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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’ 

Published: 19 May 2024 09:16 CEST
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The "pass-jeux" digital pass QR Code, allowing access to certain areas in Paris during the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand / AFP)

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of the country raised the question of whether a driver holding a licence issued in a foreign country can have it rescinded in France.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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LIVING IN FRANCE

What are anti-mosquito apps and are they worth using in France?

Anti-mosquito smartphone apps are something of a summer hit in France – but how sound is the science behind them?

Published: 27 June 2024 15:28 CEST
What are anti-mosquito apps and are they worth using in France?

Summer in France is mosquito season. The insistent high-pitched biting pests can be a huge frustration on sultry evenings, and are a major source of revenue for pharmacists and supermarkets selling repellents, creams and insecticide sprays, to those unfortunates who provide a tasty snack for the itch-inducing insects.

Recently, efforts to prevent mosquito attacks have moved into the app sphere. A number of smartphone applications are available that claim to repel mosquitoes by emitting low-frequency sounds from the phone’s speaker. 

READ ALSO: How to prevent the spread of tiger mosquitoes in France

The idea isn’t new. And it is based on actual science. France’s Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm) said that the apps are intended to, “imitate the sound waves produced by the wing beats of … dragonflies. Female mosquitoes, which bite humans, would be repelled by this sound”.

So far, so good. The theory seems sound enough. 

READ ALSO: ‘Put a drop of detergent in the water’ – How to deal with mosquitoes in France?

But there’s a problem. 

“The [sound]waves that could possibly be heard by female mosquitoes are too powerful to be reproduced by a smartphone,” Inserm went on to say.

Possibly to cover themselves, the Anti-moustique insecticide app, available on the App Store, states in its own description: “It has not been scientifically proven that low-frequency sounds can help repel mosquitoes. For this reason, this app should be considered a joke app”.

READ ALSO Life in France: 5 plants that (allegedly) repel mosquitoes

According to Inserm, experts advise against this type of app, “at best because they are useless, at worst because they can provide a false sense of protection”, leading users to neglect other – rather more effective – approaches to protecting themselves from bites.

Anti-mosquito advice

When it comes to repelling the horrible little bastards, the French government does have some official advice.

The main thing is to have as little stagnant water around as possible – since this is where mosquitoes breed.

This includes regularly emptying vases, flower pots, as well as watering cans and pots. If you want to collect rainwater, you could cover water butts with mosquito nets or fabric to keep the mosquitoes from getting inside.

To protect yourself, try to wear long, loose and light-coloured clothing, and use a good quality insect repellent. You might also consider wearing a mosquito net head gear.

A plethora of products exist on the market, from machines that also produce the mosquito repelling noise to scented candles or smoke coils, most of these have at at least some effect, but are unlikely to keep the mossies away entirely.

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