Your To-Do List…if You’re Moving to France

If you’re making a move to France, some clients have asked us if is there a checklist of things to do you can follow.

No. Every person’s to-do list is different, but you could break it down into the various components of the move to simplify the tasks.

YOUR VISA MAY BE NUMBER ONE ON YOUR LIST

If you want to be in France more than 90 days within any 100-day period, then you need a visa. Start with that. The visa requirements will provide its own checklist so you will know what you need to do when. Once you have the visa, when you move is up to you. The French government wants you to move within 90 days of acquiring your visa, but it’s not a requirement. Don’t forget, the clock starts ticking as it’s renewable annually, so don’t dilly-dally and get ready to move to France!

Here’s the official website.

Before you apply for the visa, you’ll need to prepare the documents they require to prove that you have housing (for 90 days), health insurance (minimum of 30,000€) and enough income to support yourself (based on French minimum wage). So, before you arrive at the appointment, take care of these details!

HOUSING CAN BE NEXT ON YOUR LIST

If you want to rent a property in France, plan on starting the search process about six weeks in advance of your move-in date. And be prepared that if the property is not found/secured, then you may need short-term accommodations as back-up. We also advise that you have short-term accommodations to move into immediately to give you time for the search for a long-term rental and to prepare it for living in it comfortably—setting up the utilities, equipping it, etc., before you completely move in!

If you want to make a property purchase, then allow up to six months to find and purchase a property, not counting the time to renovate or furnish it.

Or maybe you already have housing? Then, you won’t need to worry about any of this!

MOVING/FURNISHING/STORAGE

What are you taking with you? What are you getting rid of or leaving behind? This all depends on you, but it’s best to take as little as possible so you’re not bogged down by possessions! You can work with our shipping specialist to determine the best, least expensive and easiest way to bring over your precious belongings. You may import household effects you acquired abroad duty-free if you used them abroad for no less than one year and they are not intended for any other person or for sale.

We have a specialist in moving with whom you can consult to get you off to the right start. See the information on our website.

For official information, visit this site.

A FRENCH BANK ACCOUNT IS NECESSARY

Getting a bank account in France is one of the first things you’ll want to do upon arrival. You will need the account to manage your entire life in France. And you can’t just walk into any bank and ask for an account (this is exclusive to Americans and the fault of FATCA.) Fortunately, we have relationships with the few banks that will agree to open accounts for Americans and can arrange for the appointment. (This service is available only for our search clients.)

Note: if you are taking a mortgage, the lending bank will want to offer you an account, so if you already have an account at a different bank, don’t put too much cash in it, otherwise you risk being denied the loan!

SETTING UP UTILITIES

You can’t set up your utilities until you’ve moved into your home. Some rental apartments are set up so that the name on the account doesn’t change, and you simply reimburse your landlord. Others will want you to contract for electricity, gas and phone/tv/internet in your own name and your own expense. Our American clients think this is easy and is a phone call away, but unfortunately, it’s not. We provide a service to do this as it can be daunting for a newcomer who is not fluent in French. There are several providers to attract you, too. So ask for referrals…from us or others who have experience.

SETTING YOURSELF UP TO WORK REMOTELY

This you can do anytime…even long after you move to France. If you want to continue your U.S. based work, and can work remotely, there is a simple and perfectly legal way to do this. The bottom line is reporting the income and paying the tax—either to the U.S. or to France, depending on what the tax treaty indicates. There is a particular kind of U.S. structure that works best—and it’s NOT an LLC, which is a transparent company—and then you can operate completely virtually.

For example, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can fool the system into thinking you’re in the U.S. If you contract for a Vonage VOIP phone, you will have a U.S. phone number that rings at your desk for both incoming and outgoing calls. If you maintain a U.S. address, then you’re good to go to manage it all without anyone being the wiser…that your tooshy is actually sitting in France!

To gain additional information, Escape Artist recently ran an article of mine titled “Top 10 Things to Know if You’re Moving to France, A surprisingly affordable cost of living and a focus on quality of life mark this popular expat destination…” Be sure to read it and pass it on to your friends!

For more information from the French government, download this PDF document.

A la prochaine…