COPY LINK

For members

MOVING TO FRANCE

How Americans can move to France (and stay here)

Whether you're nurturing a long-held dream or just planning to flee the country, here is everything you need to know about moving to France as an American.

Published: 2 June 2017 09:02 CEST
Updated: 2 July 2023 12:46 CEST

How Americans can move to France (and stay here)

Lady Liberty will even welcome you to France. Photo: AFP

Back in 2017 when Donald Trump was elected, France’s president Emmanuel Macron issued an invitation to any Americans disappointed with the election result to move to France. The political situation has changed since then, but Americans are generally still pretty welcome – although that doesn’t mean that France’s notorious bureaucracy has got any easier.

Those wanting just a taste of France won’t need a visa if the trip is for less than 90 days (unless you’re a diplomat or a journalist).

All you need is a passport that’s valid for at least three months.

But for any stays longer than three months it gets complicated.

If you’re lucky enough to have dual nationality with an EU country then the experience will be a lot more straightforward, everyone else should prepare for a truckload of paperwork, and the first thing you need is a visa.

All visas charge processing fees and you need to be prepared to create a massive bundle of supporting documents.

First things first, find your closest French consulate here. And be prepared to travel, the consulates are few and far between, with one generally serving several states (see image below).

When you’ve found your consulate, you’ll need to decide what sort of visa to aim for before making an appointment, and there are many on offer – from spouse visas to scientist visas.

For a full guide on getting a visa click HERE.

It’s important to note that your visa has to be sorted before you leave the USA, so there’s no point coming over here as a tourist and then hoping to figure it out from France – they’ll just send you back.

Here’s an overview of the most common types of visa;

Spouse Visa

If you’ve already got a Frenchie on your arm then congratulations, things just got a little easier.

You’ll be able to get a 12-month visa and you’ll have to register at the Immigration Office (OFFI) within three months of arrival. This will count as your residence card (more info on how to get residency later).

The good news is that the application is free but you’ll need a heap of documents including application forms, proof of marriage (in French as well), proof of your spouse’s nationality, and a residence form. More info here.

Work Visa

If you intend to work in France then you have two options; get a work visa as a salaried employee or get an entrepreneur visa if you intend to set up your own business or work self-employed as a freelancer or contractor.

The toughest part of the employee visa is that you need to find a job first, rather than coming to France and then job-hunting.

Once you find a job, you then need to have your work contract approved by the authorities at the French Labour Ministry (then again at the OFFI offices) and depending on the sector you work in your employer may have to justify why they’re hiring you and not a European.

If you’re bringing family on this visa, get the employer to start a file for them at the same time. You’ll need to fill in application forms, residence forms, and you’ll need to pay a processing fee of around $100.

If you intend to be self-employed the entrepreneur visa has different requirements, including a detailed business plan and proof of financial means – essentially you need to be able to demonstrate that you can support yourself even if your business idea never takes off.

Visitor Visa

This is for those who want to stay for more than three months but don’t have a job, a French spouse, or plans to study – it’s most commonly used by retired people and it brings with it the requirement to have a certain level of assets.

You’ll need: filled-in questionnaires and application forms, a letter of explanation as to what you intend to do in France, letters promising that you won’t work in France (not even working remotely for an employer back in the US), proof that you can support yourself in France, proof of earnings, proof of medical insurance, proof of accommodation in France, among other things. More info here.

Student visa

The good news is that the fee is around half that of the other long stay visas, at about $50 and is usually shorter to process, but the bad news is that it’s no walk in the park.

You’ll need a series of documents from Campus France, financial guarantees, enrolment proof, a bunch of forms, and even airline reservation proof. More info here.

After gaining a degree in higher education in France, you can also apply for a one-year buffer visa, called ‘recherche emploi et création d’entreprise’. This gives you one year to try to find work in France, or to start a company.

Au Pair visa

If you’re between the ages of 17 and 30, don’t mind a few household chores and quite like children, then this year-long visa could be right up your alley.

