Before my departure
At the end of your stay in Strasbourg, an important step in preparing for your departure will be to vacate your accommodation. To do so, you will need to:
- Terminate your lease agreement;
- Conduct a final inspection of the accomodation with your landlord;
- Retrieve your security deposit;
- Cancel all subscriptions related to your accommodation.
Your stay is coming to an end, and you are about to leave Strasbourg. You have given notice to your landlord or real estate agency to vacate your accommodation. Now, you need to inform various government agencies:
- Arrange for the withdrawal of your children from their school;
- Notify the tax authorities about your departure: note that if you're leaving Strasbourg and France but have received income during the current year, you will need to report this income the following year;
- Inform the consulate of your country in France;
- Notify your departure to the Assurance Maladie and, if you were receiving social benefits, to the CAF (Caisse d'Allocations Familiales);
- Arrange for your postal mail to be forwarded to your new address.
Student
Before your departure from the University of Strasbourg, you should remember to request a clearance certificate (quitus) from the university libraries. Before obtaining this, you will need to return all the books you have borrowed. The clearance certificate will enable you to transfer your student records to your new university.
Researcher
If you are a contract researcher, when your employment contract comes to an end, and if it is not renewed, your employer should provide you with:
- An employment certificate;
- An unemployment certificate (Pôle Emploi attestation);
- A receipt for the final settlement.
To obtain these documents, please contact the human resources manager of your employer's HR department starting from the day following the end of your contract.
Keep these documents safe, as, along with your employment contract, they will serve as proof of your period of employment. Depending on the retirement calculation methods in your country of residence, these documents may help you account for your work in France for your pension entitlement.
Another important step will be to cancel your insurances and subscriptions to stop monthly payments or direct debits:
- Cancel your subscriptions: phone, internet, electricity, gas;
- Cancel your home insurance policies: by sending a registered letter at least 15 days before the cancellation date. You will need to provide proof that your situation is indeed changing.