France Newcomer Guide

2026 Edition

Disclaimer: General educational information only, not legal, immigration, tax, medical or financial advice. Rules, fees and local practice change often. Before you act or pay, confirm the details on the official sites named in each chapter: service-public.fr, France-Visas and your local préfecture.

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Chapter 1: Before You Move: What to Expect

France is a very organised country, and it runs on paperwork. Almost every step asks for a proof of address (justificatif de domicile), an ID and a bank account details slip (RIB), and each of these depends on the others. Plan for the first two months to be slow, and keep a folder of every document, on paper and as scans.

EU and non-EU citizens

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: no visa and no residence permit are needed. You can live and work in France, but after three months you must be able to show that you work, study or have enough money and health cover.
• Everyone else, including Indian citizens: for a stay over 90 days you need a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour) from a French consulate before you leave. A visitor's stay can't normally be turned into a work permit once you're in France.

Practical expectations

• Language: offices, doctors, landlords and most employers outside big international firms work in French. Even A2 changes your daily life, and from 2026 it's also a legal requirement for many permits (see Chapter 11).
• Greeting first: always say Bonjour, Madame or Bonjour, Monsieur before you ask anything. Skipping it is considered rude, and people will help you less.
• Gross or net: salaries are usually quoted gross (brut). Expect roughly 75–80% of that as net pay before income tax.
• August: many offices and small businesses slow down or close, so don't leave important steps for that month.

Decision checklist

• [ ] I know which visa category applies to me.
• [ ] I checked whether my profession is regulated in France.
• [ ] I compared my likely net salary with local rent.
• [ ] I have somewhere to stay for the first one or two months.

Chapter 2: Visas and Entry Routes

Apply through the official France-Visas portal, which tells you exactly which documents your case needs. Appointments are often handled by an outside visa centre, so book early. The main routes are:

Route	Who it's for	Good to know
Student (étudiant)	Admitted to a French school or university	Many countries, including India, go through Campus France first
Employee (salarié, travailleur temporaire)	A job offer in France	The employer normally gets the work authorisation first
Talent (passeport talent)	Highly qualified staff, researchers, founders, artists	Multi-year permit for you and your family
Family (vie privée et familiale)	Spouse of a French citizen, family reunification	Family reunification has its own process through OFII
Visitor (visiteur)	Enough income, no work in France	You sign that you won't work

Before you travel, gather originals of your passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate and diplomas. French offices often want a translation by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) and sometimes an apostille or legalisation, so ask the office first rather than paying for it twice.

Chapter 3: Your First Weeks: Validating Your Visa

Most long-stay visas are a VLS-TS (visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour). It works as your residence permit for the first year, but only once you validate it.

1. Validate it online within three months of arrival on the ANEF website. Do this early. If you miss the deadline you can lose your legal status, and you can't fix this online.
2. Pay the fee online. The amount depends on your category and has changed recently, so check the current figure on the site or on service-public.fr.
3. Keep the confirmation with your passport, and carry both when you travel.
4. Follow OFII's instructions. Some newcomers are called by OFII, the French office for immigration and integration, for a medical visit or an integration contract (the CIR, Chapter 11).
5. Renew in time. Apply for your next permit on ANEF two to four months before your visa ends. Check the exact window for your category.

Some visas are different: a visa marked "carte de séjour à solliciter" means you must apply for your permit yourself, usually within two months of arrival.

Chapter 4: Finding a Home

Finding a flat is often the hardest step. Landlords ask for a full file (dossier): ID, residence permit, employment contract, the last three payslips and a guarantor (garant). Use DossierFacile, the free government tool, to build a clean one.