You’ll need all the usual forms, but also an “au pair contract” approved by the French ministry of labour, an invitation from your host family, and you’ll have to sign up to language courses for while you’re here. Read more about becoming an au pair here, and find out more on the visa info here.

Besides these options, there is always a scientist visa, an internship visa, and a diplomatic visa.

Talent Passport

If you qualify for it, there’s also the ‘talent passport’ which is really the best type of visa because it lasts for four years before you need to renew and you can bring family members on it.

It offers a four-year work visa to people who can demonstrate certain business, creative or academic skills, or who have a provable reputation in their field – for example, scientific, literary, artistic, intellectual, educational, or sporting. The categories were recently expanded and cover quite a wide variety of fields. More info here.

What else?

Once you have secured your visa you’re more or less ready to travel, but there are some other things to check.

Health insurance – some visa types, especially those for people who will not be working, require proof of health insurance. Others don’t, but you should still have insurance that will cover your first months in France.

Once you have been living in France for three months, you’re entitled to register in the public health system and get a carte vitale, but the process of getting the card can be quite lengthy.

Americans in France: What’s the deal with health insurance?

Driving licence – you can drive on your US licence initially in France, but once you have been here for a year you need to swap to a French licence, and here the State that your licence was issued in is crucial – some States have an agreement for a simple licence swap, others don’t and in that case you will need to take a French driving test.

By State: How hard is it to swap your driving licence for a French one?

Bank account – for reasons connected to US legislation, Americans can have a hard time opening a bank account in France. We have some tips here.

Taxes – the IRS virtually never lets people go, so you will likely still be filing tax returns in the US, but after you have been here for a year you will also need to file a tax return in France – even if all your income comes from the US. More details here.

And how to stay in France

Think that getting your visa represents the end of your French paperwork? Dream on!

Depending on the type of visa you have you may be required to visit OFII (Office Français de l’Immigration et Intégration) on arrival to register where you may be required to undergo a medical examination or to take French classes if your language skills are a little basic.

Other types of visa require you to validate them at your local préfecture within a certain time period.

These ‘in country’ steps are important, so in between popping Champagne when your visa arrives, take the time to read carefully the accompanying documents and note down when you need to do things.

Your visa will also need renewing, most initial visas last for one year, but there are exceptions.

The exact steps vary depending on your visa type, but the most common route is to apply for a residency permit (carte de séjour) so that you can stay longer than just 12 months – you usually apply for this two months before your visa runs out.

We look in more detail at the next steps HERE.

French administration is in the process of moving its immigration system online, but we’re now at the halfway stage where you can apply for some types of cartes de séjour online, but others require a visit to your local préfecture.

Once you’ve been here for five (continuous) years, you’re eligible for long-term residency, which does away with the annual paperwork.

And if you have been here for five continuous years (or three years if you completed higher education in France) and speak good French, then you can apply for French citizenship – if you’re game for a whole lot more paperwork.

You can also find lots more information tailored to US nationals in our Americans in France section.

Member comments

Anonymous - 3 November 2020 at 17:19 CET

Thanks to the Local for providing us Americans with this information. Just wish we were restricted from traveling to France. Does anyone know if France has a retirement visa?
Anonymous - 3 November 2020 at 17:48 CET

*weren’t restricted. LOL
Anonymous - 3 November 2020 at 23:13 CET

I would also like to know of a retirement visa. I can find no mention of such a thing in the literature/consulate materials. My other BIG question is HEALTH INSURANCE. I have my very good retirement insurance from my former employer, which reimburses me 80% for everything (except meds), but that is not accepted by French authorities as what they need (it needs to be a policy that pays the health system directly). Does anyone know what the minimum-cost health insurance that does meet the requirements are (it is not stated anywhere what the minimum requirements are, just that health insuran ce is required)–please include name of a program and/or an insurance company that provides such or a source that goes into specific detail about how to meet the requirements. Thanks.
Anonymous - 4 November 2020 at 18:53 CET

