Returning home
The date of the return of the employee to its home location is something that must be clearly organized from the beginning, especially since it must be mentioned in the addendum to his work contract. Indeed, firms usually include a section in the addendum to the work contract identifying the date of return of the employee. In general, the employer specifies that the employee will go back to his old position upon return from his assignment abroad.
However, it is often hard for the employee to come back to his old position. Indeed, during his assignment, the employee usually had more responsibilities and more freedom then in his old job. For this reason, human resources need when possible to find a new position to the employee that is more aligned with the new skills acquired by the employee during the assignment. Human resources must also take into account the employee ' s desire to work in a particular geographical location.
The return can also be very difficult for the employee and his family since, during the assignment, the employee and his family were often assisted in many ways (housing, car, schools, etc), which may have made life easier abroad than at home.
Therefore, prepare his return carefully in order for him to adapt himself back to his old life. You must think about the job he will hold after his return, the area where he will work and maybe help him find a new house.
Some firms also assist the employee ' s spouse in finding a new job upon the return home. However, the employee must also prepare his return by implicating himself in this process.
Overall, once could say that a successful expatriation is not only a good expatriation but also a good return.
Formalities tied to the departure from France
Formalities tied to moving away from France are numerous. Tranquility for you and your employee will depend on how these formalities are handled, either by the employee directly or by a relocation company. However, we recommend that you provide your impatriate with a list of things to accomplis before his departure from France. You will find a non-exhaustive list of these formalities :
Lease cancellation
In France, when moving abroad at the request of the employer or when leaving a furnished appartment, lease cancellation can be given to the owner one month ahead (instead of three months normally). For this reason, certain employees will ask you for a document confirming their departure abroad for professional reasons.
Inform administrations of your change of address
The impatriate must inform the different French administrations of his departure from France (tax and social security authorities, private insurance, etc). The French administration has created a site that allows to inform a certain number of different administration. Their web page is the following: www.changement-adresse.gouv.fr . The French post office, électricité (EDF) and gas (GDF) can also be informed through this site. L'impatrié doit prévenir les différentes administrations du changement d'adresse (administration fiscale, CPAM, CAF, Mutuelles, etc.).
Change of address with family and friends
It is recommended to ask the post office to have your mail forwarded to your new location abroad (this service costs around 50 euros for 6 months and 100 euros for a period of one year).
Schools
Families must inform colleges, kindergardens, high schools, etc of their move abroad.
Cancellation of memberships
You must remember to cancel your memberships to clubs, cables, newspapers, magazines, etc.
Banks
The employee leaving France must inform his bank of his move abroad. It may even be preferrable to organize a meeting with your banker in order to discuss formalities and obligations. Indeed, certain types of bank accounts are only available to French tax residents. For this reason, it may be necessary to close certain bank accounts when leaving France.
You will find additional information on the procedures to follow when leaving France on the national French website : http://demenagement.monhabitat.net/formalite/index.shtml
Moving from an apartment
Normally, when an employer sends an employee abroad or sends him back to his home country, expenses tied to the move are at the expense of the employer. Therefore, it is recommended that the employer defines clearly the volumes and the budget available to the employee. Plan a maximum volume, which will depend on the size of the family, the duration of his assignment to France and the country where the employee return to.
To reduce the cost, ask for a couple different fee quotes from different firms.
Finally, make sure that the volumes and the value of the goods being moved does not change too much between the date of arrival and the date of departure.
The fee quote contract
When you sign this contract, note that you are accepting its amonts and conditions. It must be prepared in two examples and in case of extra-expenses, an addendum must be prepared. The final bill must be identical to the fee quote contract, with possibly the extras mentioned in the addendum.
General moving conditions
It is suppose to clarify the responsibilities and the obligations of each party. This part needs to be clearly explained to the expatriate, in order for the employer to not become a replacement to the moving company if there is any problem.
Declaring the value
The value declared will be the basis when calculating any indemnity in case of a theft or damages. It is the employee ' s responsibility to declare the value since it represents the employee's personal wealth. Therefore and in order to respect the privacy of the employee, the employer needs to make sure that the employee understands the importance of this section to avoid having to intervene.
The letter recapitulating the move
The moving company needs to provide you this letter, which must include the breakdown of all the stops and confirms that the move is over. This letter must be signed twice: once at the beginning of the move (i.e. giving therefore the go ahead to the moving company) and at the end of the move to confirm the end of the move.
This letter will also allow the moving company to justify why it is in possession of these goods during the move in case of questions being asked by the custom ' s authorities. Finally, it will be used in case the employee needs to be reimbursed for any damage or theft.
