Moving to France from the U.S. (How We Did It!)

If you’re dreaming about moving to France from the United States, we can relate.

We went beyond the dreaming, though. We made it happen, and so can you.

We received a long-stay visa and made the move to France ourselves. I’ll be able to help you get started beyond just searching for the answers online.

That leaves plenty of time to focus on what’s really important: wine, baguettes, AND CHEESE! 

France has over 1,600 varieties, by the way. You can eat hundreds of different kinds of cheese for a full year and still not try them all.

That’s what you have to look forward to after your big move.

Americans: You Can Move to France

Yes, moving to France from the U.S. is possible. There are many visa options available for Americans interested in making the big move.

Yes, you will need a visa to move to France. Initially, Americans can stay in France for up to 90 days without a visa, but for anything longer, you’ll need to make it official with a visa.

While many of the sites out there will recommend consulting with outside entities or legal experts to start the process, we were able to navigate it all on our own.

Honestly, the relative ease of applying for a French visa compared to some of the others is a reason why France moved to the top of European countries to explore.

Is it easy to move to France from the U.S.?

It’s not easy to move anywhere from the U.S. Heck, it’s not easy to move to a new city WITHIN the U.S.

Again, we chose France because the visa process seemed much simpler than in other countries based on the research we did ahead of the move. That doesn’t mean you can take advantage of the process.

You still need to make sure you’re following all of the necessary requirements and filing the right paperwork to make it happen.

How hard it is to move to France or any new country also depends on your personal situation. How many people you are looking to move, how much stuff you’re moving, and what your financial picture looks like can make the process more challenging.

For reference, we were moving as a married couple with our large lab mix, Kimmy. While Agnes has claims to Polish citizenship, we both travel on U.S. passports.

The Research Phase of International Relocation

Researching how to move to another country from the U.S. can be an exhausting task.

Let’s be real. The web is exhausting in general. Somehow, the connection speed increased while the ability to get the info you need moved to a dial-up pace. 

Here’s what I mean.

A quick Google search of “how to move to France from the U.S.” or “I want to move to France, tell me how?” will send you down a plethora of rabbit holes.

Some of it is good info. The writer has actually gone through the process, and it is very helpful. 

Note: Shoutout to the many independent travel blogs out there that do this. You are seen, read, and loved. 

Some of it is pretty bad. It’s written by somebody who has never been outside of the U.S. and/or an extraordinary amount of bandwidth is spent on the idea of why you should move to France.

I’VE ALREADY DECIDED TO MOVE TO FRANCE! WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO CONVINCE ME TO DO IT? 

Some of it is even ugly.

It sounds like legit advice for starters. The deeper you research, though, you find out that the info is coming from a company whose real purpose is to get you to pay them to help you get your visa. 

You do you, but in this humble man’s opinion, paying a company to assist you in the visa process will only serve to pad their pocketbook at the expense of yours.   

If I sound a little bitter, it’s because I went through the frustrating process of doing the research myself. 

The confusion that I came across inspired me to put together this guide for you, future American expat, so that your journey may be just a little bit easier than mine.

OK, stepping off my soapbox now. Let’s dig into it! 

Moving to France from the U.S.: First Steps

The first step, for lack of a better phrase, is to do your own research. (I am triggering myself just by typing the phrase.)

Everyone will have different wants and needs. I highly recommend you make a list of what is most important to you before you start the process of applying for that long-stay visa. 

Here’s what you should consider as part of your moving to France checklist:

1. Assess your individual situation.
2. Decide which region in France is right for you.
3. Research the local housing market.
4. Think about transportation options from your place.

Let’s look at these in more detail.

Assess your individual situation.

Think of things like the following:

• Are you traveling by yourself or with your spouse? 
• Will kids or other family members be part of the equation? 
• Do you have pets? 
• How are your French language skills? 
• Are you leaving behind real estate/belongings in the U.S., or will you go full YOLO and bring only what fits in your suitcases? 

In my situation, we had moi, mon amour, and our sweet dog, Kimmy Kibbler.

Agnes had four years of high school French to fall back on, but I took Spanish, so my pronunciation has so far been très mal.