We came to France least December on a 1 year “Long sejour Temporaire.” we own property here and have been coming to our place since 2003. We are now both retired. We had planned to spend 4 months here, return to the States for a while and then come back. However COVID “trapped” us here and we’ve been here ever since. At this point we have rented out our house in New York and just want to stay here (in spite of confinenment). We asked our Prefecture about how to get a Carte de Sejour given that our visa is “temporaire.” They said we have to return to the States and start the process all over again. We don’t want to do that, as it would mean we may not be able t return to France any time soon. A lawyer here said we should just apply for a carte de sejour anyway. We have but I am not sure it will work. Any suggestions?
Anonymous - 17 September 2021 at 15:53 CEST

I’m British, I’ve applied for a Carte de sejour under the Brexit agreement. My wife and I retired in 2006 to our property in France. We had been in business between France and US since 1990 and shared our time between California and France. We have UK and US passports and are fiscally resident in US.
We try to be in France from mid March through late October and then go to US for the winter. We were led to believe that we could maintain our US fiscal situation, but would need to make a tax return in France, but since we were receiving no income in France, and a double taxation exists between France and US, we would have little or no tax to pay in France.
I’m beginning to hear murmurings that we would have to make France our fiscal residence when we receive a carte de sejour. I’m sure there is a renewable 5 year residence available to retirees after they reach a certain age and can show they have medical insurance and sufficient income to never become a liability to the French Govt.
Any info available would be of help

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Explained: How are foreign pensions taxed in France?

France is a popular destination for people to retire to, and in most cases the retirees’ main or only income will be a pension paid from their home country.

So is this pension income taxed in France?

First steps

To determine whether you need to declare and pay tax on your foreign pension in France, the first question is whether or not you are a tax resident here (you can look through our guide).

If you are a tax resident of France, then you are required to declare all worldwide income – including foreign pensions – when you make your annual income tax declaration. Declarations are now open – find full details on how to fill it in HERE.

The next step is figuring out whether you will owe tax in France, and this will depend on several things;

the type of pension you receive (state pension, government employees’ pension, private pension)
where your pension is paid
how you draw your pension (lump sum or monthly payments)
the tax treaty between France and the country your pension is paid in.

This article is intended to give an overview of the situation for English-speaking foreigners living in France. It is highly recommended to get help from an expert financial advisor. You may also want to start by consulting our guide on pensions, if you have pensions from both France and either a non-EU country or an EU one.

Pension country

When it comes to taxation on foreign pensions, it all depends on the tax treaty between France and the country that is paying your pension, which is why the situation is significantly different depending on where that pension is paid.

In this scenario, your nationality usually isn’t important – the key thing is where the pension is being paid and the fact that you are now a tax resident in France. For most people, their nationality and the country that pays their pension will be the same (eg Brits receiving a UK pension) but not always, as some people may have worked in multiple countries before retiring to France.

This article is aimed at people who have worked in another country and then retired to France – the situation can be different for people who have worked in France and then retired.

US pensions

American retirees living in France benefit from a generous US-France tax treaty to avoid double taxation on all pension income, including private pensions.

To better explain the situation, The Local spoke with tax expert, Jonathan Hadida from HadTax.

“The reason we call France the bees’ knees for American retirees is because US-sourced pension income is only taxed in America. That means when you take money out of your 401(K) or IRA, those are taxable at your tax bracket in the United States.

“You have to report it on the US-side and pay US taxes at your marginal rate” Hadida explained.

“On the French side, US-sourced pension income is reportable in France for rate-purposes but benefits from a deemed credit.

“This means you put it on your French tax form, and you calculate the tax and you get a deemed credit equal to that. Ultimately, you wind up paying no French taxes on your US-sourced pension thanks to Article 18 of the US-France tax treaty”.

How do I report US-sourced pension income to French authorities?

