Welcome to The Local’s “Americans in France” monthly newsletter for members, featuring all the news and practical information you need as an American resident, visitor or second-home owner in France. You can sign up to receive it directly to your inbox before we publish it online via the link below.
Dear Americans in France,
Last week, the French government published a decree bringing into effect the new requirement to sign a ‘contract respecting the values of the republic’ when applying for a French residency card.
This additional document will be a requirement for most Americans looking to make France their home long-term. In truth, signing the contract is a relatively small and quick administrative requirement that will be done when making an application for either a new residency card or to renew one. We’ve put together a guide on how to do so.
Nevertheless, you are agreeing to a set of values that France deems important – here’s what you are signing up for.
Bureaucratic challenges are something that Americans in France have to get used to when living here. One consistently tricky area is opening a bank account. Unfortunately, Americans looking to open joint bank accounts with their French spouses or partners can also run into issues, thanks to FATCA reporting requirements.
You should be aware that there are two types of joint accounts in France with very different rules. The main difference is related to whether or not account-holders need permission from others to spend or receive money, and whether the account will be frozen by the bank following the death of one of the account holders.
In each edition of this newsletter, I like to take a moment to respond to specific questions from readers. As always, we have our ongoing ‘Americans in France’ survey open. You can let us know if there are any topics you would like to see covered, and you can also give helpful tips (the ones you wish you had known beforehand) for other Americans looking to move to France.
One of our readers, Steph Dixon in Paris, asked us how to get a French drivers licence affordably: “For those living in Paris, can one take the drivers test outside Paris to have less crowds, for example?”
The answer is yes, you can take your test in a different département. As the process is notoriously long, expensive, and painful, we’ve put together some tips to get a French driver’s licence as painlessly as possible.
Another reader who has been in France for over 20 years, but wished to remain anonymous on the survey offered some helpful advice: “Don’t be loud, remember to say bonjour, and do not shy away from asking for help! We’ve all been there.”
They also added: “Maybe this is too obvious, but if you want to live and work here, and don’t have EU nationality or a talent passport, it will be difficult to get a CDI [a long-term work contract]. I have spoken to a surprising number of Americans who don’t realise they have no automatic right to work here.”
This is an important point. Finding work in France as a foreigner can be difficult, especially if you do not have a strong grasp on the French language or the equivalent French credentials.
Before you start looking for apartments or sending out applications, you will want to be realistic about your options for moving in the first place – in particular with regards to visas and work permits.
And finally, you might have heard rumours about an old but never-repealed treaty between France and the USA that allows Americans an extra three-month stay in France without requiring a visa.
It sounds almost too good to be true, but the agreement does exist. It goes back to 1949, and it is a bilateral travel agreement between France and the US. The only trouble is that it is not exactly valid anymore.
Of course feel free to get in touch or leave a comment. You can reach me at genevieve.mansfield@thelocal.com
** Conspicuously, I’ve left out updates on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but we have lots of coverage on this – click HERE for the latest.
The American expat pressure group SEAT (Stop Extraterritorial American Taxation) is conducting a new survey on the impact of US taxation and banking policies on expats and is looking for Americans living in France to take part. You can read more about the survey here.
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