Riviera Reporter
Riviera Reporter
THE FRENCH RIVIERA'S ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWS MAGAZINE
THE FRENCH RIVIERA'S ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWS MAGAZINE

Expat Issues


Items specifically related to expat living whatever your nationality.


Slapped with the truth

Today, the ultra-hard Tory Brexit will be in motion

Orjan Pettersen | Mar 29, 2017
It is better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie. If you support a Tory agenda of privatisation of the NHS, reduction of consumer, employee and environmental protections and a tax haven for corporations but a bigger tax burden for…
Brexit question on lips

Today is Article 50 day. What now for expat healthcare?

Mike Meade | Mar 29, 2017
It’ll be a 2 year wait to know for sure what the consequences of the March 29 Article 50 letter will mean in reality for expats. Personally, I’m hopeful but not optimistic — especially for many British expats in limbo situations. Those of us who…
Westminster lightning storm

Reflections on Brexit: The rude awakening

Michael Carberry | Aug 19, 2016
Almost two months after the British decision to leave the EU, the UK and Europe are still reeling from the fallout. For David Cameron, who thought by calling the referendum to pacify his right wingers and see off the challenge from UKIP, and for…
Boris Johnson on Canada

Brexpat: Your letters about our “Brexit Report”

Riviera Reporter | Jun 18, 2016
Letters to the Editor about our Brexit Report editorial from our April/May 2016 issue. Boris I think the most frightening thing about Boris Johnson is his obvious political opportunism and disregard for what’s really best for Britain. His campaign…
Brexit - Referendum Ballot

Brexit Report: Expats - Who can vote and how in the EU referendum

Mike Meade | Apr 13, 2016
The exact words on the ballot will be: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” UK citizens who have been out of the UK for less than 15 years can vote in the referendum. Over 5.5 million UK…
UK Passport with EHIC card

Brexit Report: Healthcare for British expats after Brexit

Mike Meade | Apr 12, 2016
When this magazine started almost 30 years ago, by far our most important advertisers were insurance companies that covered expats who were living in France. This was before the Carte Vitale and before reciprocal healthcare coverage had been worked…
British Airways plane in flight

Brexit Report: What might happen to air travel in the EU?

Mike Meade | Apr 11, 2016
Expats probably use air travel more than most people. For some, it’s a vital link to business interests and friends and family abroad. Industry professionals led by easyJet CEO Carolyn McCall are adamant that Brexit means fares will have to rise and…
Brexit sign: What will happen if Britain leaves the EU?

Brexit Report: What will happen to expats in France?

Mike Meade | Apr 08, 2016
At the very least, living as a non-EU expat in France will be far less convenient than it is now. Just ask any Canadian, American or Australian. Gone are the days when EU citizens had to jump through discriminatory bureaucratic hoops in order to…
Boris Johnson and his Brexit quote of November 2014

Brexit Report: How to say goodbye if the UK leaves the EU

Mike Meade | Apr 07, 2016
If the UK votes to leave the EU, the most likely procedure will be to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which states that a leaving country must abide by European Union rules for two years but will no longer have a say in what those conditions…
EU question mark

Brexit Report: The June 23 EU referendum - The issues

Mike Meade | Apr 06, 2016
We don’t claim to be neutral on the EU referendum. After looking at the facts, the rumours and the uncertainties, the Riviera Reporter is strongly in the “Bremain” camp. For the UK, and especially for British expats in Europe, the advantages far…
Brexit, jigsaw puzzle pieces

Brexit Report: What the future may bring for Britain and expats

Mike Meade | Apr 06, 2016
These are probably the most important pages we’ve published in the history of this magazine. Along with my partner, I still own the Riviera Reporter publishing company that I founded almost three decades ago. But since I put editorial responsibility…
Do you speak English sign

What language are EU immigrants speaking?

Riviera Reporter | Mar 06, 2016
David Cameron is taking his pitch from Henry Ford’s Model-T: you can speak any language, as long as it’s English. He has a point but it’s hard to introduce linguistic cleansing if you look at things closely. Britain is by far the most multicultural…
Working abroad sign

Where the jobs are for expats working abroad

Riviera Reporter | Jan 25, 2016
Malta attracts IT professionals and Norway entices with its favourable work-life balance, while expats in Luxembourg enjoy excellent job security. For its annual Expat Insider survey, published in October 2015, InterNations, the world’s leading…
Strasbourg's Christmas Festival

Trialling an EU country for 3 months without any obligations

Barth Hulley | Dec 18, 2015
It’s a little known fact that as a citizen of the European Union you are allowed to spend up to 90 consecutive days, working, living or playing in any other EU country without having to tell anyone what you’re up to. Although this time limit might…
EU boxing gloves

Dual British and French nationality: the expat solution?