Although you won’t end up paying French taxes on your US pension, you do need to tell the French taxman about it. The annual French income tax declaration requires you to declare all global income, including pensions.

International Financial Advisor, Bryan Dunhill with Dunhill Financial explained: “You fill it in within box 1AL or 1BL on form 20-42 on the French tax return, then you claim it in on the 8TK of the 20-47 to say it is US-based pension income, and then you will get a tax credit from the French.

“It goes in and it goes out on the French side. Being a US retiree in France is fantastic”, Dunhill said.

For both 401(K)s and IRAs, Americans in France should still keep in mind that early withdrawal (prior to the age of 59 and a half) can still lead to a 10 percent early distribution penalty. There are certain exemptions, such as first time homebuyers and higher education, but you should meet with a tax adviser to determine if you qualify.

What about social charges?

In addition to taxes (impôts), France also requires people to pay social charges (prélèvements sociaux) on income. However, only specific types of income can be considered for social charges, such as the CSM charge (PUMa) for healthcare.

The general rule is that pensioners and their spouses do not have to pay the CSM charge, but France specifically exempts people who have a pension from France, the EU, the EEA and the UK (people with S1 forms).

There is some debate over whether common types of American private pensions such as a 401(K) or IRA are treated as a pension (and therefore exempt from CSM) or as investment income (which can attract CSM charges).

Hadida told The Local: “Under the principle of equality amongst taxpayers, URSAAF has treated most US pensions/IRA distributions/401(k) distributions akin to a French/Swiss/European pension and have therefore exempted Americans with pension income.”

“I have called URSSAF, and I was told by the representative that they should be paying for PUMa. But in practice, I have not seen many American pensioners charged for it.

Canadian pensions

In Canada, the pensions system includes multiple tiers of public and private schemes, but luckily the double tax treaty between Canada and France is explicit about where pensions are taxed.

The Local spoke with Isaac Barchichat, a registered CPA in France, Canada and the USA to understand the situation for Canadians in France. He is a managing partner at Monceau CPA, an international accounting firm based in Paris with offices in the US and Canada.

He told The Local: “Tax treaties usually follow the OECD model, which means that Article 18 is usually focused on pensions.

“Article 18 for the Canada-France treaty is very similar to the USA-France treaty. This means that pensions are taxed in the country that they are issued in,” he said.

As a result, any Canada-based pension – whether that is the Old Age Security plan, the CPP (Canada Pension Plan) or QPP (Quebec Pension Plan), or a private personal or employer plan (such as Registered Retirement Savings Plans, or RRSPs) – would be taxed in Canada, not France.

Barchichat explained that Canadians in France should still declare their pension income in France. Like Americans, they will receive a tax credit from France attesting that they have already paid tax in Canada on their pension.

“People should still maintain proof that the pension was already subject to tax, in case of an audit,” he added.

Barchichat also recommended that Canadians resident in France can make use of the ‘mention expresse’ section in their French tax declaration.

“Sometimes French local tax authorities fail to assess foreign income properly. Using the ‘mention expresse’ allows you to specify to French tax authorities Article 18 from the tax treaty to ensure that they process your documents properly,” he advised.

What about social charges?

Similar to the situation for Americans (described above), the exemption for social charges specifies French, EU, EEA and UK pensions, not Canadian ones.

That being said, as Hadida mentioned above, French tax authorities often apply the same exemption normally intended for EU pensions to non-EU ones.

Barchichat, who is licenced in both the US and Canada, said that in his opinion neither American nor Canadian pensioners should be charged for prélèvements sociaux.

“If this happens, it is a mistake by tax authorities”, he added. You can learn more about contesting a CSM charge here.

UK pensions

Brits – or anyone else receiving a UK pension – have a very different situation to Americans and Canadians.

As per the UK-France dual tax agreement (PDF), whether you will be taxed in France or the UK depends on the type of pension – government/civil service pension or a private pension.

