You say you want to come and live in France? If so, you are both bold... and a bit of a glutton for punishment. I only say that because the French seem to make it as difficult as possible for us non-Frenchies to come and live here. Not that this is such a bad thing. France has had its fair share of immigration problems over the years due to previously lax immigration policies, and since 2006 has tightened up the rules for people like us who want to come and stay here for longer than three months. As such, just know this right now: you really have to want it BAD if you plan to hang out in France (legally) for any length of time. France is a beautiful, wonderful country with great people (despite what you may have heard to the contrary) and a fascinating, if complex, history, but it's also a difficult place to live sometimes -- even if you're French. And if you're planning to live here illegally... well, c'est vos oignons and I don't need to know about it. Either way, prepare yourself for the emotional roller-coaster that is France.
I get a lot of email from people who want my advice on moving to France, with questions ranging from handling Visa issues to finding a place to live or a job. I appreciate your confusion as you try to sort things out, and I want to help, really I do, but I can no longer reply personally to these queries because it has become rather time-consuming. And I have a book to finish! But all is not lost: I have created this permanent page on my blog, in the hopes it might answer at least a few of your questions... after all, I understand how hard it is to relocate abroad and how much it helps when you find someone who might be able to share the benefit of her own experience.
Here's the caveat: I am NOT a relocation expert or an immigration lawyer. And as such, I have decided NOT to answer any questions pertaining to my own Visa adventures or anything having to do with the legalities of living here (and that includes advice on taxes, banking, and the like). Your situation is unique to YOU, and comparing it to another ex-pat's is like comparing les pommes et les oranges. And I am truly not qualified to advise anyone on how to navigate through the complicated process of securing a Visa... trust me, you really don't want my 2 centimes because you need a more authoritative resource (I do try and point you in the right direction as a starting point, however). So if you go ahead and ask me about my Visa experiences anyway? I won't answer you. Sorry. Don't take it personally.
So with all of this in mind, here's a list of some of the most Frequently Asked Questions I have received on living in France, along with my answers and some links to helpful web sites based mostly on my own experience -- which means you shouldn't take any of this as gospel, nor should you limit yourself to the information provided here, because there are certainly many other excellent resources out there to help you. Use this as a starting point, or as a way of taking that next step.
And I truly, from the bottom of my heart, wish you much success and a happy experience in living la vie en rose in la belle France.
P.S. I realize that you may have many questions, but PLEASE READ THIS PAGE FIRST. Then if, after doing so, you still have a good general question about living in/moving to France that is NOT already on the list, AND you think other readers might also benefit from the information, feel free to email it to me and I'll see what I can do about adding it to this page. However, I do not guarantee that I will be able to reply personally to your inquiries about living in France. Hope you understand!
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1) I am just starting the process of researching what it will take for me to move to France. Where should I begin?
For my fellow Americans, I recommend starting with the "Living in France" section at the U.S. Embassy in Paris web site: http://france.usembassy.gov/living_in_france.html. It has been recently updated and redesigned, and offers an extensive list of documents on all manner of topics relating to living here. (I've used the information on this site on more than one occasion since I've been here, and if you're going to be an American in Paris, the Embassy should be your new best friend.) Refer to this page on the Embassy web site also if you need to know about marriage in France, tax advice, finding a translator or "apostilles", passport renewal or even if you are a US citizen just traveling to France on vacation and need help or information. Once you move to France, it's also a good idea to register your permanent address and contact info with the Embassy in case of emergency.
Also for Americans, you will need to find out which French consulate/embassy office in the United States will handle your Visa application; there are several around the country, and each one covers different states. I'm a native of New Jersey, so I had to go to the offices in New York City. To find out which French Embassy office you will need to contact, start here: http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article359 -- it's the site for the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. Keep in mind that the French government web sites are the most correct source of information on immigration rules, so no matter what you may have read on other sites or in books, you should always double-check your information... and even then, you might still find a surprise or two along the way. Get used to it: this is France.
If you are from a non-EU country other than the United States, check the Internet to find the site for your country's embassy in France and/or France's embassy in your country, to find similar links that will apply in your own situation. And for EU citizens, it is my understanding you need no special documents, other than your EU passport, in order to live and work legally in France.
See also:
- French.about.com's "Living and Working in France" pages
- Top 8 Books about Living and Working in France
2) How hard/easy is it to get a job in France? I want to come there, but I need to find a job in order to support myself, and transferring with my current employer isn't an option.
