It’s not surprising that when many people make the decision to employ the services of a South of France surveyor to purchase property on the continent, they do so with the intention of moving to the country for their retirement.
After all, the weather is fantastic, the region is very hospitable to foreigners, the scenery is breath-taking, and the culture is rich and interesting. Combine these factors with delicious cuisine, great shopping locations, and luxurious leisure activities, and you have the recipe for the perfect surroundings in which to spend your twilight years.
However, as you won’t be working anymore, and you won’t have built up a pension in France itself, you will need to know how to go about accessing your UK state pension from overseas.
A Note on Brexit
While the UK remains a member state of the European Union (EU) there will be no changes to the rights and status of UK citizens living in other member countries. However, as the exact nature of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU has yet to be completed, or even committed to, all circumstances and advice are subject to change.
You should check the news and your government agencies regularly for the latest information. This applies in general, not just regarding Brexit.
A Note on Part Time Residency
When claiming your pension, you must state which country you want the money to be paid in. You can change this should you move after the pension payments have commenced, but you cannot have the money paid to one country for part of the year, and another for the remainder.
How to Claim
Thankfully you can continue to draw your UK pension while living abroad, and the process is actually rather simple.
You can contact the UK based International Pension Centre to begin the process. You can reach them by telephone and textphone, post, using the online enquiry form, or even on Twitter for the more social media savvy among you. The Twitter account does not appear to be majorly busy, so you may be able to get a response more quickly there.
Alternatively, you can download the International State Pension claim form yourself. Fill in the form on your computer, then print it out, sign it, and post it to the address printed on the document, after which the department shall begin the process.
Bank Accounts
You can have your pension paid into any bank in which you hold an account, whether it’s based in the UK or France. The account in question may be in your name alone, a joint account, or even some else’s account, provided you have their permission and it doesn’t contravene the terms and conditions stipulated by the bank in question.
If you plan to have your pension paid into an overseas account, you’ll require an international bank account number (IBAN) and a bank identification code (BIC) when setting up the pension payments.
Other Details
You can elect to receive your money every four or 13 weeks, unless your state pension is under £5 per week, in which case you’ll be paid annually, in December.
You will be paid in local currency, so please note that exchange rates may affect the amount you receive.
South of France Surveyor
Whatever your reason for moving to this wonderful part of the world, a South of France surveyor can help you with informed and experience-based advice at every step of the process.
Please get in touch today for more information.