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LIVING IN FRANCE

One-off tax, Lyon’s secret, and French test tips: 6 essential articles for life in France

The tax you need to know about if you plan to extend your French home, why Lyon should be on your places-to-live list, how to avoid Parisian public transport price rises during the Olympics, residency card language test tips, the future of Alpine skiing, and things to do in France at least once…

Published: 25 February 2024 09:36 CET

One-off tax, Lyon’s secret, and French test tips: 6 essential articles for life in France

The city of Lyon. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)

If you’re planning to extend your home in France, or add an extra feature such as a swimming pool, garage, garden shed or conservatory, your home improvements may be subject to a one-off charge known colloquially as the ‘garden shed’ tax. .

French property tax: How the one-off tax for building projects works

The French city of Lyon has come out on top of a new comparison for ‘liveable’ cities – here are some reasons you might consider moving there (apart from its reputation as the foodie capital of France).

9 reasons to move to France’s ‘gastronomic capital’ Lyon

The price of travelling on public transport in Paris is set to rise significantly around the time of the 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympics – but there are ways around the price increases for city residents.

How Paris residents can avoid public transport price hikes during 2024 Olympics

French language tests are now compulsory for certain types of residency card and for French citizenship – and the team at The Local has some tips for passing the all-important exams.

10 tips for passing the French language test

As snow dwindles across French mountain ranges, more and more resorts can no longer guarantee that pistes will be open, even in the height of winter. So is it worth booking a holiday at all? And which resorts offer the best chance of snow?

Reader question: Is it worth booking a ski holiday in France?

From art and culture to sport and activities, food and drink to festivals, France has such a dizzying range of things to do that it can be hard to pick. Here’s a selection of personal favourites that French residents or visitors to France really should try.

21 things you should do in France at least once

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Can I use my French carte de séjour for travel?

Travel within the EU’s Schengen zone is usually a fairly slick business with reduced or no checks as you cross borders – but that doesn’t mean that you can leave your passport at home.

So integrated is the Schengen Area that if you’re travelling by car or train you may not even notice that you’ve crossed a border and entered another country until you start to see signs in a different language – and that’s the intention of the zone of free movement, created in 1995.

But while EU/EEA citizens can move freely within the zone, it’s a different story for non-EU/EEA citizens.

The rules

Borders between countries in the EU/Schengen area still exist and in order to cross an international border you will need a valid travel document – for EU citizens this can be a national ID card, but for non-EU citizens that means a passport.

France’s carte de séjour residency permit is neither of these – it is not a valid travel document and nor is it an ID card (although it can function as proof of ID in non-travel scenarios such as picking up a parcel from the post office). Technically the card is a ‘titre’ – title – which acts as proof of your status as a resident.

If you try to cross a border without a valid passport you can be turned back.

The carte de séjour acts as proof of your right to live in France and your right to re-enter the country if you have left, so it’s a good idea to have this with you. If you travel without it, you may have your passport stamped as a visitor when you re-enter France.

If your passport is stamped in error this may cause delays and questions when you next cross a border, but you cannot be penalised or denied entry provided you can show a valid carte de séjour.

On the ground

As is often the case, there’s a difference between what the rule book says and what happens on the ground, and this is particularly apparent for travel within the Schengen area.

In practice, it’s common to cross a border with no checks at all – although things tend to be stricter if you are travelling by plane.

Cars and trains often pass through with no checks, or with checks when guards will happily accept a carte de séjour.

However checks do happen – sometimes this is in response to a security alert, for example after a terror attack, but sometimes it’s random or when the border police are training their new recruits. We regret to say that there is often an element of racial profiling, so travellers of colour are more likely to be asked to produce their travel documents.

Cars can be pulled over at border checkpoints while if you’re travelling by train, police will often board the train close to the border and check passengers.

If you are asked, you will need to show your passport – so don’t forget to take it within you when travelling within the EU and Schengen zone.

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