Insurance guides in English · South of France
Moving to France? Your insurance guide, in plain English.
Health cover, home, car, buying property: French insurance has its own rules, deadlines and vocabulary. This guide explains what matters when you arrive — written by an independent broker based in the Var who can also set it all up for you, in English.
Start here
Your first year in France: the insurance timeline
Five official rules that decide the order of your insurance steps. Each one links to the French government source.
Renting? Home insurance is compulsory
French law requires tenants to insure against "risques locatifs" (damage to the rented property, such as fire or water damage) and to give the landlord an insurance certificate when the keys are handed over, then every year on request. Sort it out before moving day.
Source: Article 7, French law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989 — INC (French consumer institute)Bringing your car? Register it in France within a month
If you settle in France with a foreign-registered vehicle, it must be registered in France within one month. When you apply, you certify that the vehicle is insured — so your French motor policy needs to be in place first.
Source: Service Public — registering your vehicle when settling in FranceHealth: state cover usually starts after 3 months of residence
If you work in France, you are covered by French state health insurance from your first hour of work. If you don't work, you generally need to show three months of stable residence before your rights to "PUMa" (universal health cover) open — some exceptions apply, for example under EU rules. Plan private cover for that gap.
Sources: Cleiss — PUMa conditions · Service PublicNon-EU driving licence: valid for 1 year only
A licence issued outside the EU/EEA is recognised for one year from the date you become a resident in France. To keep driving after that, you must exchange it for a French licence (special rules apply to UK licences issued before 2021).
Source: Service Public — exchanging a non-European licenceMortgage: you choose your loan insurance — and can switch
Since the 2022 "loi Lemoine", borrowers can change their mortgage (borrower) insurance at any time, at no cost, provided the new policy offers cover equivalent to what the bank requires.
Source: French law no. 2022-270 of 28 February 2022 (loi Lemoine)On the ground
The cases that actually land on my desk
The requests tend to look alike. A house bought in the Var or on the French Riviera that has to be insured for the day of signing at the notaire, while the buyers are still living abroad. A UK-registered car that needs cover during the weeks it takes to get French plates. A family home turned holiday house, let out for a few weeks each summer, on a policy nobody has updated since the move.
None of these fit neatly into a comparison website's form: they need an insurer willing to take the file, and someone who asks the right questions before it is submitted. That is the work I do from the Var, for clients who are often still in London, Brussels or Montreal.
Guides
French insurance, topic by topic
New guides are published regularly. Can't find your answer? Ask me directly — in English.
Health & "mutuelle"
How French state health cover works, what a "mutuelle" (top-up health insurance) adds, and how to stay covered while your rights open.
Tell me your needs →Home insurance
Renting, owning, holiday home or short-term let: which French home policy fits, and what to check for wildfire and storm risk in the Var.
Home insurance quote →Car & driving
Importing your car, driving on a foreign licence, and getting your driving history taken into account by French insurers.
Tell me your needs →Buying property
Mortgage insurance, choosing your own policy instead of the bank's, and insuring the property from the day you sign.
Tell me your needs →Holiday homes & lets
Owning a second home in Provence or on the French Riviera while living abroad: empty periods, rentals, and who is liable for what.
Home insurance quote →Working for yourself
Setting up a business in France: professional liability, premises, income protection and health cover for the self-employed.
Book a call →How I work
One broker. Every policy. In English.
We talk
A free call, before or after your move: your current policies, your dates, your plans.
I compare
I check my 50+ partner insurers and shortlist what genuinely fits you.
I explain
A clear recommendation in English: what's covered, what isn't, what it costs.
I time it right
Each policy starts on the right date — and I stay your contact for claims and renewals.
FAQ
Newcomers' questions, answered
Can you set everything up before I arrive in France?
Yes. Quotes, sign-up (electronic signature) and follow-up can all be done by phone, video call or email. Ideally, contact me a few weeks before your move so each policy starts on the right date.
Will French insurers recognise my no-claims history from abroad?
Each insurer sets its own rules. What makes the difference is a claims history letter from your current insurer — ask for it before you cancel. I then present your file to the insurers most likely to take it into account.
I own a holiday home in the Var but live abroad. Can you help?
Absolutely — it is one of my most common requests. We arrange everything remotely; I only need details about the property and how it is used (empty periods, rentals).
Are you a regulated broker, and what does it cost me?
EURL M.A.V Courtage is registered with ORIAS under no. 24 005 154 (verifiable on orias.fr) and bound by French insurance distribution rules, including a duty of advice. For most personal insurance, my help costs you nothing extra: I am paid by the insurer. Any fee for complex or business cases is agreed in writing beforehand.
Let's talk
Arrive in France properly insured from day one
Book a free, no-obligation call in English. Based in the Var — working remotely across all of France.