Preparing a move to France: a clear starting checklist

Write a one-page brief for your future life in France: who is moving, where you hope to live, the activities you plan to pursue and what must be in place before departure. Include work, retirement, study, children, pets and any family commitments that may affect timing.

Separate decisions already made from preferences. A preferred region may be flexible; a school year or employment commitment may be less so. This distinction helps you choose a realistic sequence and identify which professional questions deserve attention first.

Do not assume every member of a family will follow an identical process. Check the official route and document requirements for each person’s nationality and situation. Build a shared calendar, with individual checklists where the steps differ.

If a long-stay visitor route is relevant, its conditions include evidence about resources, accommodation and medical cover, as well as restrictions on professional activity. Establish that the route fits what you intend to do. Official visitor guidance.

Prepare a list of income sources, property, accounts, business interests and existing professional arrangements in each country. Add the dates on which these may change. This provides a useful starting brief for a coordinated tax discussion without guessing the outcome from a day count.

French domestic tax-residence criteria consider personal, professional and economic connections, and treaty provisions can affect the conclusion. DGFiP explanation. Ask French Tax Online about the French tax questions relevant to your intended move, alongside advice concerning your current country where needed.

Keep a relocation budget separate from normal living costs. Include temporary accommodation, travel, storage, translations and the overlap between old and new commitments. Give uncertain figures their own line rather than hiding them in a general allowance.

Keep essential documents accessible during the journey, with secure digital copies and the originals required for your procedures. Confirm which versions and translations are needed with the organisation requesting them.

• Identity and civil-status documents for each person.

• The relevant visa or residence documents and arrival instructions.

• Accommodation details and practical access arrangements.

• Health-cover information and records needed for continuity of care.

• Schooling, employment or business documents where relevant.

• A contact list, appointment calendar and record of unresolved questions.

Identify tasks that become possible only after arrival and add them to your calendar. For a long-stay visa serving as a residence permit, France-Visas states that online validation is required within three months of arrival. Other documents can carry different instructions, so check your own status. Arrival and visa questions.

Leave room for everyday life: testing the school run, learning local opening hours, finding food shops and meeting neighbours. A successful move is also a gradual change of habits. French Connections HCB is the route to explore relocation support, while FTO x HCB membership is aimed at people who own French property and remain non-resident.