Your right to stay
Identify the appropriate visa or residence route for every member of your household and check that it permits your intended activities.
Rural Property Network France Guide
A practical guide for British and other non-EU nationals planning a new life in France.
Understand your visa options, plan healthcare and finances, navigate the French property buying process and prepare for the practical steps before and after your move.
Free to download · Includes practical planning worksheets
Before the property search takes over
A beautiful property can make the move feel settled before the important practical questions have been answered. Start with these four.
Identify the appropriate visa or residence route for every member of your household and check that it permits your intended activities.
Decide how you will fund life in France. Working online for a UK business still needs an immigration, tax and social-security review.
Plan cover from the day you leave the UK, including any period before you become eligible for French healthcare.
Allow for the home, acquisition costs, removals, insurance, currency exchange and enough money to settle without rushing.
Buying a French property does not, by itself, give a non-EU national the right to live in France permanently.
Visas and residence
British citizens can generally visit the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. A planned move to France for longer than this usually needs the appropriate long-stay visa or another established right of residence. The correct route depends on your nationality, household and what you intend to do in France.
People intending to retire or live on savings or other non-working income may need to investigate the long-stay visitor route. This requires evidence of resources and healthcare cover and does not give general permission to work.
Employment, self-employment and business activity have their own routes and requirements. Do not assume that working remotely for a UK employer or running a UK business from France fits a visitor visa.
Each person's nationality and circumstances matter. A partner or child may need a separate application or may qualify under a particular family route. Check the position for every member of the household.
After arrival: some long-stay visas, including a VLS-TS, need online validation within three months. Other visas carry different instructions. Follow the wording on the visa you actually receive and keep the confirmation.
Check your route on France-VisasMake the everyday life work
A location, a healthcare plan and a realistic picture of your finances will shape everyday life long after the move is over.
Try an area during an ordinary working week, not only on holiday. Consider winter conditions, summer heat, healthcare, shops, transport, internet and the journey back to the UK.
Work out what covers you from departure until your French arrangements are in place. Depending on your circumstances, French healthcare may be accessed through work and contributions, an eligible registered S1, or the French system based on lawful, stable residence.
A UK travel health card is not a replacement for residence or visa healthcare cover. Check the current GOV.UK healthcare guidance.
Immigration status and tax residence are separate questions. UK pensions, rental income, investments, business activity and bank accounts can create reporting obligations after you move.
The UK-France tax agreement does not remove every filing requirement. Speak to a qualified cross-border adviser about your own income and consult French tax guidance.
Finding your home
Renting first may give you time to get to know an area. If you are buying, investigate the land, buildings, access, services and authorised use as carefully as the house itself.
A French purchase can involve a written offer, a preliminary contract, legal and technical checks, funding conditions and the final deed signed through a notaire. Each stage has its own decisions and deadlines.
Our dedicated France Buyers’ Guide goes into the rural property questions in more detail. Use it alongside this moving guide when you begin viewing seriously.
The practical move
Several jobs overlap at this stage. A simple written timeline helps you keep documents, payments and deadlines together.
Moving household goods from the UK to France involves customs arrangements. Relief may be available for qualifying personal possessions when you transfer your main residence, but conditions and exclusions apply.
Make a dated inventory, retain evidence of ownership and agree with your removals company who handles each declaration. Check the French Customs guidance.
If you plan to bring a UK vehicle, compare the full cost of import, insurance, registration and any modifications with buying a vehicle in France.
Check the date your UK driving licence was issued. French rules distinguish between licences issued before 2021 and those issued from 2021 onwards. Other non-EU licences may have different rules.
Follow the instructions on your issued visa, keep proof of completed formalities and organise your address, healthcare, insurance, tax records and any vehicle paperwork.
Put future residence-permit deadlines into your calendar early. A long-stay visa is the beginning of the administrative journey, not its end.
Money and exchange
An exchange-rate movement can change the amount available for a French deposit, completion payment or your first months of living costs. Get comparable quotes for the amount you actually need to transfer and the date it must arrive.
Ask your bank and specialist providers for the net euros the recipient will receive after all charges. Compare the rate, fees, transfer time and what happens if your completion date changes.
Our free PDF includes a currency comparison worksheet so you can record quotations side by side rather than relying on a headline rate.
Independently verify your notaire's bank details before sending a property payment, particularly if you receive a change of details by email.
Your free planning guide
Download the complete Moving from the UK to France guide for help with visas, healthcare, tax, currency transfers, finding a home, the French buying process and your first year after arrival. It also includes printable worksheets to help you keep track of decisions, costs and deadlines.
Download your free PDFPrefer to read it online? Open the PDF in a new tab
Explore rural property checks, land, diagnostics and the buying process in greater detail.
Read the buyers guideBrowse French countryside homes, properties with land and rural lifestyle opportunities.
Explore France propertiesOur separate horse moving guide covers equine paperwork, transport and settling your horses in France.
View the horse moving guideVisa conditions, healthcare rules, tax procedures and customs requirements can change. These official starting points will help you check the rules that apply to your own move.
