Americans in France: Driver's licences, passport renewals and your tips for French life
From property and taxes to travel and bureaucracy, here's our latest roundup for Americans in France that brings you everything you need to know as an American who either lives in France, visits frequently or plans to move here some day.
Welcome to The Local's new "Americans in France" - this is sent as a monthly newsletter to members of The Local, featuring all the news and practical information you need as an American resident, visitor or second-home owner in France. You receive it directly to your inbox before we publish it online via the link below.
Hello all! I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying some lovely Spring blossoms, and a very happy cherry blossom season to those from the mid-Atlantic.
And spring showers also means ... tax season for both France and the United States. Here is your friendly reminder that all US citizens (and green card holders) residing overseas benefit from an automatic 2-month extension to file your return. If you are currently living in France, that means you have until June 15th. You can find more clarification on the IRS site here.
On the topic of taxation, the president of the Association for Accidental Americans, Fabien Lehagre, is leading a campaign to challenge the US's controversial citizenship based taxation system.
This is essentially the system that sees US citizens can be subject to income tax on their worldwide income regardless of where they live.
"The time has come to show the United States that we are not their property," Lehagre says. If you are interested in knowing more about his campaign you can find more information at this LINK.
This month, I have some good news for American drivers in France. While it won't change much for those of us lucky enough to have a driver's licence from one of the 18 recognised 'licence-swap' states (in my case Maryland), for licence-holders from all other states, the licence exchange process might become easier thanks to a new EU proposal.
As non-EU foreign residents of France, we are required to exchange our American driver's licences for French ones - in most cases within the first year of living in France. For many Americans living in France, this is a huge hurdle if they are a licence-holder from one of the other unrecognised states because it has meant needing to take the French driving test (both theory and practical).
As well as being time-consuming and (for those whose French is still at beginner level) challenging, it can also be extremely expensive as most driving schools will insist on at least a few lessons first - the average cost is around €600.
Now the EU wants to create a list of countries that have 'comparable' driving standards to the EU, and allow people who have a licence from those countries to simply swap their licence for a local one, whichever EU country they live in.
This would mean that, assuming the US is accepted as a country with comparable driving standards, anyone with a licence issued in the US could swap it without having to take a test.
The downside? It's going to take a long time for this to be put into place. Changes at the EU level are more on the 'years-long' scale rather than a few weeks or months.
In other events, I recently went through the process of renewing my American passport while living in France. If this is coming up for you, do not fear: the process was quite straight-forward and simple. One thing to note - if you sent in your passport for renewal in early February and you have been confused why the 'check status' online portal is not working, apparently this is due to a technical issue. I was a bit worried, but it turns out that everything is in order.
There were a couple of small aspects that I found less clear with the renewal process from France, however. For example, you must have a US passport-sized photo - the ones that you get at most French Photomaton machines do not meet the 2-inch by 2-inch American standard. If you are lucky enough to find a Photomaton that specifies American passport sizes, then that should do the trick. Otherwise, you might have to book an appointment with a photo studio.
And finally, thank you very much if you took the time to complete our 'Americans in France' survey. If you have any topics you would like The Local to cover, or if you have advice to offer, you can have your say HERE.
Here are a few pieces of essential advice your compatriots would give other Americans living in France:
"Learn some French and accept that here people “work to live”; they don’t “live to work," said Jim Lockard, living in Lyon.
Christine Quirk, who lives in Nice said: "Forget literally everything you know about real estate, bureaucracies, loans, taxes, health care, everything. The systems are totally different. Usually easier, but you have to understand the principles of how they work. I still get surprised by some new detail".
And Rich Geisel, who lives in Clermont-Ferrand said: "Patience, Politeness, Acting like a guest, Humility. Buy as much of your groceries in the expired bins and freeze it. 25 percent savings. Expect to pay more for almost everything. Try and speak French everywhere. When you do, there is a good chance the person will respond in English. Join an expat group."
Comments
See Also
Welcome to The Local's new "Americans in France" - this is sent as a monthly newsletter to members of The Local, featuring all the news and practical information you need as an American resident, visitor or second-home owner in France. You receive it directly to your inbox before we publish it online via the link below.
Hello all! I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying some lovely Spring blossoms, and a very happy cherry blossom season to those from the mid-Atlantic.
And spring showers also means ... tax season for both France and the United States. Here is your friendly reminder that all US citizens (and green card holders) residing overseas benefit from an automatic 2-month extension to file your return. If you are currently living in France, that means you have until June 15th. You can find more clarification on the IRS site here.
On the topic of taxation, the president of the Association for Accidental Americans, Fabien Lehagre, is leading a campaign to challenge the US's controversial citizenship based taxation system.
This is essentially the system that sees US citizens can be subject to income tax on their worldwide income regardless of where they live.
"The time has come to show the United States that we are not their property," Lehagre says. If you are interested in knowing more about his campaign you can find more information at this LINK.
This month, I have some good news for American drivers in France. While it won't change much for those of us lucky enough to have a driver's licence from one of the 18 recognised 'licence-swap' states (in my case Maryland), for licence-holders from all other states, the licence exchange process might become easier thanks to a new EU proposal.
As non-EU foreign residents of France, we are required to exchange our American driver's licences for French ones - in most cases within the first year of living in France. For many Americans living in France, this is a huge hurdle if they are a licence-holder from one of the other unrecognised states because it has meant needing to take the French driving test (both theory and practical).
As well as being time-consuming and (for those whose French is still at beginner level) challenging, it can also be extremely expensive as most driving schools will insist on at least a few lessons first - the average cost is around €600.
Now the EU wants to create a list of countries that have 'comparable' driving standards to the EU, and allow people who have a licence from those countries to simply swap their licence for a local one, whichever EU country they live in.
This would mean that, assuming the US is accepted as a country with comparable driving standards, anyone with a licence issued in the US could swap it without having to take a test.
The downside? It's going to take a long time for this to be put into place. Changes at the EU level are more on the 'years-long' scale rather than a few weeks or months.
In other events, I recently went through the process of renewing my American passport while living in France. If this is coming up for you, do not fear: the process was quite straight-forward and simple. One thing to note - if you sent in your passport for renewal in early February and you have been confused why the 'check status' online portal is not working, apparently this is due to a technical issue. I was a bit worried, but it turns out that everything is in order.
There were a couple of small aspects that I found less clear with the renewal process from France, however. For example, you must have a US passport-sized photo - the ones that you get at most French Photomaton machines do not meet the 2-inch by 2-inch American standard. If you are lucky enough to find a Photomaton that specifies American passport sizes, then that should do the trick. Otherwise, you might have to book an appointment with a photo studio.
And finally, thank you very much if you took the time to complete our 'Americans in France' survey. If you have any topics you would like The Local to cover, or if you have advice to offer, you can have your say HERE.
Here are a few pieces of essential advice your compatriots would give other Americans living in France:
"Learn some French and accept that here people “work to live”; they don’t “live to work," said Jim Lockard, living in Lyon.
Christine Quirk, who lives in Nice said: "Forget literally everything you know about real estate, bureaucracies, loans, taxes, health care, everything. The systems are totally different. Usually easier, but you have to understand the principles of how they work. I still get surprised by some new detail".
And Rich Geisel, who lives in Clermont-Ferrand said: "Patience, Politeness, Acting like a guest, Humility. Buy as much of your groceries in the expired bins and freeze it. 25 percent savings. Expect to pay more for almost everything. Try and speak French everywhere. When you do, there is a good chance the person will respond in English. Join an expat group."
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.