Roadmap for expats in France
A personalized roadmap of French administrative procedures, in the right order.
Understand your titre de séjour
The first step for everyone. Understand the system, identify your visa type, and find the right path for your situation.
Validate your VLS-TS visa
If you arrived on a VLS-TS, you have 3 months to validate it online or it becomes invalid.
Open a French bank account
You need a RIB for almost every other procedure - salary, CAF, Sécurité Sociale.
Get proof of address sorted
Required for almost everything - bank, prefecture, CAF. Understand your options early.
Passeport talent chercheur
The specific residence permit for researchers and PhD students. Requires a convention d'accueil from your institution.
Complete university enrollment
Don't forget the CVEC (EUR 103). You can't enroll without it.
Find housing (CROUS, CIUP, lab partnerships)
Check your lab and university partnerships first - they often have reserved spots.
Deadlines change. Don't miss yours.
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Register with Sécurité Sociale
Mandatory for healthcare coverage. Do it as soon as you have your titre de séjour.
Apply for Carte Vitale
Your health insurance card - needed for automatic reimbursement at doctors and pharmacies.
Declare a médecin traitant
Without one, your reimbursement drops from 70% to 30%.
Apply for CAF housing aid
Can cover EUR 50-250/month of your rent. Apply as soon as you move in.
Get your numéro fiscal
Needed for tax declarations and some administrative procedures.
Know about APS for after your PhD
After completing your PhD, you can get a 12-month permit to job search with full work rights. Plan ahead.
Prepare for your first tax declaration
Mandatory even in your first year. Due May-June for the previous year's income.
Exchange your driving licence
Must be done within 1 year of getting your titre de séjour or you lose the right.
Deadlines change. Stay ahead of them.
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