Taxes, language and crime &#8211; Your questions answered on moving to France

From taxes to learning French, via fears of a far-right government, we take a look at what worries people about moving to France.

Accès restreint – Le Monde

Moving countries is a big step and no-one is trying to pretend that it is easy, especially when you factor in the notorious French bureaucracy.

But it’s also true that thousands of people successfully do it each year.

We asked readers who are either planning a move to France or just considering it about their biggest worries – from practical matters like tax and visas to fears about learning French and some concern about the political situation, here’s what they said.

Tax – the most often cited concern was related to tax; would people end up paying more tax, and could they afford French taxes.

For example, American Margaretta said: “I worry about my tax status as a retiree, a big increase in tax would be a problem as a person on a relatively fixed income.”

But is it actually true that you will end up paying more tax if you move to France? Not necessarily, despite the country’s reputation as a high tax nation.

Really, it all depends on your personal circumstances and where your income is sourced – those working in France will pay French income tax and social charges, which can be high.

However, income from abroad – for example a pension from another country – is in most cases covered by bilateral tax treaties and, depending on the treaty, is likely to continue to be taxed in the person’s home country.

American retirees are particularly well served here, with a treaty that one tax specialist describes as “the bees’ knees for retirees”.

One frequent source of confusion is ‘tax residency’ – people living in France (and some non residents) will be counted as tax resident in France, which means they must complete the annual income tax declaration. However completing the declaration doesn’t necessarily mean having to pay tax in France, if all your income comes from overseas – plenty of people complete the declaration each year and receive a €0 tax bill.

You will, if you own property in France, pay property taxes – but these are lower than in many American or British towns and cities.

One thing you may need to factor in, however, is the ‘wealth tax’ for people with global real estate assets worth €1.3million or more.

Find all our tax guides HERE.

Visas and residency permits – for non-EU citizens, moving to France will involve entering the world of immigration bureaucracy with visas and carte de séjour residency permits.

Several people cited worries about visa refusal, while Mike confided: “My biggest worry is forgetting to get something done that is required to extend our visitor visas.”

Look, no-one is trying to pretend that French immigration bureaucracy is simple or easy – but having said that, more than 350,000 people got a first-time residency permit and moved to France last year, so clearly it’s possible!

The key thing is understanding the system in advance and knowing the type of visa/residency permit that you need.

We have lots of information in our visas and residency guides.

You will also need patience as the process is slow, and perhaps a little moral support and the knowledge that everyone finds this hard and somewhat stressful.

Inheritance – a sign, perhaps, that many are considering making France their permanent home, but France’s inheritance laws and inheritances taxes also came up several times, with American John Robinette citing “excessive inheritance tax”, while Michelle said: “If we cannot have US law for our estates that would be a deal breaker”.

France’s inheritance laws are much discussed, primarily because they are so different to those in much of the anglophone world. The strict rules on succession are mainly a problem for step-children, blended families and unmarried couples (or those who have a burning desire to disinherit their kids) but you can find a full explanation here.

Foreigners can, however, opt for a will to be dealt with under the laws of their home country, with some advanced preparation.

When it comes to inheritance tax, the ’60 percent tax rate’ is often bandied about, but in truth only a tiny fraction of people will pay this top rate, and the rate is zero for spouses or, up to a ceiling, for children.

It’s worth noting, however, that French inheritance taxes continue to apply, even if you have your estate dealt with under the inheritance laws of your home country.

Learning French – contrary to the stereotype of people who move to a country and don’t make the effort to learn the language, all of our survey respondents were deeply motivated to learn French, but many were worried about their language abilities.

Anjanette, based in the US said: “My husband is studying French, but he’s in the A1 levels. I am at B2. I want him to have people to speak to while he continues to learn the language. We both plan to study before and after we arrive, with a focus on becoming fluent. But it will take time!”

And it’s true that French is a complicated and sometimes exasperating (as well as beautiful and fun) language to learn.

I don’t have a magic formula (if I did I would be sipping a cocktail on my private island after selling my formula for a bajillion euros to desperate French learners) but most people do pick it up sooner or later.

A good place to start is our French Word of the Day, which has a focus on the colloquial, everyday French that you won’t learn in language classes, or our series of French Grammar Tips.

Far right government – the second most-cited worry was the possibility of France electing either Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella of the far-right Rassemblement National party as president in next year’s election, and what that would mean for foreigners in France.

Karen Karges said: “If Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella become president, that would be a deal breaker”; while Helen also cited “the possibility of a far-right government.”

Several people said they were delaying their move until after the election in spring 2027, including Margaret, an Australian currently living in the Netherlands, who said: “We are waiting till after next year’s presidential election before we make our decision. We simply couldn’t move to a country with a President Le Pen or Bardella.”

It’s true that this is a distinct possibility, although polls are currently close – you can get all the latest on the presidential race in our 2027 election section.

Crime – American Celeste wrote that “high crime rates in France” are a deal-breaker for her.

We’re not sure what Celeste has been reading but there is no French city that even approaches the levels of violent crime of towns of comparable size in the US.

No-one is trying to pretend that crime does not exist in France, and pickpocketing is a particular problem in Paris and the tourist hotspots. Violent crime also exists, while the country has sadly been targeted before in terror attacks.

But on the whole the country is as safe as any of its European neighbours.

There are, however, a certain strand of right-wing media pundits who like to portray France as a crime-ridden hellhole, with all crime committed by immigrants.

This is, if you’ll forgive us for getting technical, bollocks.

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