Moving to France in 2026: Step-by-Step Official Guide
A move to France runs through a fixed sequence: a long-stay visa, a validation step in your first three months, then housing, health cover, customs and a French driving licence. Each has its own deadline and most have a fee, several of which rose on 1 May 2026. This guide puts the steps in order using France-Visas, Service-Public.fr, Campus France, French Customs and the national health insurance fund, all read on 13 October 2026.
Quick answer
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can move to France without a visa. Everyone else needs a long-stay visa for any stay over 90 days; it costs €99 and decisions usually take 15 days. Within 3 months of arriving you validate the visa online and pay a tax of €300, or a reduced amount for students. Employees join the health system through their employer; people who are not working can apply for cover after 3 months of residence. A non-European driving licence is valid for 1 year.
Step 1: Check whether you need a visa
| Your citizenship | Rule for stays over 90 days |
|---|---|
| European Union, European Economic Area, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, the Vatican | No visa needed |
| All other nationalities | A long-stay visa, applied for in advance. France-Visas states that for long stays your nationality does not exempt you |
France does not issue visas on arrival, so the application has to be complete before you travel.
Step 2: Choose your route
| Route | Key 2026 condition |
|---|---|
| Employee or temporary worker | Your employer obtains a work authorisation first, normally after advertising the job for 3 consecutive weeks |
| Talent card, qualified employee | A contract paying at least €39,582 gross a year; no work authorisation |
| Talent EU Blue Card | A contract of at least 6 months paying at least €59,373 gross a year |
| Student | Enrolment and resources of at least €877.5 per month |
| Family of a talent card holder | Spouse and minor children receive a "talent-family" card through a simplified procedure |
Step 3: Apply for the long-stay visa
- Use the visa wizard on France-Visas to confirm the visa type, the documents and the fee.
- Prepare your passport and file. The passport must have been issued less than 10 years ago, have at least two blank pages and be valid at least 3 months beyond the visa's expiry date.
- Book an appointment. France-Visas tells applicants to allow time for this.
- Submit the application in person, pay the €99 fee and give a photograph and 10 fingerprints.
- Wait for the decision, usually 15 days and up to 45 days in special cases.
The fee is not refunded if the visa is refused. A long-stay visa lasts between three months and one year.
Step 4: Validate your visa after arrival
What you do next depends on the wording on the visa.
| Visa | Action | Deadline | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-stay visa valid as a residence permit (VLS-TS) | Validate online on the portal of the Digital Administration for Foreigners in France | Within 3 months of arrival | Tax of €300; a student pays €150 |
| Long-stay visa marked "carte de séjour à solliciter" | Apply for a residence card at the prefecture | Within 2 months of arrival | €350 in tax stamps for a first card, or €150 at the reduced rate |
To validate you need an email address, your visa details, your date of arrival, your address in France and a bank card. If you miss the three-month deadline you are no longer a legal resident and cannot re-enter the Schengen Area.
Step 5: Find housing
| Type | Paris | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Studio on the private market | At least €800 a month | At least €400 |
| Room in a youth residence or hostel | About €600 | About €400 |
| Room in a public university residence (students) | €450 | €350 on average |
- Deposit: generally one month's rent; by law it cannot be higher.
- Guarantor: nearly everyone renting in France is asked to name one. The VISALE system offers a free rental guarantee if you have none.
- Housing assistance: the CAF pays benefits such as the APL and the ALS, subject to eligibility.
Proof of address matters beyond the flat itself: prefectures and the health insurance fund both ask for it.
Step 6: Join the health insurance system
| Your situation | How you are covered |
|---|---|
| Salaried employee in France | Your employer declares your employment to the Urssaf. You then send your local health insurance fund (CPAM) form S1106 with your contract or payslips, birth and marriage certificates, passport, proof of address and bank details |
| Not working, under retirement age, no rights from a European country | You can apply for PUMa health cover after 3 months of residency in France. If accepted, you pay a contribution to the Urssaf; if rejected, you need private insurance |
| Pensioner with rights from a European country | Provide form S1 from your home system, with form S1106 and supporting documents |
Once you are affiliated you receive a carte Vitale, issued to each family member over the age of 16. The fund runs an English-speaking advice line on 09 74 75 36 46 from France.
