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LIVING IN FRANCE

Mortgages, drinking and Nice: 6 essential articles for life in France

The strict rules on getting a mortgage in France, passport changes that may affect second home-owners, making your French second home your main one, public drinking laws, language tips from the boss, and secret locations in Nice. These are The Local’s must-reads this week.

A customer buys bread from a bakery in France
A customer buys bread from one of the smallest bakeries in the world, in La Rochelle. (Photo by XAVIER LEOTY / AFP)

France has fairly strict rules for those seeking a mortgage, including tight limits on minimum income and maximum loan length – here’s how it works.

French property: How to get a mortgage in France

No doubt, you have already heard about the EU’s new Entry and Exit System (EES) which is due to come into effect later in 2024 – if you have questions about it, send them to us and we’ll do our best to find the answers.

Tell us: What are your questions about the EES passport control system?

It’s not uncommon for second-home owners to decide that they want to move to France full time and make their life here – but what are the admin steps that you need to take to make this happen?

Explained: How to convert a French second home into your main residence

Public drinking is relatively common in France – you’ll see people sipping wine and beer in public parks and on the banks of rivers – but even so, you might wonder what is technically allowed by the law.

What are the rules for drinking in public in France?

From the pointlessness of ‘je voudrais’ to the absolute requirement of ‘bonjour’ – and a sneaky future tense hack – our editor Emma Pearson explains crucial differences between school French and actual, real, proper, street French…

6 things I wish my French teachers had told me

Nice, on the French Riviera, is one of France’s most-visited cities, but there’s a lot more to it than the beach and the Promenade des Anglais. Author and Nice resident Jeanne Oliver shares some of her favourite off-the-beaten-track spots.

French Riviera: 10 hidden gems in Nice that tourists miss

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LIVING IN FRANCE

Immigration, transport and GP appointments: 6 essential articles for life in France

Who needs to pass a language test under France’s new immigration rules, how you can get around Paris during the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, waiting times for doctor appointments, tax questions for Americans and Brits … and the new words in the French dictionary

Immigration, transport and GP appointments: 6 essential articles for life in France

France’s new immigration law – finally passed in January 2024 – includes extra requirements for some foreigners in France to pass a language test, attend classes on French history and culture and sign a contract promising to adhere to ‘republican values’.

New immigration law: Who has to take ‘integration courses’ in France?

Heading to Paris for the Olympic and / or Paralympic Games this summer? Getting round the city may be slightly different, with a number of Metro and RER stations closed for the duration.

But the capital’s public transport operator has put on sale a special transport pass that will allow unlimited travel to all Olympic and Paralympic venues during the Games period. Here’s what you need to know.

Paris creates transport pass for Olympic visitors

When it comes to seeing a doctor in France, you can wait as little as three days to as long as 42 to get an appointment, according to new data. But waiting times depend heavily on the different specialties and where you live.

How long does it take to get a doctor’s appointment in France?

Gaining French citizenship can have benefits for Americans living here, from the right to vote in French elections to freedom of movement in the EU – as well as a more intangible sense of belonging in the country you now call home.

However, Americans living abroad always have to contend with the United States’ system of citizenship-based taxation. So, what are the tax ramifications of dual nationality?

Americans in France: Will my tax situation change if I get French citizenship?

Retiring to France is a dream for many Britons, but before turning that dream into reality there are some serious financial questions that you need to ask yourself to ensure that your retirement is a financially comfortable one.

6 pension questions British people should ask before retiring to France

As language constantly evolves, so do dictionaries and compilers around the world regularly evaluate and judge the newest additions to the langue – with those judged to be durable words or phrases included in the latest edition of a dictionary.

The compilers of France’s Larousse dictionary have revealed that 150 new words will be added to the latest edition, which is due to be published on May 22nd.

Revealed: The ‘new’ French words in 2024

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