Oh, la la. I have to be honest, I have no experience in this area, being self-employed when I first came here, and currently I am not working at all (other than writing my book). Unemployment is high in France, so finding a job isn't even easy for French people.
Here's what I do know: your employment status will determine the type of Visa for which you are eligible. There are different Visas for students, au pairs (live-in babysitters), people working in corporations, teaching assistants, independent artists, and people with independent financial means and retirees. See #1 above for the links to the sites where you will find all the information on the different Visas available, so you can decide which category best suits your situation.
Then, if having a steady paycheck is essential while you live here, you need to find a business willing to employ you BEFORE you move here, because you have to get the work Visa in your country of origin FIRST... you can't get the Visa IN France, AFTER you move to France. You could come here for a short time to search in person, but you'll still have to go back to your home country and do the necessary paperwork before coming back to live in France for more than 90 days. And that's the problem: because French employers now have all the other E.U. countries to draw upon for workers, where there are no immigration headaches for the employer, it makes it that much harder for you, the non-EU citizen, to come and get a job in France. Exceptions tend to be if you have some sort of desirable skills, education or training. Many people who move to France take jobs as English-language teaching assistants or tutors because that seems to be one of the simplest options for those who aren't relocating via their existing employer.
And no, unfortunately I can't help you find a job teaching English or becoming a teaching assistant. I have no additional information on that. Sorry.
3) I can't work (or don't want to work) while in France, but what about getting a student visa?
This is frequently the path of least resistance for people who want to come and spend at least six months in France... just be a student. I have friends who have managed to legally stay in France for years as a student. Of course, certain programs require an advanced level of French language proficiency since the classes are taught in French (and that includes courses in English literature!) One easy solution might be to enroll in French language studies for foreigners, and once you are pre-registered for one of these programs, you can then go and apply (in your home country) for your student visa. Then, once you are in France with your student visa, I believe you are then eligible to work up to a certain number of hours (maybe 20 or 25, but don't quote me) per week in addition to your studies, so you might be able to score a little part-time job to help out with your expenses... no guarantees, of course.
4) How did you find your apartment in Paris when you first moved there?
Well, my FIRST "first" apartment, located in Vincennes, came to me by word-of-mouth from a friend of a friend. I was going to rent this person's fully furnished apartment for a year while she pursued an interesting job opportunity in another part of France. So I felt very lucky to have had this apartment fall in my lap without having to do an extensive search. However, when her job plans fell through, I found myself having to scramble and find another place quickly. In my situation, I wanted a furnished apartment because I didn't know how long I'd be staying, and didn't want to go to the trouble and expense of shipping my furniture. If you are also someone who is planning to stay in France for two years or less, you might want to consider renting furnished ("meublé") as well as having the appliances provided ("equipé"). Your monthly rent will be a bit higher, but the cost of appliances and furniture (not to mention sheets, towels, dishes, cooking utensils) is very high in France. (Don't forget that European electricity is different than in North America, so shipping over your TV, fridge or washing machine is completely impractical.)
I found a lot of web sites online that listed furnished rentals ("location"), many of which are through agencies who generally charge a fee that is payable by the tenant ("locataire") instead of the owner/landlord ("propriétaire"). But in the end, I went to a site called Vacation Rentals-by-Owner (www.vrbo.com) and clicked on France and then Paris. Although many or most of the listings are for short-term and vacation rentals, some of the owners are open to longer-term arrangements. I found several apartments that looked good, and contacted the owners (you deal with them directly, so no agency fees) to inquire if they'd be willing to rent to me for a year or more. Some said no, but several were quite interested in my proposal, and eventually I decided on the one in the 15th after speaking to the owner (a woman from New York who had lived in Paris over 20 years and had a French husband). It was an ideal arrangement for me, and I even asked for and got a reduction in the rent because I was willing to make the long-term commitment.
If you are staying longer and/or prefer to outfit an apartment from scratch... be forewarned, you'll have your work cut out for you. French apartments (at least those in Paris) tend to be rented stripped to the bone, and that includes kitchen cabinets. You may find that the landlord will not provide anything other than the toilet and basic plumbing (I have even heard of apartments with no showers or bathtubs, although that is rare... however some chambres de bonne/studio apartments, which are located on the top floors of old Parisian buildings, do sometimes come without private toilets because they used to be the servants' rooms, and there will often be communal toilets and showers located on those floors for the tenants. They're dirt cheap, though. I have one friend who rented one of these for about 300€/mo with a communal toilet but NO no communal shower. She bought herself a gym membership and combined her shower with her daily workout. It wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but her objective was to save money to buy an apartment, and it worked for her, plus she kept herself in great shape at the same time.)