Riviera Reporter | Sep 29, 2015
In this corner, appearing out of nowhere in only a few months, Jeremy Corbyn’s rise to a 59% first-round victory for the Labour Party leadership was the biggest electoral mandate of any party leader in British political history. What will this mean…
EU US Flags on Wheels

Greecing the Wheels

PJ Heslin | Aug 28, 2015
In 1793, Japan was ruled by a Shogun, China by an emperor and a Sultan still controlled vast portions of the Middle East and the Balkan Peninsula. France was in the middle of a Republican revolution, which in itself would end with an emperor…
In-flight Yob

Your in-flight entertainment - by British yobs and slobs

Riviera Reporter | Jul 15, 2015
As foreign media pick up on the increasing number of British press reports of loutish behaviour at home and abroad, decent British expats are left feeling shame and irritation. Airlines regularly have to deal with yobbery by a loud minority of Brits…
Les Brownlee

The Monaco US Economic Forum: Les Brownlee, with a lifetime of service

PJ Heslin | Jun 03, 2015
This summer’s inaugural Monaco US Economic Forum, which takes place June 8th to 12th, 2015, under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert, will see some of America’s brightest business and political minds come together in the hopes of promoting…
French Riviera map with UK Passport, pounds and euros

Buy euros now, leave the UK later

Riviera Reporter | May 06, 2015
Telegraph columnist Anna Nichols reports on a survey by the deVere Group that found 59% of Brits are giving serious thought to leaving the UK on retirement, a 10% rise since the same survey was conducted a year ago. The reasons cited were the UK’s…
Ben Nelson

Former US Senator Ben Nelson gets behind the Monaco US Business Forum in June

PJ Heslin | Apr 07, 2015
The Monaco US Business Roundtable was co-founded by Mike Powers and Susan Feaster in 2014, with the aim to build stronger relations between the two countries in the fields of education, government, business, culture and sport. From June 10th to…
EU Eye

Europe in stats: from Spain to Sweden

The Local | Apr 01, 2015
From women in the workplace to income inequality, the differences between European countries are getting greater in lots of areas. The Nordic countries do well when it comes to income inequality, with Sweden and Denmark among the most equal places…
Elizabeth Finn

Elizabeth Finn Care: Charity that helps when in financial difficulty

Mary Hughes | Mar 01, 2015
Elizabeth Anne Finn and her daughter, Constance, founded Elizabeth Finn Care (EFC), previously The Distressed Gentlefolk’s Aid Association, in 1897. Since then EFC has been assisting clients worldwide to overcome the effects of poverty by servicing…
Boris-Johnson

UK election fever? You must be joking!

Riviera Reporter | Feb 16, 2015
The British general election of 2015 is almost upon us and never has an outcome been as unpredictable or of more relevance to British expats. Labour and Conservatives alternate weekly for first place in the polls with UKIP running third and the…
Mike Yanney

A public peace process from the Monaco US Business Roundtable

PJ Heslin | Jan 26, 2015
“Guns and bombs won’t make the kinds of changes we need.” When Susan Feaster, co-founder along with Mike Powers of the Monaco US Business Roundtable, approached Mike Yanney about the initiative, his interest was immediate. With an extensive…
Viviane Reding and Harry Shindler

Voting rights and wrongs for British expats

Riviera Reporter | Oct 20, 2014
As the 2015 UK general election draws near, some expat Britons here remain unhappy with the fact that they still don’t have a national vote anywhere – neither in Britain, if they’d lived overseas for more than 15 years, nor in France where they pay…
Gene Budig

Gene Budig, Major League President, joins Monaco US Business Roundtable

PJ Heslin | Sep 26, 2014
First in a series on the movers and shakers behind the Monaco US Business Roundtable. We all have that moment. No matter how long you’ve lived abroad, when baseball’s World Series rolls around in October (the 21st this year, 2014), we can’t help but…
Monaco US Business Roundtable

Monaco US Business Roundtable

Nick Kent | Jun 05, 2014
US stars of tomorrow will earn their stripes in Monaco. The entente between Monaco and the US has undergone a step-change since the launch of a dynamic initiative – the Monaco US Business Roundtable. There’s no doubt that the key movers in the new…
Stay or Go

Should we stay or should we go back to the UK?

