Fab French Insurance is a French registered company, specialising in health, property and car insurance for English speaking residents of France, as well as those visiting from the UK on short term visits. The company was established in 2015 by Fabien Pelissier.
We have a small team of English-language speaking staff based in the South West of France.
So you will get a dedicated English-language speaking broker who is also a French native speaker.
We are able to provide our clients with a clear, easily understood, tailored solution to their requirements.
We work with more than 30 insurers and many more providers, so we are always able to find an affordable solution for each situation.
There are no hidden fees. We believe in trust and transparency.
To obtain a quote, please provide us with your basic details via the form below.
You will find it Fabulously Easy!
Battle Tested Health Insurance For Your Visa Application
Are you planning on a permanent move to France?
If you intend to be around more than 90 days per year or for residency purposes, you’ll need to have a VISA. Whatever you need a VLS-TS or VLS-T visa you’ll probably need private medical insurance.
Finding the right medical insurance will make or break your visa application so don’t overlook this.
Technically, Private Health Insurance (PHI) is like travel insurance except that travel insurance is limited to emergency cover. PHI can cover routine medicine, tests and treatments, and sometimes existing conditions.
A PHI will be required for a residency application and/or a visa. That policy also needs to include public liability and repatriation and there is a minimum amount it should cover for medical expenses.
PHI is somewhat identical to the combined cover provided by both the French social security and a mutuelle (top- up health insurance) but, for the mutuelle, you have to have a French social security number although you’ll see that mutuelles don’t require a medical questionnaire which means no possible exclusions.
We will also advice the exact plan that will meet the expectations of the various governmental bodies.
We can usually weave our magic, even difficult insurance cases!
Content provided by: Healey Fox Ltd partner insurance broker, licensed and registered in France.
French Home Insurance
In France the building insurance isn’t really a thing. It’s almost always home & contents insurance and includes all the “basic” cover such as:
- Public liability
- Natural & technological disasters / acts of god / Storms
- Terror attacks
- Fire
- Flooding
Main buildings are always insured up to the reconstruction value except for big properties (castles, manors, mansions, etc.).
A discount may apply only if in poor maintenance status or if an “arrêté de péril” has been issued (official warning from the city hall that your property is considered hazardous and need immediate attention).
Outbuildings need to be declared to avoid an insurance gap as you need to have at least the public liability on it.
One of the main variables on a French policy is how you insure your belongings. Valuables are always differentiated from the general content, and you’re always offered the choice between insuring your contents new for old or at a discounted value.
Top Tips:
Declaring something as a valuable would automatically cover it “new for old” (the valuable, not the general content).
If you’re a French resident, you should also make sure you have your property insurance set up a “Résidence Principale” and not “Résidence Secondaire” (or anything else) – unless it’s a place you rent, of course. Also Make sure all your utility bills only carry your French address as this can help for all administrative tasks.
Content provided by: Healey Fox Ltd partner insurance broker, licensed and registered in France.
French Car Insurance
Expats can face 3 major issues when insuring a vehicle in France:
- Driver license acceptance
- Insuring a foreign registered vehicle (waiting for it to be imported)
- Converting the foreign insurance history into its French equivalent.
Driver license acceptance:
Non-EU licenses can be an issue and very often a source of confusion. British licenses issued (or renewed) after the 1st of January 2021 are seen as non-EU licenses, before that date they’re processed as EU licenses.
The confusion comes from the fact that you may be allowed to drive in France (legally) but, even with an international license, your driving “allowance” is only temporary (usually 1 year). For that reason, French insurers should not allow you to get a permanent policy but only temporary ones (which are very costly). If you are a permanent French resident, you’ll need to convert your license eventually so we can get you insured on foreign licenses for up to 12 months until you can get your French license. The main requirement to be insured is to be legally allowed to drive in France.
Top Tips:
Don’t wait too long to start the conversion process as it can be quite a long process (9 months is not unusual). You should also check that your country or state have agreements with France as you may be required to pass the test all over again.
Foreign registered vehicles:
Legally speaking you need to import your vehicle to France if you are driving a foreign registered vehicle. Make sure you get started asap as it can take a little while to complete. To start the import, you’ll need to show proof of insurance and some French insurers are able to get you insured waiting for the vehicle to be officially imported under French plates. This is a cool option as you get a permanent policy which will be amended once you get your French plates. We can do just that.
Converting your foreign insurance history:
France has standardized the insurance history which is not the case is most English-speaking countries where it’s mostly a commercial thing. But you can usually convert your foreign history into its French equivalent to avoid starting all over again (and the expensive premium that goes along no discount).
The conversion process depends on your history, where you come from and many different factors (claims made, insurance gap, etc.) so it’s best to seek advice with an insurer or a broker that is used to dealing with this. We’re battle tested and deal with hundreds of policies a year so you’re in good hands with us.
Content provided by: Healey Fox Ltd partner insurance broker, licensed and registered in France.
