Að flytja til Frakklands
Quick facts:
Capital City - Paris
Population - 65,273,511
Official Language - French
Area - 640,679 km2
you are moving to France, there are certain essential tasks you need to do when planning your move to France.
This 'moving to France checklist' explains the mandatory steps for your move to France.
There are many aspects to planning a move to France, not least dealing with how to relocate your things to France, but it doesn't have to be stressful. While it's tempting to dive into exploring the best French foods or top places in France, certain tasks have to be completed within a set time frame from the moment you move to France. So get the boring things out of the way early on so you can get on with the important stuff: settling into life in France.
This checklist includes bureaucratic aspects of moving to France, such as registration with the French authorities and compulsory French health insurance, plus useful tasks, such as setting up internet and television and opening a bank account, to purely enjoyable tasks to get into French culture and start your new life abroad in France.
Certain nationalities will require a French visa to travel to France and/or a French residence permit to live in France for longer than three months. Find out if you need a French visa or residence permit, or look into studying in France. Typically, European and Swiss citizens moving to France can live and work without requiring any French permit.
Working and studying in France
If you were legally resident in France before 1 January 2021, you have the right to work, as long as you remain legally resident.
Read the French government’s guidance on EU exit and working in France.
To apply for a job you may need to provide a:
International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC) criminal records check from the ACRO Criminal Records Office to work with children
If you are planning to come to France to work, you may need a visa. Read the French government’s guidance on working in France as a third country national and how to get a visa.
1. Registering with the French authorities
https://www.francerights.org/moving-to-france-from-january-2021.html
If you were legally resident in France before 1 January 2021, you must apply online for the new residency permit before 1 July 2021, in line with the Withdrawal Agreement. You need to have your new residency permit before 1 October 2021.
All UK nationals resident in France need to apply for the new residency permit. This includes UK nationals:
with a European carte de séjour (even if it is marked “permanent”, or has no expiry date)
without a European carte de séjour (it was previously optional)
applying for a second nationality
married to or in a civil partnership with (known as PACSed) FR or other EU nationals
Each person must make a separate application. Children under 18 do not need to apply, unless they need a residency permit to work or will turn 18 close to the application deadline.
If you have been living in France for over 5 years, you will be eligible for permanent residency and a 10-year renewable residency permit.
If you have been living in France for fewer than 5 years, you will be eligible for a card with 5 years’ validity. You will need to provide evidence of your personal situation (as a worker, self-sufficient person, student, job seeker, British family member, British spouse of a French national). Read the flowchart on the application website which shows what documents you need to provide.
If you applied for residency via the previous ‘no-deal’ website, you do not need to re-apply. Your application will be processed by the appropriate Préfecture before 1 October 2021. However if you have moved to a different Departement since applying, you must apply again.
You should:
read the French government’s guidance for UK nationals (in English)
read our detailed guidance on the residency registration process
download this informative note about the Withdrawal Agreement which may be helpful to present to local authorities
Additional support
UK nationals who are resident in France, and need help to complete their residence application or registration, can get support from organisations funded by the UK Nationals Support Fund.
Most UK nationals in France will be able to complete the simple online application by themselves. This support is only available to people who need additional help to secure their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. They may include pensioners, disabled people, people living in remote areas or people who have mobility difficulties.
Support available includes:
answering questions about residence applications, such as the documents you need and how the application process works
guiding you through the process, if necessary
support if you experience language barriers or difficulty accessing online information and services
If you, or someone you know, are having difficulty completing residence paperwork or have any questions, contact the organisation that covers the region where you, or they, live.
2. Open a French bank account and set financial matters
Opening a French bank account (compte à vue or compte de depôt à vue) will make payments easier in France, and in some cases may even be required, for example, to pay wages or rent. Some banks allow foreigners to open a bank account before they move to France; ask at your chosen bank for their processes.
To open a bank account in France, you’ll need to take along your passport or ID, proof of your French address (eg. a lease agreement) and residence permit (if you have one). You can open the account in a day and get your bank card and chequebook (still used in France) a week to 10 days later, so make sure you have some euros or an international bank card for when you first move to France. Read what you need to open a French bank account.
