If we change the prefecture we live in after starting the process, how exactly would it impact the naturalisation process? Would the interview appointment take longer? What if the move happens after the interview?
Hey everyone
Is the vls ts validation site working for anyone? It gets stuck after stamp tax payment page.
It shows an error for me and i am panicking since my visa validity is ending.
Hi! I'm currently thinking about moving to France and I saw that positions im my field pay something around 45-50k gross euro annualy which I gives me around 3750/4166 gross monthly. Is this enough to live in Paris? I'm single 27 year old female and I would be fine with 1 bedroom apartament.
I have recently been invited to join a community of anglophone women in my region in France. These are women of various nationalities, either married to French husbands or moved here because their husbands are expats.
Me, I am a foreigner that moved to France to join my French husband. I have a full time job and 2 kids. With our husband we manage our kids ourselves mostly, without external helps except for garderie or child care/ social center.
I find that with our current lifestyle I just cannot afford to socialise like the other expat ladies in the community. They have dinner gatherings in restaurants like once every week or 2 weeks, they go drinking and stay the night out etc. A lot of them have kids like me but they have fille au pair.
I started to feel like I don't really belong in the community, I can't keep up. A lot of these women don't work either. I am starting to genuinely be curious as to where do they get their earnings/allowance from?
I don't mean to offend anyone here if you are in similar situation, I am genuinely so curious. I apologise in advance if this sounds like a stupid question.
I’m a 35F early retiree thinking about moving to Europe. I took many years of French in school and can surprisingly understand almost everything i read here — signs, packaging at the grocery store, etc. I also love the arts.
For those who immigrated — how did you move here? Is it possible as a retired person? I do like going back to work from time to time but I do not technically need to.
If I could do anything, I would move to France, learn my way to fluency, then get a job (not at all in a hurry). I would also consider going to school here if it helped with both moving here and finding a job eventually. I’d love to teach art.
Merci beaucoup!
I am planning a move to France in the next 3 years. I currently have 7 years experience, some in lead roles, as a Space Systems Engineer for NASA (working on the Artemis program), and so when I plan to move I will have 10. Have also worked on a few International Space Station missions. I have completed ½ my masters program, earning a graduate certificate so far. I am trying to determine if it is necessary to finish it to land a job in the EU. While it’s not too hard, it’s quite expensive and time consuming. If any one has any insight I’d love to hear it. Also you know of any headhunters/job sites I could peruse that’d be great too! Or connections.
(Currently I have a tutor and am studying French)
I invited six strangers to dinner.
Not a party, not a networking event, not a "let's grab drinks" situation that ends after two hours with a vague "we should do this again sometime."
A cozy home. A long table. A proper meal. And a rule that we actually talk.
No "so what do you do" as an opener. No phones. No polite nodding while mentally planning your exit.
It was one of the best evenings I've had in Paris and I'm not entirely sure how to explain why.
I'm thinking about doing it again. Very small. Very intentional. Not for everyone - and honestly that's the point.
Also - to everyone who DM'd me last time and got radio silence back: I'm sorry. Life happened. The link didn't work. I was figuring things out. You deserved better and I come in peace.
If you're still interested, or if this is the first time you're reading this - DM me!
Hi everyone hope you are having a good day.
I’m preparing to start a Computer Science Master’s in France for the 2026–2027 academic year. I already have software engineering experience, and realistically employment is my first priority if I can land it.
I’ve heard France is more flexible than most EU countries regarding switching from a student residence permit to a salaried/work permit while still studying.
How viable is this path in practice, especially in IT?
Is employer sponsorship actually required for the switch, or is it more of an administrative status change once you secure a qualifying contract?
Also, can this realistically happen early into the degree or mostly near graduation?
I am an American and have been studying in France for the past 5 months on a semester abroad experience (so not exactly an expat) and have been dating a French girl for about 3 of these months. Recently we were watching a show that dealt with a marriage where one character was cheating on their spouse and we began talking about different perspectives on infidelity.
In my (maybe American) perspective, I explained that I found adultery completely intolerable and that it is morally wrong and dangerous (in the sense where you can expose someone to STDs unconsensually). She agreed slightly but argued that it is possible to love 2 people at the same time and that it is less ostracized in France. I asked if she would tell her friend if she was being cheated on by their boyfriend (something I would do) and she said that she would first ask the boyfriend’s perspective and then ask her friend if she would want to be told if they were being cheated on. I honestly thought this was a bit ridiculous (like who would say no to that?) and told her that I think that is not being a good friend. She also said that her Mother told her that if she knew her daughter was being cheated on, she wouldn't tell her. Now at this point I was pretty upset, because I think that is kind of insulting. And I made a big enough point of that just being disrespectful to your own daughter. (She told me later on that she talked to her Mom and she walked back those statements)
Now I am not worried about her cheating on me, but I can’t say I am a big fan of this mindset. I am curious if this is something you have noticed in French society among friends. I had traditionally thought the idea of French adultery is some sort of Anglo stereotype of French people. But maybe not?
I’ve been living in Germany for the last year doing a master’s, and honestly I’ve realized the country just isn’t for me. The salaries and opportunities looked attractive from the outside, but in practice I’ve struggled a lot with the social atmosphere, bureaucracy, lack of warmth, and overall quality of everyday life. I also found my program extremely theoretical and disconnected from real work.
