Moving to France from the US, Made Easy

More and more Americans are turning a long-held dream of living in France into an actual plan. If you are one of them, the sheer number of moving parts can feel overwhelming: visas, healthcare, housing, banking, cars, taxes. The good news is that there is a logical order to it all. Our team helps 30 to 40 people relocate to France every month, and this guide walks through the major stages in the sequence we recommend, with the rules as they stand in 2026.

Start with the 90/180 rule

Like all non-EU citizens, Americans can spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period in France (and the wider Schengen area) without a visa. The rolling calculation trips a lot of people up: it is not “90 days per trip” or “90 days per calendar year”, but a window that moves with you every single day. If you are planning scouting trips before the big move, it pays to understand exactly how the count works, and our simple guide to the 90/180 rule breaks it down with worked examples.

One practical note for 2026: the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is now fully operational at Schengen borders, so your entries and exits are recorded biometrically and automatically. The days when a missing passport stamp created ambiguity are over, which makes accurate counting more important than ever. The separate ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-free visitors has been announced but had not yet launched at the time of writing, so check the current status before you travel.

Expert tip: travel days count in full. Land at 11:59 pm and that day is one of your 90; leave at 12:01 am and so is that one. Arriving in the morning and departing in the evening squeezes the most out of your allowance.

Staying longer than 90 days: the long-stay visa

If you plan to be in France for more than 90 days, you need a long-stay visa, applied for through the French consular service in the US before you travel. There are routes for students, employees, entrepreneurs, family members and more, but the one most American retirees and second-home owners use is the long-stay visitor visa.

Two versions exist, and the difference matters more than most people realise:

VLS-T: the temporary option

The visa de long séjour temporaire (VLS-T) covers stays of four to six months, typically for people who want an extended season in France without becoming residents. It is the simpler of the two, but it cannot be renewed or converted from within France. When it expires, you go home, and any future stay means a fresh application.

VLS-TS: the residence route

The visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS) is the standard one-year visa, and once validated it doubles as your residence permit. Validation is done entirely online these days: within three months of arriving in France you register on the government’s ANEF portal and pay the €300 residence tax by card. No stickers, no appointment at the prefecture for this step.

Crucially, a VLS-TS can be renewed from within France. Before it expires, you apply to your local prefecture for a carte de séjour, and from there you are on the ladder towards multi-year permits and, eventually, permanent residence if you want it. If you are not sure which route fits your situation, our free visa checker will point you in the right direction in a few minutes, and our complete guide to the French long-stay visa for Americans covers the application step by step.

Expert tip: every long-stay visitor visa application requires proof of private health insurance covering your entire first year, along with proof of income and accommodation. Remote working is only possible under specific circumstances, so take advice before assuming your US job can simply come with you.

Healthcare: the carte Vitale and your mutuelle

France’s healthcare system is one of the great rewards of the move, and Americans are consistently amazed by what care costs here. Access is residence-based: once you have lived in France stably for three months, you can apply to join the public system (Protection Universelle Maladie, or PUMa) through your local Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM).

Approval brings a social security number and, in time, the famous carte Vitale, the green plastic health card you present at every doctor, pharmacy and hospital so that the state’s share of your costs is reimbursed automatically. Processing takes several months, so your private insurance bridges the gap; you were required to hold it for the visa anyway.

The public system reimburses most, but not all, of a typical bill. That is where the mutuelle comes in: an affordable top-up policy that covers the remainder. Nearly every French household has one, and compared with US health insurance premiums the cost will be a pleasant surprise. For the full picture, from registration paperwork to choosing a mutuelle, read our complete guide to French healthcare for expats.

Get your paperwork right the first time

French administration runs on documents, and applications are routinely delayed by avoidable errors. Two in particular catch Americans out:

• Sworn translations. Any supporting document that is not in French, such as a birth or marriage certificate, must be translated by a traducteur assermenté, a translator certified by a French court. A translation from anyone else, however fluent, will be rejected.
• Apostilles. Some US documents also need an apostille, an authentication of the original document issued in the US, usually by the Secretary of State of the state that issued it. It is a separate step from translation, and it has to happen before you leave, because you cannot obtain a US apostille from France without considerable hassle.

Build in time for both. Documents older than three months are often refused too, so sequence your gathering carefully rather than collecting everything a year in advance.

Home, region and the rest of the move

Your visa application needs a French address, which makes housing an early priority rather than a detail for later. Unless you already know France well, we strongly recommend renting for six to twelve months before buying: a region that charmed you for two weeks in July can feel very different in February.

Then come the practical layers: opening a French bank account, deciding whether to import your US car or buy locally, arranging home and car insurance, and getting ahead of the tax picture. The US taxes by citizenship, so most Americans file in both countries, and the France-US tax treaty generally prevents double taxation, but the planning is far easier before you move than after. Budget honestly for all of it; our guide to how much it really costs to move to France puts realistic numbers on the whole project.

Make your move easy with French Connections HCB

Every stage above is manageable on its own. What wears people down is doing all of them at once, in a second language, to deadlines set by the French administration. That is exactly what our bilingual team handles every day: visas, healthcare registration, housing, utilities, vehicles and the hundred small tasks in between, as part of our relocation services.

If you are serious about making the move, the best first step is to book a consultation with one of our relocation specialists. You will talk through your specific situation, get honest answers about your likely visa route and timeline, and come away knowing exactly what to do next.