As for belongings, we left with whatever we could fit into two checked bags each and the allowable carry-ons. Any excess stuff was either aggressively downsized before the big move or sent to my parents’ generous basement space in Door County.

We also had a large crate for Kimmy to consider as she flew in the cargo hold. That may have been the most stressful part.

Going anywhere with an anxious dog is stressful enough, but when you add air transportation into the mix, things suddenly feel a lot more of everything. She made it, albeit in dramatic fashion, and we were all reunited on the other side.

Decide which region in France is right for you. 

The best region in France to live in will be different for everyone.

France is incredibly diverse, and your decision shouldn’t be limited to just moving to Paris. (Le duh.)

READ MORE: If you are set on Paris, I won’t judge you. Here’s a guide to why Paris will always be worth visiting.

Maybe you’ll like the Mediterranean feel of Nice or Cannes, or the medieval ones of the Dordogne Valley and its surrounding villages. Perhaps Lyon’s gastronomical scene is your fancy. Are you looking for a more urban or rural vibe? 

I would suggest making a list of things you like when traveling or when you are at home, and seeing which of those needs or wants match the region you think you may like. 

From what we’ve seen in France, most communities are quite walkable, for example, so you won’t have any trouble meeting that need. Every place we’ve been is delicious, so you’ll need to work harder to narrow down your choices from there.

As you do your research, you might just come up with a different conclusion and end up in Saint-Germain-en-Laye outside of Paris instead of the French Riviera. 

Other than every loud noise being scary to our anxious pooch, we have always been city folk. 

We also wanted to be close to a transportation hub, so we chose a town near Paris for its proximity to the rest of Europe via planes, trains, and automobiles.

Living on a train line accessible to two major airports has made weekend trips to places like Rome and Amsterdam easy and affordable.

I won’t even share how cheap it is to fly to Europe’s best cities from Paris because of how angry it makes people back at home feel.

There was also the food to consider.  Goodness gracious, the food. Our town is basically a mini-Paris with a diverse enough selection of options that keeps us busy on days we want to eat out. When we want something a little extra, Paris is right there.

Research the local housing market. 

When you’ve selected a region for reasons personal to you, make sure there are adequate rentals in the area if that is what you’re looking for. If you are looking to buy, try to connect with a few local real estate agents first. 

If you have the time and resources, plan a France trip to the area you’ve selected for a few weeks to see how you like it. 

Fun fact: As Americans, our passport lets us spend 90 out of the most recent 180 days in France without having to get a visa. Three months is a pretty long time to get a good feel of a place. 

See what it’s like going to the local grocery store/market and how easy it is to get around the area.

See how easy it is to communicate with your — or in my case, lack of — French-speaking skills. (Merde.) 

Test drive the local within you. 

Don’t forget to check out the short-term rentals and hotel possibilities in the area. We were able to convert a short-term rental into a leased apartment for the first few months after our move before finding a bigger place.

You’ll likely pay more to do things this way, but it’s much easier to find a French apartment once you’re in France. We have a full guide to help you with the apartment part!

As far as how much space you need, you’ll probably want friends to visit you when you do make the plunge. (How else will you be able to brag about it?) 

OK, I must stop here to admit that one of my favorite phrases is, “Take my advice. I don’t use it anyway.”  In the spirit of full disclosure, we actually chose the Paris region before I had ever been there. 

I’d been to France before, but it was the French Riviera. Nice, Cannes, and Antibes are many miles (kilometers, Brian, kilometers) away from the Paris region, both in distance and flavor. 

READ MORE: We loved the French Riviera, though. Check out this guide from our time in Nice!

Thankfully, Agnes had been to Paris before, even if it was only for a high school Catholic girls’ school trip. Even more thankfully, it has worked out splendidly anyway because we took all of the other advice until suggesting taking the region for a test drive.

Phew! 

Think about transportation options from your place.

Will you be taking the train, bus, etc., to visit all the other wonderful regions in France? How close are you to an airport to take advantage of those cheap European deals to Rome? 

How easy will it be to travel back to the United States when one of your favorite friends gets married? Will you be needing a car? How easy will it be for your friends to visit?

France is one of the most well-connected countries in the world, but there are still regions where a car would be easier for your day-to-day while living abroad.