In our current apartment, we did have kitchen cabinets already installed when we moved in, and of course the kitchen sink. The bathroom (double sinks and a nice roomy shower, quite a luxury) was already perfectly appointed although there is no light fixture above the mirror, just a naked bulb. In fact, there were no nice light fixtures anywhere in the apartment, just naked bulbs (we are still working on that). We also had to buy a new stove/oven and bring our old fridge with us, as well as a microwave, because appliances were not included. We considered ourselves lucky to get kitchen cabinets and the ready-to-move-in bathroom! Our landlords also ended up replacing the floors in our bedroom because the radiator had leaked and destroyed the old floors (we are STILL waiting for the new radiator to be installed, 5 months later and now it's fall.
Things tend to take longer in France, too. So while it is possible to find an apartment quickly and move in quickly, it is more likely you'll need several months to find the right apartment and maybe a few more months before you can actually move in. And that's not counting if you need to do any work on the apartment to make it livable. (Another reason to go furnished.)
Here are links to a few agency web sites we used when we were apartment-hunting this past winter and spring; most of them list unfurnished apartments for rent (remember, in French, "location" doesn't mean the same thing as in English; it means "rental"!) but some might list a few furnished ones as well:
- www.lodgis.com (where we found and rented our current apartment, but this same apartment was also listed on several other sites, some of which are below)
- www.logic-immo.com
- www.explorimmo.com
- www.avendrealouer.fr
- www.acheter-louer.fr
- www.refleximmo.com
Most of these agency sites also list apartments for sale ("vente") but KNOW THIS: there is no such thing as a multiple-listing service in France. So that means you have to go individually to different agencies, although some have more than one office around the city which can be helpful. But agents don't collaborate here, so don't be surprised if you call to set up a visite for an apartment and they won't help you because the listing agent isn't working that day!
5) I'm single and would love to meet that special someone (like you met Georges!). How do I start dating in France?
If you're a long-time reader of the blog (or a recent reader who bothered to read through the archives), you will remember that I did, indeed, kiss a few frogs before I met my "Frog" Prince (and I met him on www.Meetic.fr, in case you were interested in trying this site). Dating in France, in many respects, is just as insane, depressing, exciting, degrading, fun, and complicated as it is in other cultures. I mean, men and women are, on some level, the same no matter what the language. The thing is... many French men may not be comfortable communicating in English, and as some of my ex-pat gal pals can testify, dating with a language barrier has some unique challenges. Like, how are you supposed to find out if your French date has a bad history or is gainfully employed, or what they like to eat or if they have any food allergies, if you can't ask questions and understand the answers?
That's not to say you can't leap those communications hurdles and have a good relationship with a Frenchman (or French woman). You might luck out and find one who is confident enough with his/her English skills that you, the Anglophone, won't have to worry about your lousy French. Or maybe your French is much better than mine was when I got here, which is a plus for you. And then, of course, there are those who believe it's easiest to learn a foreign language "between the sheets" (wink, wink), and 80% of communication is non-verbal anyway. So the language barrier doesn't have to be a deal breaker. I'm just saying.
The French typically don't "date" in the way we North Americans tend to think of it. I mean, sure, they go out for drinks or dinner or a walk, or any of the usual things like movies and concerts, with someone they are interested in. But culturally, it seems to me that if you are spending a lot of time with a French person, the assumption seems to be that you ARE a couple, whereas at least in America people seem to have "rules" about dating that dictate how fast or slow the relationship is "supposed to" move. It doesn't seem to work that way here in France, at least from my own observations, experiences, and discussions with friends. So, the best advice I can offer anyone who wants to "hook up" in France, is be open-minded about your expectations because some things will just not be what you're used to. And that doesn't mean that's a bad thing... it's just different.
Of course, as with dating new people anywhere, you should be safe: until you get to know the person, meet them on neutral turf (when Georges asked me out the first time, he said "Would you like to meet me for lunch one day next week, in a public place?", and although that made me giggle, I was also relieved that he said that). Don't give out your home address to anyone you're meeting on the internet, EVER, until you get to know them better in person. 9 times out of 10 you won't have any problems, but why take a chance? It's just common sense. And (playing the mother figure now) don't forget to pack your own condoms -- and ladies, I'm talking to YOU. Just in case.
