Guide · Moving abroad

Moving to France: what to sort out first

As of November 2026 · about 7 minutes' read

For Germans, moving to France is legally simple. You do not need a visa or a residence permit. It gets difficult with the things that run by themselves in Germany: health insurance, taxes, a bank account, the car. French administration is thorough and relies heavily on documentary proof. If you know what is coming, you save months.

Right of residence and place of residence

As an EU citizen you may live, work and study in France. For the first three months a valid ID card or passport is enough. If you stay longer, you must meet one of three conditions: you work there, including self-employed work, you study, or you have sufficient means and health insurance. The last one mainly concerns pensioners and people without a job in France.

You do not need a residence permit. You can apply for one voluntarily. After five years of lawful residence you have a right of permanent residence.

France has no duty to register your address as Germany does. There is no residents' registration office. You prove your place of residence with a “justificatif de domicile”, usually an electricity or internet bill or your tenancy agreement. You need this bill for almost everything: the bank, health insurance, the car. So make sure early on that a contract is in your name.

In Germany you must deregister at the Bürgeramt (residents' registration office) if you give up your home there. The deadline is two weeks after you move out.

Health insurance: PUMa and the Carte Vitale

France has a state health system called PUMa (“protection universelle maladie”). If you work there, you are insured from the start of your employment. If you do not work, you can be admitted after three months of stable residence, provided you have a right of residence. The local health insurance fund, the CPAM, is responsible. Once you have registered, you get a social security number and the Carte Vitale, the health insurance card.

• Reimbursement: The state fund only covers part of the costs. The rest is covered by supplementary insurance (“mutuelle”). Almost all French people have one. Count on needing it.
• GP: Register a “médecin traitant” (regular GP). Without one, the fund reimburses less.
• Pensioners from Germany: If you have statutory health insurance as a pensioner in Germany, ask your health insurance fund for form S1. You use it to register with the CPAM. Germany bears the costs, and you keep paying contributions out of your German pension.
• Transition period: Registration can take a while. Make sure you are insured during this time, for example through your current fund or private health insurance for abroad.

Your German pension in France

The Deutsche Rentenversicherung (German statutory pension insurance) also pays your pension to France, into a German or French account. Once a year you must send a life certificate.

Which country taxes the pension is set out in the double taxation agreement between Germany and France. Roughly:

• Statutory pension: Since 2016 it has been taxed only in France if you live in France.
• Civil service pension: As a rule it continues to be taxed in Germany.
• Occupational and private pensions: This depends on the type of pension. Have it checked.

In Germany, the Finanzamt Neubrandenburg (tax office) is responsible for pensioners living abroad. That is where you find out whether any tax is still due in Germany. If you have let property in Germany, the income from it usually remains taxable in Germany.

Taxes

You are liable to tax in France if your household or the centre of your life is there, if you mainly work there or if the centre of your economic interests is there. One of these conditions is enough.

• Tax return: It is due every spring, for the previous year. You usually submit your first return on paper to the responsible tax office. After that it is done online on impots.gouv.fr.
• Withholding tax: Since 2019 France has collected income tax on an ongoing basis: for employees through their salary, for pensioners through advance payments taken from their account.
• Family: France taxes the household. Married couples and registered partners are assessed jointly. Children reduce the tax through the family quotient.
• Accounts abroad: You must declare every account outside France with your tax return, even if it is empty. There is form 3916 for this. If you forget, you risk a fine of 1,500 euros per account.

In the year of the move you are often partly liable to tax in both countries. A tax adviser who knows both systems is worth it, at least for the first year.

Bank account

Legally, French authorities and companies must accept a German IBAN. In practice this does not always work, for example with landlords or some utility companies. A French account makes everyday life easier.

To open an account you usually need ID, proof of address and often proof of income. Online banks are often faster than high-street banks. If every bank turns you down, you have a legal right to a basic account. The Banque de France then assigns you a bank.

Car and driving licence

You can keep using your German driving licence in France. You only have to exchange it in special cases, for example if you lose it or after a traffic offence in France that costs you points.

Your car, on the other hand, must be re-registered, within one month of the move. This is done online through the ANTS agency. Among other things you need:

• the German registration certificate, parts I and II (Zulassungsbescheinigung),
• a European certificate of conformity (COC) from the manufacturer,
• a tax clearance certificate (“quitus fiscal”) from the French tax office,
• for cars more than four years old, a valid roadworthiness test.

The fee for the new registration certificate (“carte grise”) depends on the region, the engine power and the CO₂ emissions. For large engines an additional environmental charge may be due.

Language and everyday life

There is no language requirement for EU citizens. Even so, French is the most important point on this list. Outside the tourist areas, authorities, doctors, tradespeople and neighbours rarely speak German or English. A beginners' course before you move and regular lessons afterwards make everything easier, from a doctor's appointment to a conversation with the mayor.

Expect many things to take longer than you think. Authorities ask for originals, translations and sometimes an international birth certificate. Order one from the register office (Standesamt) in Germany before you move.

Checklist before you move

You can find official information on residence, health insurance and taxes on service-public.fr. If you want to buy a house in France, read on in the article Buying a house in France.

This article gives a general overview and is not a substitute for legal or tax advice. Rules and responsibilities change. Check your situation with a tax adviser and the relevant authorities before you move.