Moving To France? Here’s What You Need To Know

Some people like the big cities – Paris, Rouen, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, and more – while others prefer the little villages out in the countryside. Some people like the Alps, while others prefer the Mediterranean climate and head south. Each to his own. 

 

If you are going to move to France yourself, there are some things that you need to do – quite a list, actually. The first thing is that, as we are no longer members of the EU, you will need a visa. If you need to work, you will also need a work permit and confirmed letter of employment. This is fair enough because you cannot expect French social services to pay for you. You need to check with the appropriate authorities regarding the requirements for work. You will also need to register with the French government and again you need to check official government sources. 

 

You must check that you have all the appropriate documents, such as birth certificate, marriage certificate (if applicable), driving licence and vehicle documents, medical documents including vaccinations: this means that, again, you will need to check the latest French requirements regarding Covid-19. You also need UK tax documents and banking and any other financial documents. If you are going to apply for a job you will need educational and qualification documents. 

 

You need to check the cost of living in your destination. The best way to do that is to talk to people who already live there, or friends and family who may have experience. This is far more accurate than relying on online forums. You also need to consider the actual cost of things that you need to do and buy when you arrive, such as rent, your occupier’s tax (the French equivalent of council tax), and things you may need to buy such as new furniture etc. Indeed, it is always said that when you move abroad you should ideally have enough money to live for six months. 

 

You should set up a French bank account because staying with your bank in the UK could be difficult. It is easy enough to set up an account as you can set up a non-residency account if you don’t have a permanent residential address. 

 

You also need to cancel all your utilities in the UK and things like gym memberships, newspapers, broadband, and so on, and you need to set up electricity, gas if needed, and water in your destination, otherwise you could be sitting in the dark for a week! 

 

Dare we say it (?) but if you don’t speak French it is a good idea to take some lessons, which you can do online, so that you can at the very least make yourself understood. 

 

As for removals to France, you can leave all the details to us at Movers International. We have been moving people to France for over 30 years, and we know everything that there is to know about it. We can move your whole house and all contents, or a complete business. However, if you are only going to take a small quantity of possessions, that’s OK too because we run a weekly service to France and can accommodate a part load. 

 

For removals to France, contact our friendly team of experts who can answer all your questions and will ensure that everything goes smoothly.