Getting set up in France after being on a secondment scheme
Our situation is a little tricky – me and my partner are working for a UK building company with a French subsidiary (established in August 2015). I’m German and a operations manager/ project manager and he is British and an electrician/site manager. We are working in a French ski resort but we’re seconded (on a UK contract and UK tax residence) usually during the period from May until December each year – some years 11 out of the 12 months a year, the rest of the time we worked in the UK or were on paid leave.
The French company is closing down at the end of 2020. My partner and I are now trying to set up as auto-entrepreneurs in order to stay in France as it has become our home. We are in a tricky position, because over the last 6 years we haven’t been able to pay French taxes, as this is how the business we work for is set up and have no paper trail of having lived in France, as the company has provided our accommodation as well. We are also facing potential problems with Brexit and my partner is British.
The directors of the company have privately bought a house which is also the company address and we are able to use the address even after the company has closed down. My boss is happy to provide an attestation de herbergement for us as proof of address, as it’s his name on all the bills.
Our first steps would be to get registered and acquire a Carte Sejour, social security number, Carte Vital & bank account – I’m a little
confused as to what to do first as it seems I need a carte sejour for example to get a social security number but can’t get a carte sejour
without proof of activity – so would it best to start by becoming an auto-entrepreneur? We are obviously very limited on what we can provide paper-wise.
I understand, that it will be tricky and time-consuming to register as an artisan (my partner is an electrician/ general tradesman) – I was wondering, if it would be possible for me and my partner to register as project managers (as activite liberal) with the URSSAF asap to begin with in order to get on to the French system and my partner starts the process of setting up as an Artisan at the same time in
order to be set up as an electrician by January 2021? But I’m not sure it’s possible to be an auto-entrepreneur in two categories at the same time?
Our final goal is to get set up in France and to apply for a mortgage and buy a house here.
Many thanks for your advise in advance.