• No French guarantor? Check Visale, a free state guarantee for young people and many employees.
• Furnished or unfurnished: a furnished lease (meublé) usually runs one year (nine months for students) with a deposit of up to two months' rent. An unfurnished lease (vide) usually runs three years with a deposit of up to one month's rent.
• Giving notice: usually one month for furnished, three months for unfurnished, or one month in many high-demand cities. Send it in writing, by registered letter (lettre recommandée).
• Inventory: the état des lieux is the check of the flat's condition when you move in and out. Be careful and take photos, because it decides whether you get your deposit back.
• Home insurance: tenants must have it (assurance habitation). Your landlord will ask for the certificate.
• Housing benefit: the CAF can pay part of your rent (APL), including for many students. Check your rights with its simulator.
• Scams: never send money before you've visited the flat and signed a lease. Be wary of anyone who says they're abroad and will post the keys.

Electricity, gas and internet

You choose your own supplier and open a contract with your meter number. For the internet (la box), compare the main operators and check the notice terms. Your first bill is a useful proof of address.

Chapter 5: Your Bank Account

You'll need a French account for your salary, rent and benefits. Most people can open one with a passport or permit and a proof of address. Banks and online banks differ on which papers they accept, so ask before you go.

• Your RIB is the slip with your account number (IBAN). Everyone will ask for it.
• Rent and bills are often paid by direct debit (prélèvement) or transfer (virement).
• If banks refuse you, you have a legal right to a basic account (droit au compte). Ask the Banque de France to name a bank for you.

Chapter 6: Healthcare

France has universal public healthcare, called PUMa, run by the Assurance Maladie. ameli.fr is its website.

• Employees are normally registered through their employer.
• Others can usually join after three months of stable, legal residence. Apply to the local office (CPAM). Keep private cover until you're confirmed.
• Your social security number comes first, then your carte Vitale. The card can take months. Until then, your attestation de droits proves your cover, and you can send paper care forms (feuilles de soins) for repayment.
• Choose a regular doctor (médecin traitant) and tell Ameli. If you don't, you get back less of what you pay.
• Top-up insurance (mutuelle) pays what the state doesn't. Most private employers must offer one.
• Booking: many doctors take appointments on Doctolib. Pharmacies give good advice for small problems. Look for the green cross.

Chapter 7: Working in France

• Contracts: a CDI is permanent, a CDD is fixed-term and intérim is agency work. A CDI usually starts with a trial period (période d'essai).
• Hours and holidays: the legal work week is 35 hours, with overtime or extra days off (RTT) above that, and full-time staff earn five weeks of paid leave a year.
• Minimum wage: the SMIC applies to almost everyone. Check the current amount on service-public.fr.
• Your payslip (bulletin de paie): keep every one for life, as they prove your rights to a pension.
• Looking for work: France Travail is the public employment service. If your permit restricts your job or employer, check before you change anything.
• Students can usually work part-time, up to 964 hours a year on a student permit.
• Self-employment: the simple micro-entreprise status is registered online, but your residence permit must allow it. Check first.

Chapter 8: Taxes

• Income tax is taken directly from your pay (prélèvement à la source), but you must still declare your income every spring, even in your first year. Newcomers usually file on paper or contact their local tax office first, then use impots.gouv.fr.
• Worldwide income: French tax residents declare income from everywhere, as well as foreign bank accounts. Fines for leaving out a foreign account can be high. Tell France about any account you've kept back home.
• Double taxation: France has tax treaties with many countries, including India, to avoid you paying twice. Ask an adviser if you have income in both.
• Other taxes: la taxe foncière is paid by owners. La taxe d'habitation no longer applies to main homes, but it still applies to second homes.

Chapter 9: Getting Around

• Trains: SNCF Connect sells train tickets. Book early and look at discount cards (cartes de réduction).
• Cities: buy a monthly pass rather than single tickets. In the Paris region, that's the Navigo pass. Employers must pay half the cost of a public transport pass.
• Driving licences: a valid non-EU licence is generally accepted for your first year. Some countries have an exchange agreement with France, and you must apply within that year. Otherwise you have to pass the French test. Check whether your country is on the current list on service-public.fr.
• EU licences stay valid and don't need to be exchanged.

