Category: Finance and Taxes
Filing Taxes in France: Our First-Hand Experience
Spring has sprung here in France, and that means it’s officially tax season. We arrived last year, so we’re now required to tackle one of the last big tasks of settling: the French tax return. With our American filing out of the way, we recently dove into a whole new world and tax system. While…
Visa Fees Rising in France from May 2026
Starting in May 2026, France is increasing a range of visa and residency-related fees. On paper, the changes look incremental. In practice, they raise the cost of moving to and staying in France, especially for long-stay visa holders and first-time applicants. We went through this process ourselves, so instead of just listing the new prices,…
Early Retirement Abroad and US Tax Strategy
As Americans living overseas, we now get the joy of filing two tax returns every year: French and US. While expat taxes can be quite complex, the US-France tax treaty keeps things fairly simple for us. We’ve now finished our second tax year abroad, finished our US filing, and we’re getting ready to file our…
Opening a Bank Account in France: A Practical Guide for Americans
Many American expats dread the need to open a local bank account when they move to France. They’ve heard the rumors on how difficult it can be and how no local bank will do business with Americans. While it is difficult for Americans to open a bank account in France, it’s certainly not impossible. Many…
How to Retire to France from the US: Visas, Healthcare, Taxes & Cost of Living
Thinking about retiring to France from the US? You’re not alone. It’s possible for Americans to retire to France, but the process is more structured than many expect. This guide explains exactly how US citizens retire in France, including the visa you’ll need, income requirements, healthcare access, taxes, and realistic monthly budgets. It’s written specifically…
Cost of Living in France (2025): What It Really Cost Us to Move and Live Here
2025 was an expensive year for us. Not only did we move from the US to France, but we also moved within France. We arrived at the Nice airport in mid January with only four suitcases, having sold everything we owned. I’d love to say we lived like minimalist monks for the last year, using…
Charge Them More! France’s 2026 Plan to Raise Visa Fees
Update: these fees are going into effect starting in May 2026. Read our article about all of the updates here. Immigrants are once again the solution to all of France’s budget woes. The recent idea to charge Americans more for healthcare may have fallen a bit short of closing the €23 billion budget deficit, so…
New French Healthcare Taxes Expected for Visitor Visa Holders
American Retirees are getting targeted specifically by French regulators on this one. While the new tax will likely apply to anyone from a non-EU country (except those like the UK with bilateral healthcare agreements) on a VLS-TS visiteur visa, the heat is specifically on Americans like us. The goal is to plug the €23 billion…
The FEIE for Digital Nomads – Travel the World and Pay No Taxes
‘Nothing is certain except death and taxes’ – Benjamin Franklin, 1789 American taxes are like a ghost, haunting you no matter what country you escape to. Even moving to a tax haven won’t save you from them. But what if there was an escape? What if you could pay no (income) tax on (some of)…
