Near Monpazier, Dordogne, and anywhere in France
French administration is a herd of five-headed, fire-breathing, whip-tailed monsters. I spent years on the other side of the counter, and I really do speak French. Send me the letter: I will read it, explain it, answer it and chase it, so you don't have to.
Personal attention. · Practical help. · One less headache.
The €30 first step
An official envelope has landed on the mat. Don't panic, and don't put it in the drawer. Take a photo, send it to me on WhatsApp or by email, and for €30 I will tell you what it means, what to do, which documents they want and whether there is a deadline. There usually is.
from €50
Want reassurance before submitting? I go through your file and tell you what is missing, before you press the dreaded ENVOYER button.
Why it feels so hard
“French administration is a herd of five-headed, fire-breathing, whip-tailed monsters that traumatise and terrify the French, let alone trembling expats.”
Years with the French National Education system, then at the public-service desk in Monpazier, working directly with the tax office, CPAM, CAF, ANTS, MSA, the pension funds and the justice conciliators. I know what they want, and why.
No call centre, no indifferent employee, no ticket number. One person, your file, undivided attention. If you ring, it is me who answers.
Even French people who work in one civil service department have asked me to wrestle with the admin-beast from another branch. I have also written the book on it. Literally.
So don't be embarrassed to ask for help. In return, just promise me that little by little you will get out there and become part of your commune.
Services
Fixed prices for the usual procedures, published here in full. Anything else is €50 an hour, minimum 30 minutes.
from€100
First visas, titres de séjour, the Article 50 card, multi-year cards and French nationality. I assemble the file, check every document and sit beside you through the online portal.
from€50
Don't assume importing your UK car is just a matter of getting a French carte grise. Carte grise, 846A, DREAL, homologation, licence exchange: I know which comes first.
846A = has the tax side of this import been dealt with?
DREAL = is this car safe and fit to be put on French roads?
from€30
Getting into the French health system, the carte Vitale, your Ameli account, a top-up insurer who wants one more attestation, and the letters that follow.
from€30
Because tax forms have a remarkable ability to make perfectly sensible people question their life choices. Annual declarations, foreign income, and that letter from the tax office. Administrative help, not tax advice.
per 30 min€30
Everyday admin, by the half hour. Fines, utility companies, chasing an unanswered application, replying to official letters, online accounts that refuse to let you in. If it involves French paperwork, an online portal or an organisation that insists on communicating in French, ask me.
€30 per 30 minutes, €50 an hour. I tell you how long it will take before I start.
How it works
WhatsApp, email, phone or the form below. Tell me what has landed on the mat, or what is keeping you awake.
A plain-English explanation and a fixed price, or an hourly estimate, before any work starts.
You send me the documents, I prepare the file, and we go through the portal side by side, in person or on a video call.
Everything checked, nothing missing from three months ago. And when the reply arrives, send me a photo of that too.
Tarifs
Fixed prices for the usual procedures. Official taxes, timbres fiscaux, certificates, translations and other third-party costs are always extra.
Everything not listed: €50 an hour, minimum 30 minutes.
€30 / 30 min · €50 / hour
Once an application is submitted, you follow it up; later correspondence is charged separately. I cannot guarantee approval: the authorities decide, and fees are not refundable if they refuse.
Administrative help, not legal or tax advice. French administration has a remarkable talent for inventing situations that nobody thought to put on the price list, so if yours is not here, ask.
What people say
“Great bilingual service, efficient, helpful and thorough. A very good customer experience. I would highly recommend Kati if you require help with navigating difficult bureaucratic systems in France.”
David F., April 2026
“Kati is amazing and has made our transition here so much better and easier.”
Jennifer B.
“We have used Kati Barr-Taylor's services on several occasions. The French administrative system is complex and confusing; being able to rely on someone with her expertise and patience is, without a doubt, invaluable. We are extremely grateful for your help, Kati.”
