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Expat guide: France
This guide offers information and advice if you are moving to France.
Click on the different tabs to find out about anything from tax rules and banking to education and cultural highlights.
You can also read our expat guide to Paris.
Download this guide as a pdfMoving to France
Many expats dream of moving to France. Their imaginations are fired by visions of long country lunches, people-watching from cafés, strolls in lavender-scented Provence, sunbathing on the beaches of Nice, and immersion in the cultural riches of Parisian art and couture.
The French nation prides itself on its distinct identity and language and feels little need to accommodate outsiders. The language is the key barrier and any expat wanting to make France home will need to become fluent in French.
Paris and Lyon are justly celebrated for their fine dining. These two cities vie yearly for the honour of being the top culinary destination in France. Regional specialties are celebrated and brought to the cities for everyone to try; expats willing to let their taste buds do their exploring for them will seldom be bored.
Expats moving to France might not expect to find a vibrant business environment, rich with opportunity. However, this nation has produced the 5th largest economy in the world and its capital, Paris, has the largest city economy on mainland Europe. Expats account for 19 percent of workers in Paris, and businessmen value the new skills a foreigner can bring.
The country itself is old and highly cultivated. Fields and farms, elegantly bridged rivers, chateaux, estates and ancient cobbled towns dot the landscape. Bordeaux and Burgundy, the country's famous wine centres, bring endless vineyards rolling over their gentle hills.
Shipping and removals
France has plenty of ports and a high density rail system. This means that shipping to the country is a fairly painless affair. Be sure to check at the local embassy for customs restrictions.
Usually with removals you must keep all documentation provided by the shipping company. These items include, invoices, carrier arrival notices, and inventories. Often these are needed to track and reclaim goods. Most countries have differing licensing systems for motor vehicles, and it can be required to have a new road worthiness certificate or to make a new tax payment.
The BAR (British Association of Removers) are one of the watchdogs for the industry, and it can be useful to see what it has to say about a chosen removals company.
This content is provided by www.expatarrivals.com, copyright © 2011 Globe Media Ltd. All rights reserved. By its very nature much of the information in this expat guide is subject to change at short notice and travellers are urged to verify information on which they're relying with the relevant authorities.
Neither Globe Media nor Bupa International can be held liable for any errors or omissions, or any loss, damage, illness and/or injury that may occur as a result of this information.
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