If you have a UK government or civil service pension (eg a state school teachers’ pension), then this will remain taxable only in the UK. Some old NHS pensions were considered ‘government pensions’, but modern ones might not be. You can check if your pension is classified as ‘government’ here.

You still have to declare this income to the French tax authorities, but you will not be subject to tax in France on it, although it does count towards your household income which can push you into a higher tax bracket.

The same is not true of private pensions: these are generally taxed in France, not the UK, as soon as you become a tax resident here. Confusingly, the UK state pension is also considered a private pension, even though it is paid by the government.

Normally private pensions are taxed upon distribution in the UK. Once you move to France, in order to avoid paying tax twice on the same income, most people fill out an NT form and sending it to HMRC (who will communicate to your pension company) to receive your British private pension in gross.

You can find a more in-detail look at the situation for UK pensioners HERE.

How do French taxes work?

If you have a private pension you will need to work out how it will be taxed in France, but this too is complicated as it depends on the exact pension type and whether you take the money as a lump sum or as regular payments.

If your pension is paid as a regular income, then when doing your yearly French tax declaration, you will add up your pension income for that year and you will be taxed at the normal marginal rates for income (the barème). These rates go up to 45 percent (for the highest earners only) plus social charges if they apply (more on this below).

Pension income can also benefit from a 10 percent tax deduction, as long as it does not exceed €4,123 or fall below €422 per household.

Lump sums are more complicated and depend on several factors including the pension type and how you take them – when deciding on this it’s highly recommended to get individual financial advice.

The Local spoke with financial adviser Maeve Hoffman, from Spectrum IFA Group, who said: “Figuring out what to do with your pension should be part of your wider financial plans for your life. This may be your most important asset, besides your home, and the best answer for what to do with your pension is highly individual. There are no sweeping generalisations when it comes to advice on private pensions. Everyone’s situation is different.

“You will want to start by considering whether you plan on being in France in the long-term. Some options could have serious consequences if you return to the UK shortly after.”

What about social charges?

People who have never worked in France and who retire to France once they reach the UK state pension age are entitled to as S1 – this status ensures that the UK continues to pay your healthcare costs are not charged prélèvements sociaux. Non-working spouses of an S1 holder can also benefit.

Those who take early retirement and move to France before they reach the UK state pension age may have to pay social charges until they are able to apply for the S1. However, there are several exemptions to social charges, so even if you expect a bill, you may not end up being charged. More information in our guide.

Australian pensions

The situation for Australians can be particularly confusing, largely due to the fact that Australia and France do not have a bilateral social security agreement (though there is an income tax treaty).

Let’s start off with the simple answer – if you receive a civil service pension from the government of Australia – meaning you were a federal or state public worker, then that pension is only taxed in Australia and it will not be taxable in France, though you will have to declare it along with all global income.

As for all other pensions – these are considered taxable in France.

There is another catch for Australians – the lack of a social security agreement means that Australians living in France may not be able to claim their Age Pension (assuming they qualify based on income constraints).

While you can be an Australian living in Austria, Belgium, Chile, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Spain or Estonia, among others, and still claim your Age Pension, this is not the case in France.

What’s crucial here is when you move – if you start receiving your old-age pension and then you move to France, then you may be able to continue claiming the pension. If, however, you move to France before you reach pension age, then you will not be able to claim it unless you move back.

A spokesperson for the Australian government told The Local in a previous interview: “To be eligible for Age Pension, a person must generally be an Australian resident and be in Australia at the time the claim is lodged, or in a country with which there is an International Social Security Agreement in place.”

There is no such agreement with France. And, despite the efforts of some of the thousands of Australians living in France to get politicians in both countries to act, there appears to be little urgency to change the situation, which means it could be some time yet before we are able to give you any good news on the pension front.

There are groups pushing for a social security agreement, such as the Facebook group ‘Australian Pensions in France’, which can also be a helpful place to connect with other Australians navigating tax complexities between the two countries.

What about superannuation plans?

