Tag: expat
One Year Later: What Life in France Is Really Like
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January marks our one-year anniversary of moving to France. It’s been a whirlwind year with plenty of ups and downs, but we’re finally feeling settled now that we’ve moved to Annecy from Nice. The first six months of living here were definitely the hardest. Culture shock subtly manifested in all sorts of ways for us.…
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…
From Sunshine to Lakeside Living: Why We Chose Annecy over the French Riviera
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The Côte d’Azur had everything we were looking for in life. Beautiful beaches, stunning mountains, and year-round sunny weather. Plus all the amenities of a European city we couldn’t find in the US: walkability, public transit, and gorgeous historic architecture. When we visited for two months, it seemed like a dream destination. However, things changed…
Understanding French Healthcare (Part 2): How Mutuelle Insurance Works
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in HealthcareUnderstanding French Healthcare (Part 1): Using our new Carte Vitale The public healthcare in France isn’t free. After living in France for three months, residents qualify to join the healthcare system (Sécurité Sociale) and receive a Carte Vitale. But the Carte Vitale only covers up to 70% of healthcare costs. The rest is either paid…
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…
Understanding French Healthcare (Part 1): Using our new Carte Vitale
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in HealthcareUnderstanding French Healthcare (Part 2): How Mutuelle Insurance Works One of our biggest drivers for leaving the US and immigrating to France was access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. We wanted to live somewhere where the quality of care was equal to or greater than what we had access to in America, but at a price…
The Great Driver’s License Exchange: Swapping American for French
Driving is an integral part of American culture. Everyone does it every day for everything. Need milk and eggs from the store a block away? Drive there. Want to spend 40 hours in a car traveling across the country? Totally reasonable. Enjoying the scenery of the great outdoors? It looks better through the windshield. While…
Moving within France – How to move across the country and survive
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Moving in France is almost like it was in the US. Rent a truck bigger than any vehicle you’ve ever driven before, cram it full of everything you own, reflect on how you’ve managed to accumulate so much stuff, then drag it up a bunch of stairs to your brand new place. However, France adds…
