If you’re considering moving to France, you may be wondering if knowing French is required for immigration. That’s a great question to ask, as France only has one official language—French! Different levels of French are required at different stages of the immigration process and for certain residence permits. Let’s take a look at the details of the language requirements in France, from your first visa to your carte de séjour to French nationality.
As a seasoned American immigrant who’s been in and of France a number of times, I’ve accumulated plenty of tricks and tools that I can directly attribute to my success dealing with French administration. Here are my top tips for tackling your next French dossier so that you can navigate your paperwork successfully, whether you are applying for a visa or making a permanent move to Cheeseland!
As an American coming to France, whether you are moving here or just visiting, you can drive using your US driver’s license for a limited period of time. In the case of a long stay or establishing residence in France, it is important to note that your American license will typically only be valid for the first year of your residence. Read on to find out how long your US license is valid for in France and how to exchange it for a French driving permit (permis de conduire).
After submitting all your paperwork and applying for your residence permit, you are now ready to pick up your carte de séjour at the Paris préfecture. Hold up—I know you are eager to celebrate (and boy, do you deserve it), but we have a few more steps to follow. Here’s your guide to picking up your residence permit from the préfecture in Paris.
Like in any big city, finding an apartment to rent in Paris can be challenging. I’ve created this guide to help you get ready for the apartment hunt. By the end of this blog post, you should have a better idea of how to find an apartment in Paris and what paperwork you’ll need to put together for the application.
As the spouse of a French citizen, I recently renewed my carte de séjour “vie privée et familiale” (CdS VPF). This residence permit allows me to continue living and working in France and has a duration of two years.
A numéro fiscal is your unique number to use when filing taxes in France. There are a couple of different ways you can get a tax identification number (TIN). I acquired one quite easily as the spouse of a French citizen, so this blog post will detail how I accomplished that.
Depending on your visa category, you’ll have different requirements with l’Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration (OFII). When I switched to the carte de séjour vie privée et familiale (CdS VPF) after marrying my French husband, I had to fulfill more requirements with OFII. Namely, I had to pass a French language test, sign an integration contract (CIR), and attend four civics classes.
A “feuille de soins” is a reimbursement form for medical expenses. Most of the time, the “feuille de soins” is submitted electronically on your behalf via your carte vitale. However, in some cases, you will pay medical fees upfront at your appointment and in order to get a reimbursement, you will need to manually submit a request.
Visa, titre de séjour, carte de séjour… What’s the difference? I often hear these terms being used interchangeably, but they’re actually different! Here’s a little guide to visas and residence permits for France.