These pages give you a an overview of what you need to know to live in France. I think it encompasses everything (but let me know if it doesn't: web@arnoldstewart.com):
Depending on where you're going to, you may find it useful to check out my Pyrenees Oriental guide.
At the moment, this is something of a "work in progress" and will be completed more fully in the months to come. In general terms this covers what you would need to know before you come or immediately after you arrive; what's missing is the information that you might need several months after you arrive eg details of the social security and tax system.
for the spouse or "common law" spouse of a citizen of a European Union country you can get a European Residence Permit (Carte de Séjour Europeenne). This is only required if the spouse is not themselves an EU citizen and is by far the simplest "visa" to get; the parents and children (up to age 21) of both partners can be included on it. This "visa" is free and they can't turn you down for it. If your partner is the citizen of a visa country (ie a country whose citizens would normally require a visa to enter France), they can obtain the equivalent visa abroad, otherwise you just turn up and apply at the local mairie (not the prefecture). The only documentation that they are allowed to ask for (they may ask for more, but you are not required to provide it) is the passports of everyone to be included on the permit and a document proving the relationship (eg a birth certificate for a child naming the European parent) see Europa (an excellent reference that you'll use a lot);
Where to live in France? France is rather large encompassing everything from mountains to the Mediterranean. Paris, the capital, is the centre of the French transport network and quite a cosmopolitan city. Having said that, France is largely agricultural (hence their intense interest in the Common Agricultural Policy). You even have a choice of the "overseas departments" in the Caribbean and elsewhere which, although remote, really are a part of France.
.In practice, you will find that work is quite scarce in the countryside and, as elsewhere, most jobs are in the cities.
France is large and therefore encompasses a wide range of different climates. For areas around the coasts you will experience an oceanic climate ie relatively mild winters and summers, though on the Mediterranean coastline the summers are rather hot; the Atlantic coastline can experience quite wet weather as it is the first piece of land after American. Continental climates are the norm for the regions far from the coastlines with quite cold winters in the northern half of the country, not to mention several mountain ranges.
France is part of Europe but, as in the other European countries, the economic performance is still largely dictated by national interests, notably the large agricultural community in France. There is a value added tax (TVA) applied to most goods (included in the prices quoted in shops). There is a complex tax and social security system which will be described in more detail here in a few months time. Payments to the health system are separate: in general, the French state pays 70% of health costs with the remaining 30% being met by mutual insurance companies (mutuelles), membership of which is, of course, in essence another tax. The currency is the euro although you will generally find that large transactions are still spoken about in terms of French francs. The education system is excellent and free up to age 18.
French although there are a number of regional languages (Breton, Catalán, etc.).
Literacy runs to getting on for 100%.
House ownership isn't considered an investment per se (hence the relatively low prices as compared to England). A large number of people own a second house for use during holidays (maison secondaire). The rental market varies around the country with renting being a more popular option in the cities than in the countryside. The mortgage market is relatively primitive with, in general, only repayment mortgages available in variable and long term fixed versions.
If you are intending to get a mortgage on a property, it's best to open a French account beforehand as this seems to smooth the process considerably. See below for the addresses of the various banks.
If you're house hunting, it can be useful to stay with a family who've moved from the UK as they've been through it all before. You could try one of the places listed in www.ourinns.org .
For historic reasons, France generally operates a regional banking system. So, for instance, the Credit Agricole that you see in Normandy is a different bank than the Credit Agricole that you see in Montpellier. In practice, the regional banks operate, more or less, as a single entity so that it is possible to have your account in Normandy but use a branch in Montpellier (although you won't have all the facilities available that you do in your "home" region).
There are eight main banks which operate throughout France: Banque Populaire (regional, English speaking branch), BNP (nationwide), Caisse d'Epargne (regional), CCF (regional, part of HSBC), Crédit Agricole (regional, English-speaking branch), Crédit Mutuelle (regional), La Poste (the post office), and Société Générale (nationwide). In addition to these, there are branches of UK owned banks concentrated where the British have taken up residence ie mainly in Paris and the Cote d'Azur where you will find branches of Barclays and LloydsTSB. There are also a number of American banks operating in Paris, notably Citibank (the others are mainly aimed at private banking clients).
Which is best? Well, if you want a branch on your doorstep your choice is limited to Crédit Agricole and La Poste which seem to be in every town in France, although Banque Populaire isn't far behind. If you'd like to avoid the hassle of changing banks when you move around in France, the best bets are BNP and Société Générale which operate nationwide. The cheapest is La Poste although if you can live with telephone and Internet banking, Axa Banque is both cheap and very good (you may not be able to open an account with them until you are an established French resident ie with proof of income).
All the above will offer you:
They may also offer you an overdraft (decouverte) on your current account (compte courant). Overdrafts are quite limited in that you are required to be in credit at least once per month (you can get the equivalent of a normal UK overdraft by getting a French credit card from your French bank: once you run over the 15 days per month limit on your decouverte, the required amount of money is transferred from the credit card).
There are some credit cards in France but they are a recent introduction. In general, they are quite limited in comparison to credit cards in other countries such as the United Kingdom and America; almost all have an annual charge (the sole exception seems to be Egg's Max card) and their interest rates are quite high.
To acquire any of the above you need:
Just about all shops will accept a cheque with proof of ID.
Shops that accept credit cards will take both Mastercard and Visa (collectively referred to as Carte Bleue). Some take American Express but virtually none take Diners Club.
Visa comes as a credit card, a debit card, Visa Electron card (which can only be used in shops which swipe the card) and Plus (cash card). Mastercard comes as a debit card, Maestro (debit card), Cirrus (cash card) and as a credit card. Apart from the Visa Electron and Maestro cards, debit cards aren't marked as such.
