but the integration thing.  It's harder to get the most out of life if you only speak English and you could begin to feel lonely, especially as you will be so far from home.  Although I don't care for enclaves of immigrants all together in one place and living a seperate existance from the locals myself, it is probably worth your while - if you are attracted to a particular village - having a look in the phone book to see how many English names there are (they are conveniently divided into villages in France!) to see if there is at least somebody around whom you'll be able to have a nice chat with from time to time - free of the language barrier. No matter how good your French is (and I'm probably not wrong when I suspect that mine is better than some) - it is still good to be able to have a conversation in your own lingo from time to time. But get studying quick - there is no substitute for being able to speak the language of your chosen country of residence. Healthcare Issues Site    Report

30/04/2007, 3:40 allan37 Joined on 19/04/2007 Posts 17 Re: Moving from Australia to France Interesting thoughts on the language barrier. After living most of my life in Australia, which is quite an isolated country, I'm actually really looking forward to exploring some new challenges. One of the things I find limiting here in Australia is the distance - you just can't  fly over for the weekend to test out your French or go house hunting. Of course, it's impossible to know how we'll cope with the language, but being retired and being keen to learn I think it should be an enjoyable experience. I just want to get the paperwork sorted out and then we can relax and tackle the language at our own pace. Allan    Report

30/04/2007, 21:29 LyndaandRichard Joined on 01/05/2005 Posts 1,024 Re: Moving from Australia to France You will find France amazing. We've been here 16 months and we've just discovered another route to the next village we never knew existed. The road density is so great compared to Australia (I remember only one road from one town to the next - dead boring). The hardest thing we found was the CPAM, and we ended up posting them with our paperwork which was all in English and letting them sort it out rather than going in person. All worked out well for us. Once your paperwork side of things is set up, you can relax and learn the lingo at your leisure. The village you move to may do French lessons (ours does, although we have never attended as it is full of poms!), but we prefer to learn via experience and cd's. We spend a fair bit of time with the French. In fact socially, the lack of language has never been a major problem, as a mixture of broken French (broken English from them if you're lucky) and many hand and vocal gestures make communication understandable and very humurous at times. We also have the attitude of every experience, no matter how mundane is part of the adventure. Your Property in France    Report

01/05/2007, 5:38 allan37 Joined on 19/04/2007 Posts 17 Re: Moving from Australia to France A very clever solution re: the CPAM issue! Sounds like you have the right attitude to living in a foreign language country. We can't wait to get going... Only a few more issues to research - drivers licences, shipping our belongings, getting the pets over... This forum is fantastic. Thank goodness for the internet! Allan    Report

01/05/2007, 7:34 LyndaandRichard Joined on 01/05/2005 Posts 1,024 Re: Moving from Australia to France You'll have about a year to exchange drivers licences. And unlike an immigrant going into Oz, you don't even have to take a driving test to exchange the licence. Just a simple exchange. Although we have yet to exchange. But I (Richard) have a UK licence (so I don't need to exchange that), Lynda only has an Aussie one, but she rarely drives here, so it's not a train smash for us. We used a company called Dogtainers to ship our dog over. Think they are down in Melbourne too. They were very good. Did all the paperwork, injections etc. Cost about $1600 including air fare for our dog (which was more than our tickets!). He is a Shetland Sheepdog and weighed just under 10kg to give you a rough idea of size for the price. He weighs more than that now thanks to French cuisine! :) We left the cat in Oz with Lynda's son, and within two months of our departure decided to take on a brown snake, and of course lost (the cat, not the son) :) We only shipped about 5 cubic metres off our stuff over, just essentials and personal belongings. It was cheaper than shipping the whole lot over. So we sold all our funiture in Oz and just bought new furniture when we arrived in France. Cost for 5 cubic metres was about $5,000. Your Property in France    Report

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France Forum » Moving » Making the Move... » Moving from Australia to France

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