Back in 2017, French president Emmanuel Macron issued an open invitation to any Americans disappointed with Donald Trump's first election win to move to France.
It was a nice gesture, but Macron didn't actually change any of the administrative formalities necessary to move to France, and they remain in place today, in fact since the start of the 2026 some of the requirements are even tougher.
This time around some French universities are offering special schemes to attract American academics or researchers, which might be useful if that is your field of employment.
Plenty of Americans do move to France and live very happy lives here, so clearly it is possible, but it does involve quite a lot of paperwork and several administrative challenges, so here is our guide to going through the process.
Visa/ residency card
Unless you are lucky enough to have dual nationality with an EU country, you will need a visa in order to move to France. The type of visa depends on your personal situation (eg are you retired, do you want to work in France or are you a student) - so the first step is figuring out what type of visa you need.
Explained: What type of French visa do you need?
Once you have done that, you make your application online - here's how.
The key thing about visas is that they must be applied for from your home country - it's only once the visa is issued that you can move to France. You can make short visits in advance if you want to house-hunt, for example, but it's strongly advised not to make any long-term financial commitments until you know that your visa application has been successful.
Getting the visa is not the end either . . .
Residency card and integration classes
Before you pop the Champagne when your visa is approved - take the time to note what you need to do next. The exact process varies depending on the type of visa that you have, but in most cases you will need to validate it and apply for a residency card once you arrive in France, usually within two months of arriving.
Again, depending on the visa type you may also need to complete formalities with the OFII (Office français de l'immigration et de l'integration) and this may include a medical exam and attending language classes or integration classes. These are not optional.
Failure to complete the in-country admin can mean that it will not be possible to renew your residency once your initial visa or permit expires.
I got my French visa - now what?
Rent/buy property
Unless you already have a place to live, you will be looking to either rent or buy an apartment/house and here you will find that the system is very different to that in the US.
If you are looking to buy property you should be aware that the role of 'realtor' in the US sense of the term does not really exist in France, and instead you will be expected to do a lot of the property-searching yourself - here's how the French system works.
Renting is also a different experience and will require you to put together a dossier of documents before you start searching. If you're looking for somewhere to live in Paris, be aware that the city's housing shortage can make it especially hard for foreigners to find a place to rent.
A beginner's guide to renting property in France
A common problem is the Catch-22 of not being able to rent an apartment because you don't have a French bank account, but not being able to open a French bank account because you don't have a French address. It's not an insurmountable problem, but Americans do have a particular issue when it comes to French banks.
Banking
In general, opening a bank account as a foreigner in France is not a problem - except for Americans.
Because of the US Fatca legislation, many French banks are reluctant to take on American customers and you may even find yourself being turned down flat for an account.
How to open a bank account as an American in France
Healthcare
Once you have arrived in France, found somewhere to live and completed your immigration formalities then it's time to think about healthcare and here there is some good news - you are entitled to register in the French public healthcare after three months of residency in France.
Some even better news, the French health system is pretty great and treatment is largely funded by the state, for most people.
Here's how the French system works and how to sign up.
Retirees may, in the future, face a fee in order to register in the French health system. This legislation was passed at the end of 2025, but all of the details - such as exactly how it will be applied and how much is the fee - are yet to be confirmed.
Driving
If you're living outside of the big cities then you will likely need a car as public transport is very patchy in rural France.
You can only drive in France on your US licence for one year after you move here - after that you may be able to simply swap your licence for a French one, or you may have to take a French driving test. The difference simply comes down to which US state your licence was issued in - full details here.
Taxes
This is less of an immediate concern, but make sure that you familiarise yourself with both French and US tax laws - the combination of France's residency-based taxation and the US policy of citizenship-based taxation means that Americans living in France are highly likely to have to complete two sets of tax declarations each year.
France is, in general, a high-tax country, so if you do not enjoy paying taxes it may not be the country for you - although Americans in France do benefit from a generous bilateral treaty.
9 tax traps for Americans in France to avoid
And talking of non-immediate concerns, is it really true that France has a 60 percent inheritance tax rate? Well, sort of - it's true that the rate exists, but very few people will end up paying it.
Making friends and learning French
It's not all tedious admin - moving to France is also a lot of fun and gives you the opportunity to meet interesting new people and learn a new language (if you don't already speak French).
Here are our top tips for learning French, and some pointers on making friends in your new home.
Hand-holders
And finally, a word about immigration lawyers, visa specialists and other 'hand-holder' services.
If we've made the process of moving to France sound complicated, that's because some parts of it are - we're not going to sugar coat this and pretend that it's all simple.
For this reason the thought of paying someone else to do it all for you is very tempting and there are many people who advertise their services in exactly this area.
However, we would suggest being very careful about who you hire - hand-holders are an unregulated profession and anyone can set themselves up as a 'visa specialist'. If a mistake is made on your immigration paperwork or taxes it is you who will have to deal with the fallout, not them.
If you are hiring a lawyer make sure that they have the relevant expertise and qualifications in both France and the US, and be realistic about what they can do - for example, it will still be down to you to gather together your dossier of paperwork.
Do I need a lawyer to deal with my visa or residency card?
You can find lots more practical information in our Moving to France section, and you can also sign up for our Americans in France newsletter for specially-tailored advice.
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