Riviera Reporter | Apr 01, 2014
The faltering French economy has given some Riviera expats reason to think about moving back to the UK. We spoke with two families who did ... or almost. After 18 years of living in France, 62-year-old Glenda decided to move back when her husband…
Romantic Couple

Making a difference in the dating game, Expat Dating France

Nancy Heslin | Dec 01, 2013
For many célibataires living on the Côte d’Azur the dating pool is painfully empty. Single people don’t just up sticks and move to the South of France, which means any new blood is usually “spoken for”. Then there are the divorced and retired, who…
Private Number Plate: No2tax

Private number plates: an acquired taste or just poor taste?

Riviera Reporter | Nov 24, 2013
The British have a penchant for personalised number plates whether as a prank, a pretentious flaunt or a way to make a serious statement. If you can afford it, could you resist having the his-and-her numbers 2BE and NOT 2B side by side in your…
Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks, the French still think coffee-to-go is a big no-no

Nancy Heslin | Nov 15, 2013
Where oh where have you bean? When I moved to France, I rented an apartment in the Place des Arcades in Valbonne. Every morning, I would open my kitchen windows overlooking the 16th-century Square and, while the coffee percolated, observe my…
Retired Couple on Beach

The benefits of retiring to the French Riviera

Riviera Reporter | Oct 09, 2013
Counting the last days as you coast towards retirement? Maybe you're one of the 11 million tourists that visits the Alpes-Maritimes each year, and you're thinking of retiring here. There's no doubt about it, France is a pretty good place to do so if…
English Countryside

The soul of Britain up for sale

Riviera Reporter | Jul 13, 2013
Rural England is the soul of a "green and pleasant land" and the same could be said for the rest of the British Isles. A much smaller country than France but with a population only slightly lower, the temptation to expand housing into the British…
British Passport

Change to passport service for British nationals

Riviera Reporter | Jun 26, 2013
British nationals in France wanting to apply for a new passport are advised of an important change in the way they will need to make applications. From 1 July 2013, they will need to send applications directly to the Her Majesty’s Passport Office in…
Mosques

Radical Islamists, can’t Britain just do like the French?

Riviera Reporter | Jun 24, 2013
Some right-wing Frenchmen opine that radical Islamists will eventually take over France through the pregnant bellies of Muslim women. It's far more likely that the UK would be conquered first, if that were true. A more racially and religiously…
Nigel Farage of UKIP

Quitting the EU could spell expat disaster

Riviera Reporter | Jun 12, 2013
By most accounts Nigel Farage's anti-European UK Independence Party will be an influential player, maybe even a new coalition partner for a Conservative Party without David Cameron, after the next general election. Farage, very much the man of the…
Map of Australia

For some, Australia is preferable to France

Patrick Middleton | May 24, 2013
So you’re one of those who’ve found that living in France hasn’t brought the happiness you hoped for, so where can you move to? Well, if you’re relatively young – it’s more difficult for oldies, unless they’ve got significant fluids – think about…
Are expats happy?

Are British expats happy in France? Part 2

Patrick Middleton | May 22, 2013
I read quite a lot of the research which comes out about British expats in France. A lot of it reaches positive conclusions but these are quite often contradicted by what we read in other studies. For example – as quoted recently in these pages –…
Marks and Spencer Scones

M&S: No shirts, sandwiches or chicken tikka massala for Nice

Patrick Middleton | May 15, 2013
Back in 1992 this magazine welcomed Marks and Spencer to Nice (Reporter 39, cover) and this very British retail presence was welcomed with enthusiasm by many readers, including some French women who had frequented the Marble Arch store and others…
Christine Haworth-Staines

Are British expats happy in France?

Patrick Middleton | Mar 31, 2013
“My research on Brits living in France will involve much more than the Happiness survey. This is really just the beginning,” says psychologist Christine Haworth-StainesBritish expats in France, that is. Well, we may be on the way to getting an…
Summer Time

No change to changing the clocks, at least not yet

Patrick Middleton | Mar 21, 2013
As you read this, we’ll be preparing to put the clocks forward again. These days in France, apart from a handful of rather cranky folk, nobody seems to find this worth arguing about. In the UK, though, there are twice yearly moans from a chorus of…
Anthony Burgess

Anthony Burgess on Monaco

Patrick Middleton | Mar 15, 2013
I interviewed Anthony Burgess once when he spoke at the Princess Grace Irish Library. I recall two of his dicta quite clearly: first, Monaco was a very bad place to bring up a child – his son Andrea (aka successively André and Andrew) tried to…
Britannia hospital

British hospital? No thanks!