Thinking about how easy transportation would be from the Paris region was probably the number one reason we chose this as our new home. 

I’ve bragged on that somewhat already, so here’s a sunrise photo from our adopted home, instead.

Get your finances in order. 

The cost to move to France from the U.S. can vary quite a bit depending on your situation.

It can be as simple as the plane ticket and the luggage you take along with you, all the way up to needing to contract an international moving company to ship your things.

The cost of your move is very important, as now you’ll be paying for everything in euros. I’d type what the exchange rate would be here, but that would make me have to update the blog too much, and I’m way too lazy for that. 

If the rate gets under $1 again, though, I’m making a petition to call it soccer.

Jokes aside, here are some things you’ll want to think about on the topic of finances:

• Unless you’re planning on opening a French bank account, ensure that your bank is expat-friendly. Make sure they don’t charge excessive currency conversion fees or tack on a foreign transaction fee to get USD to euros. 

For recommendations, check out my post about the best banks for digital nomads. 

• Make sure your credit card does not charge foreign transaction fees or excessive currency conversion fees, either. 
• For a list of the best cards, one website I like to peruse is www.doctorofcredit.com. There are also lots of options if you just type “best credit cards for travel” or something like that into the search bar of your choice. 
• Take stock (pun intentional) of your brokerage accounts. Due to cumbersome financial regulations and reporting, many brokerages force you to liquidate if you are found to be a permanent resident overseas. Best to check with them.
• If you are looking for suggestions for moving your brokerage with you overseas, Charles Schwab has locations in Europe. Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is also known for being friendly in this regard. 
• Think hard about your job situation. Are you retired, living off a pension, Social Security, or a 401k? Are you a freelancer? Will you want to look for work in France, or are you independently wealthy and can live off your assets? 

If the latter, I am mostly friendly, loyal, and good with numbers, if you are looking for a new friend. 

In our situation, we still have a physical address in the U.S. for mail. (It’s my mother-in-law’s house, and yes, she lets us know when any speeding tickets arrive there.)

We are planning to come back eventually, so I didn’t want to disrupt our bank accounts, credit cards, and brokerage/retirement accounts. 

As for jobs or the job search abroad, we are both freelancers with only U.S. income. Our visa does not allow us to look for employment in France, so our current income, along with our established savings, will cover our time here in the City of Lights. 

If you’re looking to work in France, there are visas specific to that situation. That’s why I keep reiterating that the process is so individualized.

How to Move to France as an American: Visas

Americans will need to apply for a visa to let you stay in France longer than three months. Depending on which one fits your situation, you may need to look at some of the options above again. 

This is OK, so don’t panic.

As I already mentioned, we changed our mind on the region entirely while going through this process. 

To find out what type of visa you will need, France has a wonderful — that’s a little generous —  website for this process that describes the different types.

This website has a section for long-stay visas available, so I won’t go into each in great detail, but they are available in the following categories:

• Stay for an extended period for tourist or personal reasons,
• Carry out professional activity,
• Pursue education, and
• Join family members.

If you are looking to stay for at least one year like us, you will be applying for a visa known as a VLS-TS falling into one of the categories above. This visa acts as your residence permit for your first year of stay.

VLS-TS stands for Visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour, or in English: Long stay visa equivalent to a residence permit.

When you find out which visa applies to you, you’ll have to make an appointment with a company called VFS. This isn’t a French consulate. They’re the middleman who collects all the required documents and sends them to the embassy in Washington, D.C. 

The visa application process is the last important step. You cannot apply until you are within three months of your planned date of arrival, at least for our specific VLS-TS. 

This is important for the pre-planners out there to know. While you can certainly daydream about your move for longer, you won’t be able to apply for your visas until much closer to your departure date.

Requirements around things like health insurance — so you’re not burdening the French healthcare system — income requirements, and post-visa considerations vary by visa. A student visa looks different from a work visa or a working holiday visa and so on.

There are also steps you’ll need to take once you’re in France, including health certificates, pet passports if you’re bringing a dog, and possibly navigating French banks.

Fun fact: It pains me to say this, but you might need to rejoin Facebook as I did after your move. There are many expat groups on the site, and Facebook Marketplace can be a good place to purchase things you may find out you need when you get here.  

