Roadmap for expats in France

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.

Work permit (if needed)

Your employer usually handles this, but verify your titre de séjour includes work authorization.

Prepare your rental dossier

French landlords require extensive documentation. Be prepared before you search.

Set up Visale as your guarantor

Free government guarantor. Get it before apartment hunting - most landlords require one.

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%.

Get your numéro fiscal

Some employers require it immediately. Visit your local tax office.

Understand your payslip

French payslips are complex. Know what you're paying and what you're getting.

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.