Patrick Middleton | Mar 07, 2013
When Brits are asked why they would like to live abroad – or, if they already do, why they don’t want to return to the UK – an increasingly common answer is that they fear, and that’s the word, falling victim to the low standard of medical care in…
Bay of Lloret de Mar

Expats elsewhere: the Pain in Spain

Mike Meade | Mar 01, 2013
Costa Brava’s most popular summer resort, Bay of Lloret de Mar Spain has long been a favourite country for expats from Northern Europe, Ireland and the UK. Once cheap and cheerful places to settle, the coastal strips of the Costa Brava and the Costa…
Warm Fireplace

UK Winter Fuel Allowance: it’s excellent news but (we say) for how long?

Patrick Middleton | Feb 20, 2013
That cheerful verdict came from Mary Hughes of the charity Elizabeth Finn Care (formerly the Distressed Gentle Folks Aid Society). What was she celebrating? Following a ruling of the European Commission the UK government has been forced to revise…
Blood Donor

They still don’t want Brits to donate blood

Riviera Reporter | Feb 17, 2013
Across the years, in items about blood donation, we’ve mentioned that in many cases intending British donors are often turned away. And that’s in a country with a shortage of blood which is especially serious in this region. The Alpes-Maritimes is…
Couple

Looking for a man? Well, it’s not too difficult if you don’t mind the dung on his boots

Riviera Reporter | Feb 13, 2013
A rather familiar figure within the expat community is the woman who’s here from Norwich, Nijmegen or Norrkoping hoping to find a man. It’s not easy but there’s a ray of hope. France’s farmers offer a buyer’s market to these looking-for-love ladies.…
Horsemeat

They eat horses, don't they?

Patrick Middleton | Feb 06, 2013
That's the French we're talking about. Two points to start with: first, they aren't alone in taking enthusiasm for horsemeat. It's eaten regularly in quite a few countries from Mexico to Japan; second, its place on the French menu is relatively…
French Letters

Apps for Expats

Mike Meade | Feb 06, 2013
In 2012 over 60 billion apps were downloaded. That’s almost 10 apps for every inhabitant of the planet, although there is, naturally, some disparity from country to country.One in five Britons now owns a tablet, with iPads leading the pack. Add…
The London Olympics

The London Olympics! The jury’s still out

Patrick Middleton | Jan 23, 2013
Photo: London Youth Games LtdOne of our readers – a fan of the FT’s Lucy Kellaway, the Pink ’Un’s excellent columnist – admitted that she’d got it wrong in a knocking piece about the Olympics published on the eve of the Games: “The biggest pile of…
Carte Vitale

French healthcare and health insurance

Patrick Middleton | Jan 09, 2013
Not so long ago Timothy Egan, a New York Times columnist, referred blithely to the “free” healthcare available in France. This is a deeply misleading notion and anyone coming here needs to understand the realities of the situation. Treatment is…
Health Insurance

How to choose health insurance

Riviera Reporter | Dec 30, 2012
What are your basic healthcare needs? How are these needs likely to change (notably with advancing years)?Are you certain you can keep up the premiums on the policy you have chosen? That being said, the cheapest product you can find certainly won’t…
Christmas with Pets

Expats would rather spend Christmas with pets than in-laws

James Cave | Dec 07, 2012
Christmas can be a difficult time when you live abroad. It’s the one time of year that you’re expected to make an effort with family. Either you have to pack everything up and head back to Blighty for the holidays, or get the house ready for the…
Joseph Smith

The Mormons: Sorry, no tea, no coffee but try these magic underpants

Patrick Middleton | Oct 28, 2012
Patrick Middleton revisits the Mormons A topical subject with Mitt Romney aiming to push Barack Obama out of the White House, but “revisit” is perhaps not quite the word. I first had contact with our local Mormons back in 1988 (Reporter issue 10)…
Love Coach

The Love Coach: Fidelity, the F-Word

Nathalie Giraud | Sep 13, 2012
The Love Coach: Sex therapist and expat relationship expert for nearly 10 years, Nathalie Giraud answers readers’ questions Why are married men unfaithful and what are they looking for in an extra-marital affair? It seems worse on the Riviera. I’ve…
Archbishop of Westminster

The popularity of churches for expats

Riviera Reporter | Sep 02, 2012
We always thought that the Venerable Kenneth Letts, chaplain of Holy Trinity, Nice, was media-shy (so he refused details of his Christmas services once again but we got them from the parish magazine) but the other day, though, he was happy to tell…
LoveCoach