How much money do you need to move to France?

How much money you need to move to France is based on the monthly French minimum wage or SMIC.

That’s to apply for a visa. How much money you think you’ll need beyond that is a personal question, and depends on way too many variables to get into here. I don’t know your personal budget and your personal needs/wants.

In general, France will want to see that you have available the monthly minimum wage from your regular income, pension, and/or savings. That total should cover you for the entirety of the potential visa length, not necessarily a total per month.

This figure applies per person. Two people would be required to show a total of €41,812.80 in savings if they didn’t have income from work or a pension to meet the requirement.

If you were looking for how to move to France with no money, that’s just not a sustainable plan nor one they would approve.

Moving to France Without a Job

You can move to France without a job if you are flush with enough moolah. Certain visas even require that you sign a sworn statement declaring that you will not partake in any professional activity within France.

It is also possible to move to France if you are currently working remotely, but it would probably be best to check with your employer first so you don’t get the pink slip.

Again, it depends on your personal finances, your reasons for moving, and your existing job commitments. If you need your U.S.-based job to live in France but they don’t want you to move, that sounds like a big obstacle you need to address on your own.

Taxes in France as an American

Yes, you do have to worry about taxes while living in France as an American and moving abroad.

Uncle Sam will expect you to continue to file a tax return unless you go through the painful process of renouncing your citizenship.

For specific tax advice, consult with a tax advisor who specializes in U.S. expats overseas.

France does have a tax treaty with the United States. As every person’s situation is different, it will be helpful for you to consult with a professional to ensure your situation is covered.

Do I need to learn French to move to France?

You don’t need to learn French to move to France, but it will make your life a lot easier if you start learning French before your move.

Don’t be that person who expects everyone to cater to your English-speaking needs. Contrary to popular belief, the French are actually very welcoming when you approach them in their own language instead of yours.

You can start as simple as greeting people with a “bonjour.” You’d be surprised to hear how many tourists don’t do the bare minimum when interacting with people in France. It’s very possible they’re not the actual rude ones.

The French Healthcare System for Expats

Making sure you have private health insurance coverage is an important piece of your visa application.

After three months in France, expats are able to register with their social security system. Once registered, they receive a Carte Vitale, allowing them to access subsidized medical services.

This doesn’t mean all healthcare is free with the card, but it is greatly reduced.

We’ve retained our private insurance from our initial visa application and subsequent renewal process. As we’re lucky to be in excellent health, we wanted to retain relationships with our doctors back home.

It’s nice to know that the French would take good care of us if something were to happen while in France.

France Is a Good Place to Live for Americans

We’ve found France to be an exceptionally good place to live for Americans. The quality of life is much improved, and the public transit is great.

The country is welcoming to those who put in the effort to learn some of the language, customs, and French culture.

The comparisons of the cost of living really depend on where you’re coming from in the U.S. We lived in some of the most expensive cities in the U.S., namely Chicago and San Diego, so we have actually saved money living in France.

We’ve found that groceries in particular are more affordable than in big American cities. It helps that the French shop locally and seasonally. Baguettes that don’t cost more than a euro are nice, too.

Deciding to pick up and move to France is a big deal, and kudos to you for taking this leap. While it can seem pretty daunting, I’ve hopefully given you a little bit of confidence and knowledge to get the process started. 

If I can leave you with one last piece of parting advice, don’t forget to step back every once in a while to appreciate how awesome you are for trying.

It takes courage, along with a very impressive mentality, to make it happen. I’m giving you virtual high-fives all around!

Visiting France first? Check out these guides:

• A Planning Guide for Le Golf National
• How to Plan a Monaco Trip From Nice
• Christmas Is Pretty Perfect in Strasbourg
• How to Visit Colmar for the Holiday Markets
• A Normandy Guide to the Best of Étretat

Planning European travel outside of France? Check out these guides:

• Top Things to Do in Italy’s Delicious Bologna
• How to Spend a Fun Day in Montpellier
• Is Lausanne Worth the Trip? Read This Next!
• Should You See Montpellier on a France Trip?
• A Guide to Southern France and Avignon

Want to see more?