If you are considering French retirement, see what you need to do in our guide to retiring in France.
3. French health insurance is mandatory
After you move to France, you are legally obliged to have health insurance in France to access the excellent French healthcare system. Most people will qualify to be covered by the state French health insurance (sécurité sociale) and will need to register with CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie) before using French healthcare. If you want to top up your insurance coverage (it doesn’t cover 100 percent of medical costs) or you don’t qualify for the state option, then you will need to take out private health insurance in France.
You should also register with a doctor and dentist near where you live – before you land in an emergency or fall ill. You need to nominate a doctor in France who will oversee your medical care and co-ordinate your medical records.
4. Find a home and getting insurance
By law a landlord can request you to take out insurance in France to cover water damage, fire, explosion and – in some cases – against theft. If requested and you fail to present proof of insurance each year, the landlord has grounds to evict you (if there's a lease clause) or buy the insurance on your behalf and seek reimbursement from you.
If you have children, you will also typically be limited to the school in the catchment area where you live, unless granted special permission by the local mairie. This might be a consideration when choosing a home in France. Read how to choose a school in France, how the French education system works, and about international schools in France.
Before you move to France, you should decide if it's better to buy or rent a French property. There are advantages to both options, but the decision will ultimately depend on a number of factors. Read about renting and tenant rights in France or buying French property to see what's best for you.
France has been popular with expats for years, and there are many beautiful French cities in which to start a comfortable life; read about where to live in France. If you're considering renting in Paris, you will find a competitive and saturated housing market, particularly if you are looking to live in best central neighbourhoods of Paris, although there are many top neighbourhoods and towns near Paris that typically offer more space, cheaper prices or peaceful areas.
Check out local transport facilities and work out the quickest (and nicest) routes for your regular journeys. Discover what sports facilities, cinemas or other entertainments are nearby so you can be sure to have access to programmes of activities and events to start socialising.
5. Setting up your home in France
Finding furniture and doing renovations
If you need to buy furniture in France or undertake minor renovations, you can find a list of the main furniture and hardware shops in France or see our listings of companies for interior design and home repair.
Telephone and the Internet
France, like the rest of Europe, uses a GSM mobile network – does your cell phone? If not, it won’t work here and you’ll need to get a new phone once you move to France. If it does, consider getting a French SIM card (and get a French number) to avoid being charged international rates when you’re calling within France.
How you set up landline telephone and internet services depends on where you move to France. You may be able to shop around for a combined package from a range of different communication providers but in some cases you will need to contact France Télécom to set up a line. Consider VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocols), such as Skype, which use the broadband service for international calls. Read more about setting up a telephone, internet, television, mobile and postal services in France.
Radio and TV
There is no tax on radios but you will need a TV licence (redevance audiovisuelle) per household to watch TV. This is collected with the local annual taxe d’habitation (occupier’s tax).
Utilities
Make a note of any meter readings and pass them onto the provider or your landlord to ensure your bills are correct. If you are taking responsibility for setting these up, make sure you let the provider (usually EDF for electricity, or GDF for gas) know as soon as possible or you will be disconnected. Read about setting up utilities in France.
Post
Make sure your name is on the door or your mailbox to ensure you receive your mail. After moving to France and finding a home, you can also arrange to redirect mail from your home country.
House rules
Find out from your neighbours what you can and can’t throw into the poubelle (rubbish or garbage bin) and which day of the week the bin and any recycling are collected. It varies from area to area.
If you are moving within France, find out what you need to do before moving out of your French apartment.
6. Make a list of French emergency numbers
There are different French emergency numbers and helplines depending on the accident, illness or support required, although you can also dial the pan-European number 112 to reach all services at once.
Europe-wide SOS emergencies: 112
Medical emergencies (Service d'Aide Médicale d'Urgence or SAMU): 15
Police: 17
Fires/accidents (fire brigade, sapeurs pompiers): 18
It's important to make notes of France's emergency numbers before an accident happens, so save this list of French emergency numbers and support helplines in a handy place. These lists of French medical terms and hospitals around France may also be useful.