Translated from the French« Nous avons fait appel aux services de Kati Barr-Taylor à plusieurs reprises. Pouvoir compter sur quelqu'un possédant son expertise et sa patience est, sans aucun doute, inestimable. »
Christine V.
“Excellent service. A big thank you to Kati! She speaks English, is very competent, approachable and helpful.”
Translated from the French« Service excellent. Un grand merci à Kati ! Elle parle anglais, est très compétente, accessible et serviable. »
Shelley D.
The other desk: Kati paints, draws and writes when the paperwork is done.
About Kati
At fourteen, my headmaster watched me give his daughter a riding lesson and told my father: I don't know what industry she will find herself in, but Kati will give her life to helping people. It's her calling.
Years later, after reading my strange, non-linear, unedited CV, he wrote back: I am glad. You will have helped so many.
I am British, I have lived in the Dordogne for more than twenty years, and I really do speak French. I worked for the French National Education system, then at the France Services public-service desk in Monpazier, in formal partnership with the tax office, CPAM, CAF, ANTS, MSA, France Travail, Urssaf and the local justice conciliators. I have even helped French people who work in one civil service department wrestle with the admin-beast from another branch.
My clients are not a number or an email address that I hand to an indifferent employee. They are people trying to do the right thing, new to or uncomfortable with the French system. They deserve my undivided attention while I take the sting out of it.
Away from the keyboard I paint, draw, translate, edit and review crime fiction, from a converted farmhouse I call the Cosy Pigsty. From etiquette and culture to opening hours and cheese, France is a million miles from Britain. It is also a country of gentle possibilities, and I would not live anywhere else.
The books
Paperback, October 2025
Twenty years of the Dordogne, bureaucracy included, in 130 honest and funny pages. Also published in French as Le (Vrai) Rêve Périgourdin.
February 2025
A little book of ideas, recipes and places, inspired by life in the Dordogne.
From the kitchen
Recipes, ramblings and a few creative ideas from the kitchen at the Cosy Pigsty.
For children
The first book in the Magic Morgan series.
Kati also reviews crime fiction for crimereview.co.uk, translates, writes and edits. In her words: she satisfies her literary cravings.
All her books on Goodreads
Where I work
I live near Monpazier, the 13th-century bastide with the arcaded square. If you are within reach of these villages, I can come to you or meet you with the papers on the table.
Further afield? Phone, video, email and WhatsApp work wherever you are in France, from Calais to Perpignan. A photo of the letter is enough to start.
FAQ
No, and be wary of anyone who does. The authorities decide. What I guarantee is a complete, correct file, submitted the way they want it, which is most of the battle.
To begin with, a photo of the letter or a few lines about what is worrying you. Then I give you a short list of documents: only what is needed, in the order they ask for it. No discovering that you needed one more document, three months ago.
Around Monpazier and the bastides, yes: Villeréal, Beaumont-du-Périgord, Belvès, Cadouin, Lalinde, Bergerac, Fumel. Further afield we work by phone, video, email and WhatsApp, which works surprisingly well.
Yes. French administration terrifies the French too. I have helped civil servants from one department with the paperwork of another, and I am just as happy working in French.
Bank transfer, cheque, or cash in person. I confirm the price before any work starts, so there are no surprises on the invoice. Official fees, timbres fiscaux and the like, are paid directly to the authorities.
French administration has a remarkable talent for inventing situations that nobody thought to put on the price list. Ask anyway: it is €50 an hour, minimum 30 minutes, and I will tell you honestly if it is not something I can help with.
Your documents are seen by me and nobody else, used only for the job we agree, and deleted when you ask. Nothing is shared, sold or left lying on a shared drive.
Yes. Twenty years of it, including years of working in French for French public services, and a book written in both languages. I can also say "c'est sûrement août" with real feeling.
Contact
I work one-to-one, so there is a short waiting list. Fill in the form, or send a WhatsApp, and I will come back to you with a date and a price.
Near Monpazier, Dordogne. In person around the bastides; by phone, video, email and WhatsApp anywhere in France.