The next complex area is the ‘superannuation’. While withdrawals from a ‘super’ can be accessed after becoming a resident in France, there are tax implications to be aware of.

The Local spoke with Martine Joly, chartered accountant and tax agent from Bilateral Solutions, who has experience working in both the Australian and French tax systems.

Joly explained that the challenge is that “the two systems are totally opposite. In Australia, pensions are done by capitalisation, with your employer paying into the superannuation.”

In Australia, the contributions were taxed when being deposited, so they are meant to be tax-free upon distribution.

However, France does not recognise this, so ‘super’ withdrawals are subject to tax here, even though in theory they have already been taxed in Australia.

To make matters more complicated, there are several different ways superannuation plans can be organised, but for the most part French fiscal authorities treat them as trusts.

This means that you may have additional reporting requirements each year, in addition to your annual French tax declaration, such as the “FORMULAIRE N°2181-TRUST2” which asks for the market value, as well as any accrued income, of the trust as of January 1st of that year.

If you are required to do this, then you will also have to name other people listed in the trust – whether they are ‘moral’ or ‘physical’ people. You will be required to give extensive information, including their dates of birth and addresses.

On top of that, you would also have to fill out an additional “event” declaration if a trust is created, modified or terminated. This must be done within one month of the event. This tax form is also available on the government tax site: FORMULAIRE N°2181-TRUST1.

How much can I expect to pay?

You will begin to be taxed when you start withdrawing from your super, and the way you are taxed will depend on whether you take payments in the form of an ‘income stream’ (periodic payments) or as a lump-sum.

If you take your super as an income stream, even though it is meant to be tax-free in Australia, you will still owe tax in France once it begins to be distributed. You would be charged at the progressive marginal (barème) rate for income tax, going all the way up to 45 percent (for the highest earners only).

If you try to avoid paying, be aware that “Australia will inform France”, as Joly explained.

“They communicate well and it will not be lost. So the French will realise if you have not paid any tax, because it is fully taxable in France. You have to declare this pension income,” she said.

As for lump-sum payments, whether or not you will owe tax in France depends on when you placed the super into your bank account.

“If you convert the super into a bank account prior to leaving Australia and becoming a tax resident in France, then this is not an income, it is a saving,” Joly said.

As such, you would not owe income tax on it, but you would still need to declare the foreign bank account to French tax authorities.

If you take your lump-sum super after moving to France and becoming a tax resident, then you would owe tax here upon distribution. As with UK pensions, lump sums are complex and you should get financial advice before making this decision.

Technically, French tax authorities may allow a return of once off pension capital to be taxed at a flat rate of 7.5 percent.

But in reality, anyone seeking to do this would need the express, written confirmation from French tax authorities that this rate will be applied. Similarly, you should be aware that this likely will not be possible if you have already begun drawing from your ‘super’, as the flat rate is often only available if the full amount is taken at once. Again, individual professional advice is highly recommended.

You can also find more information at the French tax website Impots.Gouv.Fr.

Joly pointed out a few other things Australians in France should be aware of – including the possibility you may owe the IFI (Impôt sur la fortune, or wealth tax) which considers whether you have property valued at €1.3 million or above.

“Due to high real estate prices in Australia, people just owning a small apartment in Sydney may not realise they would owe tax on this in France later on,” she said.

You should also keep in mind that Australia’s tax year runs on a different calendar year. France considers the period from January 1st to December 31st, while Australia looks at July 1st to June 30th.

This may make a difference when considering your tax residency.

What about social charges?

Australians have reported receiving social charges, in addition to taxes, for their superannuation income. That being said, there are several exemptions to social charges.

For example, if you are not working and your spouse is a recipient of an EU/EEA/UK pension (with an S1 form), then both of you would be exempt from paying the CSM health charge.

As the situation for Australians can be more complicated than nationals of other countries, it is highly recommended to seek expert assistance, particularly from someone who has qualifications in both countries and understands the tax treaty.

SHOW COMMENTS

Url copied to clipboard!