7. Getting around: French public transport, cycling and driving in France
Cycling in France
Many French cities have cheap, self-service bike rentals available 24/7. Once you sign up, you can pick up and drop off the rental bike at bike stations located around the city, as and when you please. The system in Paris is Vélib'. You could also follow the locals and hire a moped – although, they don’t wear helmets but you might want to.
Public transport
Using France's bus, tram, metro (not only in Paris) and train networks is an affordable way to travel France. Check out different ticket options, for example, in Paris you can buy either 1–5 day travel cards that cover all public transport over the whole Paris region, a single T+ ticket for one journey or a book of 10 T+ single tickets, which are almost a third cheaper than buying 10 individually. Read about the public transport system in France.
Driving
If you can drive, venture out into the French countryside: rural roads are generally in excellent condition and traffic-free. EU/EEA driver’s licences are valid in France; non-EU licenses are valid for a year but must be accompanied by an official French translation. Read about exchanging a foreign licence in France and the rules for driving and parking in France.
8. Make sure you receive a French tax return
After you move to France and become an official French resident, you will be liable to pay French taxes by 31 May (or June if you file your French tax return online) each year – or potentially incur a fine of 10 percent of your tax bill.
You'll usually get a tax return form sent to you, but if it's your first time or you don't get one, you need to get one from your local tax office (centre des impôts) or mairie, or online through www.impots.gouv.fr. Even if you think you will fall below the tax threshold level, it is still your responsibility to make sure you file your French tax return on time.
If you will be living and working in France for more than 182 days, then you will be classed as a tax resident the day after your arrival in France, so you’ll need to register at your local tax office (Hotel des Impôts) or town hall (mairie) and pay social security in France. Read about the French tax system and tax rates in France or French taxes for self-employment and corporate taxes in France.
9. Learn French to find a job and write a French-style CV
In many cases speaking French is essential for getting a job in France, so this should be a priority before and after you move to France. If you don't speak French, you may be restricted to only the most menial jobs. Read what is required to work in France.
You should also consider adapting your CV and interview techniques to meet the expectations of French employers and recruiters. Read a guide on how to prepare a French-style CV and French interview tips and French business culture.
You can learn French in a course at any of the language schools in France, or consider an online or computer French course. You can also seek out a language swap with a native French speaker by posting a note on a work or college noticeboard or online. Tune into Radio France International for programmes aimed at those learning the language, including simplified news round-ups, bilingual dramas and lessons.
The French are extremely polite so always greet the shop staff, and even other customers in a small establishment, with a bonjour (or bonsoir in the afternoon) when you enter and an au revoir when you leave. Try our your French, even if you’re not feeling very confident, it will be appreciated. Remember to use the formal vous when meeting people for the first time or older people, and tu for friends and children. You only need to shake hands at this stage, the French bisou (kissing on both cheeks) comes later.
10. Get accustomed to French culture and way of life
After all the hustle and bustle of moving to France, sometimes the hardest part is settling into the French lifestyle and its unique quirks. There are important French social rules and etiquette you need to follow – or risk humiliating yourself in France – and business etiquette or French dating might also be different to what you're used to at home.
Many expats experience culture shock when they first move to France and ajust to the 'French calendar' – but life does get easier and more familiar with time and patience. Rocking up when the shops are closed on public holidays and important dates in France can be annoying, although no-one complains about the vibrant top French festivals all through the year. It also helps to join clubs and groups as does learning some of the local customs below.
It advisable to find out where the local shops are, their opening hours (most close Sundays) and what they sell, and you can always pick up any loyalty cards to start straight away. Supermarkets like Leclerc and CarreFour all have them. Some type of shops may be new to you. Tabacs (look for the cigar-shaped sign outside), for example, are tobacconists but also sell stamps, stationary, pre-paid mobile phone cards among other things, and you can pay certain official taxes there too.
For news, La Monde and Le Figaro are the two main quality newspapers but you’ll find a wide range on newsstands called presse, so take your pick.
You'll quickly see that France is a sporting nation with football and rugby being the subject of many a heated discussion in bars and cafes after a big match over the weekend. Check out fixtures for your local team or sign up to play yourself. For something more sedate and very French, seek out a game of pétanque or boules – most towns have playing areas.