Chapter 10: Family and Children

• School is compulsory from age 3 to 16, and state schools are free. Register at your town hall (mairie) for nursery and primary school, and with the school itself for older children. Foreign children have the right to attend whatever their parents' residence status is.
• Childcare: apply for a nursery place (crèche) as early as you can, often during pregnancy. A registered childminder (assistante maternelle) is the common alternative.
• Family benefits: the CAF pays family allowances, usually with conditions on residence and permits.
• Family reunification has conditions on income, housing and time in France. Check with OFII before you plan.

Chapter 11: French Levels, Long-Term Residence and Citizenship

The rules became stricter on 1 January 2026. For a first application, these are generally the levels you must prove:

Goal	French level	Other
Multi-year permit (carte de séjour pluriannuelle)	A2	Civic exam, with some exceptions
10-year card (carte de résident)	B1	Civic exam, usually after five years' legal residence
Citizenship by decree (naturalisation)	B2, spoken and written	Civic exam, usually after five years' residence, with an interview

Some groups are exempt, such as many people over 65 and some permit categories. Marriage to a French citizen is its own route with its own rules. Check your case on service-public.fr because these rules are new and still being adjusted.

• Accepted proof: approved tests such as TCF and TEF, the DELF/DALF diplomas, or a qualifying French diploma. DELF and DALF don't expire, while TCF and TEF results are usually valid for two years, so check the rule for your application.
• The CIR: many first-time non-EU residents sign a contrat d'intégration républicaine with OFII. It can include free French classes and civic training. Attending it counts for your later permits.
• Our course follows the same A1–C2 levels and includes practice in the DELF/DALF format.

Chapter 12: Daily Life and Emergencies

Daily life

• Town hall (mairie): the first place to ask about local life, schools and sports.
• Rubbish: sorting rules differ by town, so check your building's notice or the town website.
• Shops: many small shops close on Sundays and at lunchtime, especially outside big cities.
• Tu or vous: use vous with anyone you don't know. Let the other person offer tu.
• Going online: FranceConnect logs you into most public websites with one account.

Emergency numbers

Number	Service
112	European emergency number
15	Ambulance and urgent medical help (SAMU)
17	Police
18	Fire brigade (pompiers), who also help in medical emergencies
114	Emergencies by text, for people who can't hear or speak
115	Emergency shelter for homeless people
3919	Help for women facing violence

Useful sentence: J'ai besoin d'aide. Mon adresse est… (I need help. My address is…)

Chapter 13: Words You'll Meet at Every Office

French	English
un justificatif de domicile	proof of address
une pièce d'identité	ID document
un titre de séjour	residence permit
la préfecture	the state's local office, which handles permits
la mairie	town hall
un rendez-vous	appointment
un dossier	application file
un RIB	bank account details slip
une attestation	certificate, official statement
un bail	lease
le loyer	rent
une caution	deposit
un garant	guarantor
un bulletin de paie	payslip
les impôts	taxes
la Sécurité sociale	public social insurance
une lettre recommandée	registered letter

Chapter 14: The 90-Day Newcomer Checklist

Before you leave

• [ ] Get the right visa, and check the end date and conditions.
• [ ] Gather original documents, and ask whether they need translation or an apostille.
• [ ] Book housing for your first one or two months.
• [ ] Start learning French: A1 before you arrive makes everything easier.

Week 1

• [ ] Validate your VLS-TS online, or note your deadline if your visa works differently.
• [ ] Get a French phone number.
• [ ] Open a bank account, or book the appointment.

Month 1

• [ ] Build your housing file, and sign a lease.
• [ ] Take out home insurance, and open electricity and internet contracts.
• [ ] Check your CAF rights.
• [ ] Start health cover with your employer, or note when you can apply yourself.

Months 2–3

• [ ] Apply for a social security number and carte Vitale.
• [ ] Choose a médecin traitant, and get a mutuelle.
• [ ] Register children for school.
• [ ] Check when your permit must be renewed, and the French level you'll need.
• [ ] Note the spring tax declaration date in your calendar.