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LIVING IN FRANCE

Immigration, transport and GP appointments: 6 essential articles for life in France

Who needs to pass a language test under France’s new immigration rules, how you can get around Paris during the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, waiting times for doctor appointments, tax questions for Americans and Brits … and the new words in the French dictionary

Immigration, transport and GP appointments: 6 essential articles for life in France
A Paris Metro train crosses the river Seine in front of the Eiffel Tower. (Photo by Kiran RIDLEY / AFP)

France’s new immigration law – finally passed in January 2024 – includes extra requirements for some foreigners in France to pass a language test, attend classes on French history and culture and sign a contract promising to adhere to ‘republican values’.

New immigration law: Who has to take ‘integration courses’ in France?

Heading to Paris for the Olympic and / or Paralympic Games this summer? Getting round the city may be slightly different, with a number of Metro and RER stations closed for the duration.

But the capital’s public transport operator has put on sale a special transport pass that will allow unlimited travel to all Olympic and Paralympic venues during the Games period. Here’s what you need to know.

Paris creates transport pass for Olympic visitors

When it comes to seeing a doctor in France, you can wait as little as three days to as long as 42 to get an appointment, according to new data. But waiting times depend heavily on the different specialties and where you live.

How long does it take to get a doctor’s appointment in France?

Gaining French citizenship can have benefits for Americans living here, from the right to vote in French elections to freedom of movement in the EU – as well as a more intangible sense of belonging in the country you now call home.

However, Americans living abroad always have to contend with the United States’ system of citizenship-based taxation. So, what are the tax ramifications of dual nationality?

Americans in France: Will my tax situation change if I get French citizenship?

Retiring to France is a dream for many Britons, but before turning that dream into reality there are some serious financial questions that you need to ask yourself to ensure that your retirement is a financially comfortable one.

6 pension questions British people should ask before retiring to France

As language constantly evolves, so do dictionaries and compilers around the world regularly evaluate and judge the newest additions to the langue – with those judged to be durable words or phrases included in the latest edition of a dictionary.

The compilers of France’s Larousse dictionary have revealed that 150 new words will be added to the latest edition, which is due to be published on May 22nd.

Revealed: The ‘new’ French words in 2024

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LIVING IN FRANCE

Tax deadlines, driving licences and ‘voilà’ – essential articles for life in France

This week’s must-reads from The Local: important – and looming – tax dates in your diary, to the rules for declarations and adult dependent children; an explainer on those QR code rules for getting around Paris in the run-up to the Olympic Games; whether French courts can confiscate foreign driving licences; getting to south-west France without Ryanair; and the proper way to say ‘voilà’ 

Tax deadlines, driving licences and ‘voilà’ – essential articles for life in France

Spring is the big tax season in France – it’s when the annual déclaration des revenus (income tax declaration) must be completed by everyone who lives here, even if they have no income here or have already had their income taxed at source.

And the deadlines are looming fast. Here’s what you need to know.

REMINDER: When are France’s 2024 tax declaration deadlines?

Speaking of tax issues… As soon as a child reaches the age of majority – 18 in France – they are, in principle, subject to personal income tax and should file their own tax returns.

But newly adult children often still live at home and are financially dependent on their parents. The good news is, under certain situations, you can continue to claim them on your French tax declaration.

Should I include my grown-up child in my French tax declaration?

As the Olympic flame continues along its long and winding route around France, for people heading to Paris for the main event, the somewhat complicated regulations about who will need a security QR code for the Olympic and Paralympic Games are a bit confusing.

Here, we answer the most common questions about the rules and the security restrictions in the French capital

Paris Olympics QR codes – your questions answered

A recent court case in the southwest of the country raised the question of whether a driver holding a licence issued in a foreign country can have it rescinded in France. So, here are the rules for anyone who drives on a French roads using a foreign licence.

Can France confiscate your foreign driving licence?

You heard that budget airline Ryanair is closing its base in Bordeaux, right? Fortunately, it’s not the only way to get to south-west France, as we explain right here.

No Ryanair, no problem: Alternative travel options to get to south-west France

Even people with an extremely limited grasp of the French language will have heard the word voilà. In English-speaking countries, we tend to assume that voilà is used to emphasise some spectacular action. But in France, although it can be used in this sense, it has a variety of far more mundane uses. 

How the French really use ‘voilà’

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