Welcome to The Local's "Americans in France" newsletter for members, featuring all the news and practical information you need as an American resident, visitor or second-home owner in France. You can sign up to receive it directly to your inbox before we publish it online via the link below.
Dear Americans in France,
The big news of the week is, of course, the bill, introduced by Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, to eliminate dual citizenship. If passed - and that's very far from being a foregone conclusion - the bill would affect any American looking to become a naturalised French citizen, as well as those who already are.
The commentary I have read so far points to a run-in with the Supreme Court, which has recognised the legality of dual citizenship and held up precedent that US citizens cannot lose their citizenship if they have not willingly surrendered it.
But we'd like to hear your views on the subject. Tell us in this short survey: would you give up your US citizenship to be European?
In other news, at the start of December, the music platform, Spotify, gives each user a 'wrapped' of their top songs from the year. Other websites and services have started doing this - earlier this morning, I received my 'SNCF wrapped' (my year in French train travel). Taking French trains apparently saved me 287kg of CO2 that would have been emitted into the atmosphere had I travelled by car.
Here's a little 'wrapped' of 2025 in news for Americans in France.
Winter 2025 - We looked at a proposal to scrap the United States' policy of citizenship-based taxation, presented by Representative Darin LaHood. The bill died and has not yet been introduced in the 119th Congress.
Most recently, in September, former IRS leaders expressed their support for residence-based taxation in an Op-Ed for the group Tax Fairness for Americans Abroad. There is still time for lawmakers to present a new bill on residence-based taxation - here's an idea of what the old one would have changed.
Spring 2025 - We looked at alleged plans by the US State Department to close four French consulates. The closures would have been: Rennes, Lyon, Strasbourg and Bordeaux, according to reporting by Politico. As of December, all four remain operational, and in July, Jessica Kuhn began her tenure as the US Consul for south-west France.
In an interview with SudOuest, Kuhn was asked about the possible closure of the Bordeaux consulate. She responded, "At the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency, Washington conducted a study of all American diplomatic missions worldwide. No official announcement was made regarding the possible closure of the Bordeaux consulate. Following the findings, the State Department decided to maintain the status quo."
We also finally heard back from French authorities on the topic of remote work, which is of great interest to many American readers in France, particularly those on the 'visitor' status.
Speaking of the 'visitor' status, we recently interviewed two immigration attorneys to get to the bottom of whether second-home owners (who spend a few months a year in France) can opt for the one-year visa, in lieu of the six-month option.
Summer 2025 - The big news at the start of the summer was the 'circulaire' sent out by then-Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, dictating that people applying for French citizenship with a majority income from mostly non-French sources should be rejected.
The change has effectively made it so that American retirees living on non-French pensions can no longer qualify for French citizenship by residency. We've heard from readers about their reactions, spoken to experts about the chances of appeals, and received confirmation from interior ministry authorities about the change.
Most recently, the senator, Nicole Bonnefoy, from Charente, asked for clarification from the government on the change, citing the problems it has caused for Brits living in the south-west. Unfortunately, the government's response was not particularly encouraging. You can watch the exchange here (search 'naturalisation').
Fall 2025 - France began debating its draft 2026 Budget. It remains to be seen whether it will pass, but a few measures could impact Americans in France, from a new fee for exchanging your US driver's licence for a French one to changes to the capital gains tax on second homes and a hike in visa and residency card fees.
Notably, one measure - a new mandatory health charge for non-EU foreigners on the 'visitor' status - referenced American retirees. As things stand, the budget still needs to pass for this measure to ever become law, but here's an overview of what we know.
What's coming up - We've set up a 'France in 2026' section on the website so you can start planning ahead for the new year. For those applying for a new residency card or citizenship in 2026, beware that the new language levels and civics tests will come into force on January 1st.
To end things on a lighter note, I recently spoke with a French social media influencer to hear her views on why Americans adore France, plus how the 'French dream' is changing in the social media age. I would love to hear your thoughts on the source of Americans' enduring love for France.
If you have a question (or a tip for fellow Americans), take a moment to fill out our ongoing survey.
Thanks for reading, and as always, you can reach me at genevieve.mansfield@thelocal.com.
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