Step 7: Bring your belongings through customs
Moving from another EU country involves no special customs formality. Moving from outside the EU, your personal property enters free of duty and tax under these conditions:
- You have been staying in a non-EU country for at least 12 months and are transferring your main residence to France.
- The property has been used privately for at least 6 months before the transfer.
- You bring it to France within 12 months of the date you transfer your residence, in one shipment or several.
- You do not sell, lease, lend or pledge it for 12 months after it enters France.
Customs asks for a detailed, valued, dated and signed inventory in 2 copies, the cerfa 10070 declaration, and proof of your former residence abroad and your new one in France. Alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and most professional equipment are excluded. Furniture for a second home is not exempt at all.
Step 8: Sort out your driving licence
- A licence issued by a non-European country is valid for 1 year from the date you acquire normal residence in France. To drive longer you must exchange it for a French licence.
- Since 12 May 2026 the exchange carries a stamp duty of €40.
- Students with a student residence permit do not need to exchange and can drive on their non-European licence.
- A British licence issued before 2021 is recognised in France as long as it is valid. One issued in 2021 or later must be exchanged.
Service-Public.fr runs a simulator that shows which countries' licences can be exchanged.
What the paperwork costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Long-stay visa application | €99 |
| Tax on validating a VLS-TS | €300, reduced rate €100 |
| First residence card | €350, reduced rate €150 |
| Renewal of a residence card | €250, reduced rate €100 |
| Late renewal, extra fee | €180 |
| Driving licence exchange | €40 |
Staying: renewals and beyond
Apply to renew online no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before your document expires. Longer-term statuses bring language and civic conditions: the 10-year resident card for the spouse of a French citizen, for example, requires at least 3 years of marriage, French at level B1 and a civic examination. The tax stamp for a naturalisation application has been €255 since 1 May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move to France without a job?
Yes, on routes that do not rest on a job, such as study, which requires enrolment and resources of at least €877.5 per month, or family routes. Work routes need an employment contract.
How much does it cost to move to France in official fees?
The long-stay visa costs €99. Validating it in France costs €300, or €150 for a student, and a first residence card costs €350 in tax stamps, or €150 at the reduced rate.
What do I have to do when I arrive in France?
Validate your long-stay visa online within 3 months of arrival, or apply for a residence card within 2 months if your visa says so.
How do I get health insurance in France?
Employees are declared by their employer and then register with the local health insurance fund using form S1106. People who are not working can apply for PUMa cover after 3 months of residency.
Can I bring my furniture to France duty-free?
Yes, if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, used the goods privately for at least 6 months and import them within 12 months of moving.
Can I drive in France with a foreign licence?
A non-European licence is valid for 1 year from when you become normally resident. After that you need a French licence, and the exchange costs €40.
How long does a French long-stay visa last?
Between three months and one year. To stay longer you apply for a residence permit in France.
Official sources
- France-Visas — Long-stay visa
- France-Visas — The process
- France-Visas — Frequently asked questions
- Service-Public.fr — Talent card
- Service-Public.fr — Authorisation to work for a foreign employee
- Service-Public.fr — Residence permits: increase in fees from 1 May 2026
- Campus France — Student housing in France
- Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr) — English pages
- French Customs — Transferring your main residence to France
- Service-Public.fr — Exchange of a driving licence obtained outside Europe
- Service-Public.fr — Driving licence exchange becomes chargeable from 12 May 2026
- Service-Public.fr — 10-year resident card
All figures verified against the official pages above on 13 October 2026. Rules differ by nationality and purpose of stay, so confirm your own case with the French consulate or your prefecture. Information, not legal advice.