Moving to France: things you need to do and know
Moving to France
An amazing cuisine, fine wines, beautiful landscapes,.... There are thousands of reasons to love or fall in love with France. Maybe even much so, that you consider moving to the country.
Whatever your reasons are, if you want to live the French life (or as we say in Dutch "live like a God in France"), then there are few things that you - as a mere mortal - have to get in order first.
Find out below what those things are and how we can help you get settled on French soil.
Allons-y!
Collect important documents & make a selection of your possesions
Preparation is half the battle. Therefore, collect all your important documents in time and make a selection of your possessions. Which things do you definitely want to take with you to your new home? Which stuff do you want to leave behind? And what items can you perhaps sell or give away?
By doing this (way) in advance, you will save yourself a lot of stress and you will not have to rush or make any last-minute decisions.
Deregister & register
Moving abroad also means having to deal with the necessary administrative matters.
First of all, you have to de-register from your current place of residence. You do this at the town hall or city hall.
Then you have to register yourself officially in France. To do this, you have to register yourself at the embassy of your country in France and at the town hall or city hall of your new place of residence. After registering at the embassy, you will also receive a new identity card.
TIP!
Get in touch with the French embassy or consulate in your current home country
You probably figured it out by now, but moving abroad is a process of many steps, most of which can be difficult to take on your own. Fortunately, there are many "guides" that will gladly help you through this process.
One of such guides are the French embassy or consulate in your current home country. The people that work there will be able to answer many of your questions, provide you with the right information and direct you to the right authorities.
Take care of the necessary financial & fiscal matters
No matter what country it is you're moving to, you cannot escape certain financial and fiscal obligations.
In France you are obliged to take out health insurance and you must register at the tax office. It is also best to open a French bank account for your financial transactions and the direct debit of your salary, among other things. Of course, you can still keep your old bank account in your current home country.
For more information about an international bank transfer, contact your bank.
Think about formalities
There is so much involved in an international move that it is easy to overlook things.
A tip is therefore to go through your expenses and agenda thoroughly. You will likely still find some subscriptions and appointments you have to cancel, as well as other things you have to unsubscribe to.
Another thing you most definitely should not overlook is the removal of your pet (if you have one). Pets such as dogs and cats often have to meet certain requirements to be allowed into other countries (age, vaccinated, chipped).
Commencez à apprendre le français (si vous ne connaissez pas encore la langue)
If you can't read the above title, then you already know what to do.
Brush up on your best French from your school days and/or start learning (again), because a good knowledge and command of the language will be decisive for the success of your move.
At the time of your move, you obviously don't have to be fluent yet, but a strong base of French is more than useful. Make sure you can already express yourself well. This will make settling in a lot easier.
Or as they say in French: Cela vous aidera certainement à vous installer.
We are happy to help you move
If you are planning to move to France, you have hopefully gained a lot of valuable information from this blog post. But maybe you are still looking for a partner to help you move your belongings?
At Compas International Movers we specialise in international removals. If you want us to, we can take care of the entire move for you. We help you pack everything, come to pick it up and make sure that your belongings are delivered quickly and safely to your new home.
Interested? Contact us or request a free virtual taxation of your household contents!
