The practical guide to France
Everything you need to settle in France, answered first.
Clear, dated, source-cited guides on visas, banking, insurance, telecom, and taxes. Written for English-speaking newcomers and residents, with the real French providers, regulators, and rules.
Referenced from official sources
- ARCEP
- ACPR
- AMF
- Banque de France
- CPAM / Ameli
- service-public.fr
- France-Visas
- INSEE
68.6M
residents
INSEE 2025
2nd
largest EU economy
Eurostat
Universal
healthcare (Sécurité sociale)
service-public.fr
~100M
visitors a year (world #1)
UN Tourism 2024
Providers and operators we compare
Browse by topic
Updated June 2026
Visa & Immigration
VLS-TS, Passeport Talent, student and work visas, family reunion, and titre de séjour renewal via OFII, the Préfecture, and ANEF.
ExploreBanking & Cards
Open a French account, choose a carte bancaire (CB), and compare online banks and neobanks. Débit immédiat vs différé explained.
ExploreInsurance
Mutuelle and health cover via CPAM and the carte Vitale, plus mandatory car and home insurance, with loi Hamon cancellation rights.
ExploreTelecom
SIM cards, eSIM, and home internet (box and fibre) across Orange, SFR, Bouygues, and Free. Forfaits sans engagement and the RIO code.
ExploreTaxes
Impôt sur le revenu, prélèvement à la source, and TVA, with the deadlines and forms newcomers and residents actually need.
ExploreEnergy
Set up electricity and gas with EDF, Engie, TotalEnergies, or a green supplier. Switch freely in a market open since 2007, overseen by the CRE.
ExploreJobs
Find work through France Travail, APEC, and Welcome to the Jungle, plus top consulting firms and ESNs, with French CV norms explained.
ExploreLiving in France
Cost of living, finding housing, proof of address (justificatif de domicile), and learning French, step by step.
ExploreHow to France is an independent guide. How we work and how we are funded.
Free tools
Get your city arrival kit
Pick your city and get a practical starter pack for your move to France.
- âś“A 30-day arrival checklist
- âś“Key French phrases for admin
- âś“A neighbourhood starter map
- âś“A monthly cost breakdown