Before Germany, I spent a long time living between Spain and Mexico while working remotely (for an american company), and personally I loved life in Spain: the culture, food, weather, aesthetics, social life, and just feeling culturally connected to people around me. The problem is that every time I seriously consider moving back long-term, I run into the same issue: salaries and housing. It feels like the only realistic way to live comfortably there is with a foreign remote salary, which also leaves you in this weird legal/tax/autónomo limbo; specially cause I don't have an EU passport.
So lately I’ve started wondering if France could maybe be a middle ground between northern and southern Europe.
What I’m looking for is basically:
Do people here feel France offers that kind of balance? Or does it end up having the same problems as Spain/Germany, just in different proportions?
Hey everyone,
I’m from Athens, Greece and I’ve been seriously thinking about moving to Paris in the near future.
I have a diploma in French language and a 3-year degree in computer science. The problem is that the tech job market seems a bit strange right now everywhere, so honestly I’m open to working other jobs at first until I find something more specific to my field.
For example, I could work as a baker or even as a DJ for a while. I also really like smaller businesses and I think I’d actually prefer working in a local laptop/phone repair shop instead of a huge corporate environment.
I saw an American guy in another comment basically laughing at the professional opportunities and salaries in France, saying the pay isn’t decent at all. Is that actually true?
Maybe salaries are lower than in the US, but I always have the impression that most people in France still live pretty comfortably overall and have a good quality of life, work-life balance, healthcare, social life etc.
Hi everyone,
I’ve been waiting for my renewed titre de séjour for almost a year now. I already gave my fingerprints, but I’ve still been waiting for the physical card for the last 4 months.
I currently have an “Attestation de prolongation d’instruction d’une demande de renouvellement de titre de séjour” valid until August 2026.
The document says:
Cette attestation vous est délivrée pour autoriser votre présence en France entre le ___ et le ___. Cette attestation n’est valable qu’accompagnée du titre précédemment détenu même s’il est arrivé à expiration.
Ce document justifie le maintien de l’ensemble des droits ouverts en raison du titre de séjour précédemment détenu. Si ce titre permettait d’exercer une activité professionnelle, celle-ci peut se poursuivre pendant la durée de validité de cette attestation. Elle ne permet pas l’ouverture de droits nouveaux.
Ce document autorise le franchissement des frontières de l’espace Schengen.
I want to travel to my home country (Bangladesh) during this validity period and return to France before it expires.
Has anyone successfully traveled outside the EU and re-entered France with this document and an expired titre de séjour?
Did you face any issues with airlines, immigration, or transit countries?
Thanks🙏 !
My wife and I moved. I updated her address on the ANEF website on April 12th. It’s still showing pending it seems, her address is still showing our old one.
The issue is we need to renew her vie privée familiale card in one month (it expires in October, so renewal opens next month). If the address update is still not done by then, which prefecture will treat the renewal, our old one or the new one? Can I choose?
Question here. I am currently applying for my long stay visa but I need accommodations to apply. Is 3 months at an Airbnb sufficient or do I need to have something for the whole year? I’ve done some research on this but I get mixed results when I search.
Hello, as the title says, I would like to hear some positive experiences moving from the US to Paris! I'm a 32f and my husband 35m recently got a job offer in Paris. It has been our dream to live there but now it feels so real. I've also seen a lot of negative experiences assimilating. We are moving with our two dogs. I thrive moving to new cities! However, I've never moved to a different county so I'm a little nervous about that.
What have been your favorite things moving to Paris?
Hello all,
Welcome any input on my situation:
Recently had my kids US passports renewed in Switzerland, did all the work in Geneva, passports were processed and shipped from Bern.
When they arrived via French Post today, they wanted 54€ for duty tax (based on the customs declaration value listed on the envelope from the US Embassy).
I refused delivery, plan on going to the office later as the delivery person was not too familiar with the details.
Any thoughts?
Hello. I have a number of prescriptions that I am on that I will need refills on after about 1 month in France. Of course, I will not have the Carte Vitale, but I will have my international insurance. Can I just make an appointment with a GP to discuss my medical history? How detailed do my records need to be?
I have a question regarding disability support.
EDIT:
> To be clear, I'm not asking about the basics; rather I'm seeking advice on the topics that only lived experience would provide, ie.
> "Technically x is there, but the bureaucracy will fight you tooth and nail", or "Y might seem accessible legally, but good luck getting it"
Context:
I am disabled (ME-CFS & POTS) — Which means I am unable to work —, while also being LGBTQ+. While I've spent my life in the UK, remaining seems uninviting, given the current socio-economic climate and US culture war importation.
I also hold an EU passport (Lithuanian).
Neither my gf nor I speak French.
Question Proper:
To that end, I'm wondering what difficulties I would face if I were to move to France... My gf & I are currently assessing potential places to settle down, though my lack of financial stability is currently our biggest barrier.
(I currently rely on £700pcm in Disability support from the government, while she is in her last year of her nursing degree (in Austria)).
Are there any particular things I should be careful of?
(To be clear, I don't expect to recieve coverage right off the bat — But it would help to know what resources are available, if any).
Why are salaries in France so low? For example, compared to a country like Germany, where most things like rent and groceries are much cheaper than in France ,yet salaries there are significantly higher.
For instance , I’m currently paying around 700 €/month for a small studio near Lille! I honestly don’t understand this country.