The Love Coach: A new life after expat divorce

Riviera Reporter | Jul 28, 2012
How to accept a separation After 15 years together, my wife and I have just got divorced. She’s French, I’m from London, and we’ve been living on the Riviera for the past 5 years. She has part custody of our 2 kids. I’ve decided to stay in France to…
Half and Half

Half and half, cultural confusion

Nancy Heslin | Jun 23, 2012
Alliterates would have been delighted with recent headlines “No Mercy for Madonna in Malawi”. The singer’s adoption denial of three-year-old Chifundo James, whose mother died at childbirth, resulted from a residency requirement snag that the…
Tea and Biscuits

British culture of a cup of tea

Riviera Reporter | Jun 21, 2012
Sales figures are clear enough: the Brits are drinking less tea, and that’s a shame since research at London’s City University supports your gran’s belief that in moments of stress a cuppa is the best way to calm down. Explains research leader…
Gillian Merron

Adios el Sueño! say British expats leaving Spain

Riviera Reporter | Jun 19, 2012
As everyone (even, we hope, the Sunday Times) now realises, there has been no “mass exodus” of Brits from France. The situation in Spain is different, and as UK consular affairs minister Gillian Merron (pictured) has brutally put it, “For many…
love coach small

The Love Coach: Being in a rut, French lovers

Riviera Reporter | May 19, 2012
In a new column TLC, a sex therapist and expat relationship expert for over 9 years, answers readers’ questions How do I get out of my rut? Dear TLC: Back in the UK, I used to be a confident and independent woman. I don’t recognize myself. I should…
carte resident

Applying for a French work permit as a non-EU citizen

Riviera Reporter | Mar 08, 2012
This applies to non-EU citizens : Americans, Canadians, Australians, South Africans, etc. The following is to be used as a guideline and is in no way a guarantee of being approved for a French work visa.You must apply at the local French embassy or…
Plane

Americans remain comfy at home in the US

PJ Heslin | Mar 07, 2012
It’s certainly not breaking news that Americans don’t like to travel abroad. According to the US Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, only 30% of Americans – the US has a population of over 308 million – hold passports, compared to 60% of…
Rue Francais

The Language Effect: Being multi or bilingual

Mike Meade | Feb 15, 2012
The Reporter wouldn’t think of hiring anyone who doesn’t speak French. There’s no doubt that if you don’t speak the language of the country you’re living in, you’re missing out on a great many things, even if your professional and social life is…
Brits

The sounds of home, the old British obsession with class

Pauline Baker | Jan 07, 2012
The old British obsession with class reappeared during the election campaign, partly fuelled by John Prescott (Patrick Middleton, who’s interviewed him, says he’s as unlikeable as they say and, like Gordon Brown, has no time for dogs). I’m told by…

Keep that EHIC card up your sleeve!

Riviera Reporter | Jan 07, 2012
So you’ve retired here from Widnes or Worthing and you’re living – partly – on a UK old age pension. That entitles you, you know, to get medical treatment when visiting Britain or any other EU state. All you need to do is flash your French CEAM or…
ballot

Why don't British expats vote in UK elections?

Patrick Middleton | Jan 07, 2012
Of Brits living abroad who are qualified to vote in general elections fewer than one per cent actually do so. Why? Patrick Middleton explored the subject together with Francis Maude, MP, until recently Chairman of the Conservative Party and now a…

Reporting a Crime

Riviera Reporter | Jan 07, 2012
“If you want to know the time ask a policeman” So said the old song and, of course, he’s the man to go to if you need to report a crime. But how exactly do you do that in France? Well, the Kent County force just across the Channel has thought it…

French Work Visa

Mary-Lou Campanella | Jan 07, 2012
Many expat women come here as "trailing wives" following their husbands. I am an anti-trailer: I came here to leave one. But that makes settling in a foreign country tricky, particularly when you are not an EU citizen. I needed to find a way to live…

How to become naturalized French

Phil Heinlein | Jan 07, 2012
Imagine you come across a guy with a Brooklyn accent, a beer belly and too short pants who’s drinking a coke with a very well done steak. Must be an American, you suppose. Maybe, maybe not. Actually, according to his passport he’s French. He could…

What's that in French?

Riviera Reporter | Jan 07, 2012
Fewer and fewer Brits are acquiring foreign languages. At the beginning of September 2007, only 5 out of 10 school pupils were learning another tongue, down from 8 out of 10 a decade previously. Since 2004 a foreign language has no longer been…
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