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
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.
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.