There aren't any exchange controls.
France operates a mutual assistance version of social security with groups collectively assisting each other. There are various mutual groups from the regionally organised health insurance mutuelles that provide for the 30% of health costs that the state doesn't reimburse you to the various industry-organised groups that provide for your retirement pension.
Education is free from primary school up to age 18 and is compulsory up to age 16. The school year runs from September to June with short midterm breaks usually in late October and late February, longer breaks of around three weeks for Christmas, two weeks at Easter, and the months of July and August.
Local schools come in private and public versions, single-sex and mixed (co-educational). The levels are:
The lycées tend to specialise eg in agriculture, sciences, etc.
Children attending school require insurance (assurance) to cover them on school trips which can be obtained through the school or directly from an insurance company. In theory, they also need proof that they have been vaccinated but this isn't always asked for.
Children have no problem picking up a new language up to about age 11 or 12 (ie through to the end of primary school). Beyond that and they generally need to be taught a new language which is worth bearing in mind if you're bringing kids. Also, we have found that the French school system is simply not geared up to taking non-French speaking children after age 16; so much so that it was, for us, impossible to get any education for the kids 16 and over.
The state pays for 70% of healthcare costs in most cases with the remaining 30% being met through the mutuelles which people contribute money to in order to cover the 30% shortfall.
To gain access to the health system you need to apply at the Caisse appropriate to your occupation:
When applying, you will require proof of residence, birth certificates for yourself and your family, your marriage certificate (if you're married) and proof that you've paid into the social security system in another European country if you're not currently working in France.
This section needs a lot of filling out!
To get into the social security system you need an Allocataire Number which you get at CAF. They will require proof of address, proof that each of your children are going to school (you get a Certificate de Scholarité from the school) and passport.
This section needs filled out!
Income tax
A value added tax system (TVA) is applied to almost all goods. The tax is included in the prices quoted in shops etc. (not so if the shop in question would normally sale to businesses).
Inheritance law and the related tax are a big issue in France. In general terms, your children are as of right entitled to a proportion of your estate varying from 50% (if you have one child) up to 75% if you have several, irrespective of what your will says. Their entitlement is to your "non-moveable" estate (essentially your house) and as a result of this, most French people convert their "non-moveable" house into a moveable asset by owning it via a company created specifically for this purpose (called an SCI); this relatively simple measure allows you to distribute your assets as specified in your will. You definitely need professional advice in this area!
Phone: around 90% of houses have a phone. France Telecom is, in practice, the only supplier though the market is opening up. Public payphones generally take either coins or phone cards (a smaller number also take credit cards); you can use French credit & debit cards in the phones.
To be filled in.
In general terms, there aren't any seriously dangerous insects. The southern half of the country has a higher proportion of the exotic insects, notably termites which can have a big impact on house and because of this a termite survey is required when you are selling a house.
The situation is similar in respect of plants.
There aren't any deadly diseases (or, at least, none of the really exotic ones such as malaria and typhoid). Rabies is an issue but not a major worry. As everywhere, kids get things like mumps and measles if they're not vaccinated.
It's generally safe to walk out during the day and night. Your safety is assured through extensive use of video surveillance in many towns and cities.
Employing someone is quite expensive in France. Very roughly speaking, to pay someone the minimum wage of around 7€ will cost the employer 10€ and the employee will receive 5€ of this after tax and social security payments are taken out. There is a 35 hour working week and everyone is entitled to a minimum of four weeks paid holiday plus public holidays throughout the year. You get time off for pregnancy. The pension scheme you join depends on the industry you are working in (as far as I know at present all the pension schemes are mutual, pay as you go systems). Due the high taxation and social security payments, there is often a considerable proportion of salary paid in cash.
There are metro systems in a number of cities and generally speaking the public transport infrastructure is quite good. Your transport choices are:
You have a choice of:
Just about every village in France will have a selection of specialist shops, notably the bakery where they buy their bread every day in quite unbelieveable quantities. Just about all shops close on Sunday (notably, even the "24 hour" petrol stations which only operate with French credit/debit cards out of hours); through the week the larger shops are open from around 08.30 to 20.00, grocery shops without a lunchbreak (sans interruption or nonstop) but the majority closing from 12.00 to 14.00.
If the holiday falls on a weekend, it's generally "lost". Those that fall on Tuesday or Thursday usually result in a considerable number of people taking the additional day necessary to reach the weekend.
France has oodles of things to do culturally. The majority of events are, of course, held in the cities but you will also get quite small villages staging classical music concerts and the like.
Although it mightn't seem like it at the start, France is actually very welcoming to foreigners. The only proviso is that if your French isn't perfect it can be quite difficult to get the help that you need. There are a number of different organisations which are designed to help you settle into French life, of which a small selection of the more useful ones are:
Association Expression. Organises language lessons and cultural events. This seems to be the cheapest way to learn French.
Centre d'Information et d'Orientation (CIO). This government organisation has offices in the larger French towns and is aimed at getting children (up to age 18) into the school system. They organise tests (in French) to determine the appropriate class for the child and can arrange language lessons if necessary.
Mission Insertion Locale (MLI). This government organisation exists in most towns in France with part-time offices in the larger villages. They are there to help 16 to 25 year olds into the local economy and are a magnificent resource of contacts in the fields of jobs, social security and improving your language skills.
I'm not sure which of the following might be obvious and which wouldn't so I'll just put it all down
If you know of anything else which could usefully go here let me know (web@arnoldstewart.com); I promise not to put you on any mailing lists!
A Personally Chosen guide designed by Crystal Consultancy. Copyright © John Arnold Stewart. Last revised: January 22, 2006.