By the way, just to cross the line into the explicit for a moment, mainly for my American sisters: FYI, most French men are NOT circumcised. I just didn't want you to be surprised. (And for you non-Americans who are wondering why on earth I would even write such a thing? The vast majority of American men ARE circumcised; in America, it's not a religious thing so much as just how it is in our culture. A girl could easily go her whole dating life in the U.S. and never encounter an uncircumcised penis, up close and personal so to speak, unless the man in question was born in another country.)
Anyway, back on topic... about Meetic. This was just the site I found that had members in France (there is a Meetic.com as well, the English version of the site). I happened to meet Georges there, but wasn't having much luck before I met him. However, I have two friends here in Paris who also met their French husbands via Meetic. So... you just never know.
6) I'm not so much interested in dating, but how can I meet people in Paris and have a social life. I won't know anyone once I get there!
I made friends in Paris primarily through two methods. The first was through other Paris ex-pat bloggers, several of whom have become my very dear friends. And the other was a site called Meetup.com, where you can find common interest/social groups in cities all around the world. Just go there and plug in "Paris" in your search, and you'll get dozens of groups to choose from. Some are special interest groups, such as for knitting, sports, and photography, while others are organized around language and culture. My favorites here in Paris were Expats Paris (the largest group in our city), and the Expat groups for Americans, Brits, Canadians and Australians (we Anglos stick together). I also enjoyed the New in Town meetup group here in Paris which organized events like walking tours, where I met a lot of very nice people (some of them were even French, as these groups are not only for us foreigners) and I have several close friends as a result.
So, explore some of what Meetup.com has to offer, based on whatever most interests you, and before you know it you'll have friends and a real social life.
7) Is speaking fluent French really necessary to live in France? How can I improve my French? Won't my high school or college French be good enough?
To answer that last question first... uh, non. A lot of us learned French in school but never really had a chance to "road test" it in a real-life setting, and when we get here, we have a rude awakening... and that doesn't mean the French are rude, so forget the stereotypes. The fact is, the French speak their language quickly -- especially the Parisians -- and there is a lot of idiomatic stuff thrown in that you never learned in school or in books or even in your "French in Action" videos (I did learn "mystère et boules de gomme" that way, though!) So dealing with the French in French will be challenging for a long time, no matter what your current level of proficiency.
Do you absolutely need to speak French to live here? No, but speaking NO French will prove very difficult, so it helps if you can at least master some basics... including proper pronunciation, which is very important in French. But once you get down some key phrases to get you through common daily situations, you can go through much of your time in France without it, assuming you have Anglophone friends or colleagues to talk to. My first year here, I don't think my French improved very much at all, because my social life mainly included Americans, Brits and Australians. So, there you go. (Note: I'm in Paris where more people, even the French, can speak at least a little English, but if you find yourself living in a small town in France, I think you WILL need to know more French to get along and keep your sanity intact.)
There are many options for learning and improving your French once you get here though. There are free language exchange groups: see Meetup.com, check the FUSAC magazine (www.fusac.fr/en/) or check the bulletin boards at the American Church in Paris to find one. There are many schools teaching French for a fee, but the two most well known are the Alliance Française and the programs at the Sorbonne (this is the one I have enrolled in, starting October 2010). Both of those are a bit pricey but considered very good, the Sorbonne's program being a bit more structured. You can also check with the Red Cross (Croix Rouge) and the local Mairie, both of which offer free or very cheap French classes for immigrants in France.
(Sidebar about FUSAC: good resource for classified ads in English in Paris. You can find job listing, apartment listings, and much more. The magazine is free, monthly, and can be found around Paris at places where Anglophones might hang out, like Shakespeare & Company or WH Smith bookstores, for example. You can also look at the ads online.)
8) If I want to ship my furniture and other belongings to France, can you recommend a good international shipper?
Unfortunately, no. I haven't yet had to ship any big items, although that may happen some day. I did ship some boxes via UPS and the US Postal Service during my first year, and both were expensive. UPS ships fastest and you can track packages, but the items will still get hung up in customs so "2-day delivery" is a bit of a misnomer. The US Postal Service was cheaper but I couldn't track the packages and it took something like 6 weeks, so don't ship anything that way if it's anything you can't live without if it gets delayed or even lost.
Page last updated in January 2011
The information listed here, including links to external sources, is provided solely as a courtesy to those blog readers who may be interested in moving to France. The author is not a relocation expert, provides no professional relocation services, and derives no financial compensation from any persons or businesses listed on this page or elsewhere on this blog, unless otherwise specifically noted. The author is also not responsible for the accuracy of information provided here or on linked sites: Caveat Emptor.
