PENSIONS

There are two main pension (retraite) schemes in France: one for private sector employees, the régime general, and one for public sector employees. To be entitled to receive a full French pension under the régime general you must be 65, or between 60 and 65 if you have contributed to the scheme for 40 years.

If you have worked in several countries you may end up receiving pension payments from different sources and in various currencies. This generally results in a smaller sum than for someone who has worked in only one country.

Expatriates are advised, where possible, to stay in their company's pensions scheme, though this is not always feasible and can be subject to special conditions.

For non-EU citizens, the ability to transfer pension schemes across borders depends on whether or not France and your country of origin have a bilateral treaty on social security.

For more information on pension payment and retirement in France, see the Caisse Nationale d'Assurance Vieillesse website (in French), or the Info Retraite website (in French).