How to get a visa to move to France – by those who've done it

Telegraph

3 days ago

Punitive forms and complicated visa rules seem to be doing their best to kill off the expat dream of moving to a French idyll.
There was a 10pc drop in the number of people swapping Britain for France last year compared to 2023, a dip being blamed on post-Brexit paperwork and economic uncertainty.
Yet 8,400 braved the bureaucracy to receive first-time residency permits, according to the French Interior Ministry, driven by the hope of a better quality of life, beautiful towns and villages with deep-rooted traditions and affordable housing.
Four years on from Brexit rule changes, and a lot of confusion remains about French visas – especially around that pesky paperwork, and a number of grey areas that exist within the rules. Experiences of the process certainly seem to vary, depending on who you talk to.
It means many people don't apply for the visa that is the best fit, while others assume they can easily swap from one type of visa to another, according to Katey Green, of The Hand Holding Service in Charente, south-west France.
Choosing the right visa
For most people swapping Britain for France, the long-stay visa valid as a residence permit – the VLS-TS Visitor – is the most popular option, says Richard Hammond of French Connections HCB, a relocation service: 'It suits retirees who wish to stay in France without engaging in professional activity.'
To first obtain the visa, it costs €220-€290 per person (roughly £190-£250) – including document translation costs – plus a visa activation fee of €225 (around £195).
On this visa, individuals are not authorised to engage in professional activities in France for a French organisation, or to participate in activities that have a direct impact on the French economy.
So, while they can't work as employees or be self-employed for clients or employers located in France, they can telework (work remotely) from France on behalf of a company outside France.
This visa is equally popular with Americans – who face the same bureaucratic hurdles, but are not deterred – 13,000 Americans moved to France last year, according to the Interior Ministry, up 5.3pc on the year before.
If you are working remotely, make your intention clear when applying, says Hammond: 'Provide an official letter from the foreign employer certifying the activity carried out has no link with the French market.'
He warns that this is a 'very grey area' from a tax point of view. 'Beware of ending up liable for social security contributions in both countries.'
Green says she often sees Britons who have become bored during their retirement in rural France, and want to earn 'a bit of pocket money' from gardening or home maintenance services.
'They would need to change to an entrepreneur visa, which requires a business plan for an 'economically viable' activity – so earning just €500 a month to top up your savings won't wash,' she says.
Common mistakes to avoid
The French government website outlines visa requirements for anyone considering making the move – but what are the key things that catch people out?
First of all, you must make sure you know the difference between a VLS-TS – which becomes a residence permit (titre de séjour) – and the very similarly-named VLS-T (temporary long-stay visa).
'The VLS-T is an entry visa only, it never turns into a residence permit. You must leave and apply again from abroad if you want to stay longer,' says Fabien Pelissier, founder of Fab Expat.
'The VLS-TS implies being a tax resident and this is why it grants you access to French public healthcare and allows you to exchange your driver's licence (unlike the VLS-T).'
It was an 'expensive learning experience' for retirees Karen and Mark Davis, who moved from Portland, Oregon, to a farmhouse in Brittany in 2024.
Based on their responses to a pathway of questions, the French government website's 'Visa Wizard' directed them towards the wrong one.
'We got the VLS-T and just assumed it was the right one for us,' says Karen, 66, a grandmother of eight.
'We didn't realise we had the wrong visa until we'd been in France a number of months – and found out that to renew or change it we had to travel back to the States.'
Because you cannot change from a VLS-T to a VLS-TS while remaining in France, the only workaround is to leave and file a fresh VLS-TS application from your home country.
Once you are certain of the right visa, the next potential hurdle is experiencing problems with supporting documents, which can mean rejection or delay.
For example, for the VLS-TS, you need to demonstrate sufficient financial means to cover the whole duration of your stay in France – €1,426 per month, or €17,200 (£14,643) per year for a single person – or €34,400 (£29,148) for a couple.
Pelissier adds that having the wrong healthcare cover – using travel insurance or GHIC – can lead to VLS-TS rejection.
Get the timing right
If you are not far off 66, strategically timing your move to France could save you thousands of pounds.
You must show private health insurance for the duration of the visa, unless you are of UK state pension age, when the S1 document – obtained from the NHS – allows access to French healthcare.
Keith and Cathryn Whalley, from Accrington in Lancashire, delayed their move to Corrèze in central France for this reason.
'We waited to apply for the VLS-TS visa until we got our S1,' says Keith, who turns 66 on July 15. While Cathryn is 50, she can access healthcare via Keith's S1 as his spouse. 'It would have cost us £4,500 for private healthcare [for a year].'
Note that you can begin the process beforehand. 'You can apply up to three months before state pension age for the S1, but it will be post-dated to the date of your actual retirement,' says Keith. 'The NHS website doesn't make this clear.'
No address, no entry
Another reason for refusal can be related to the French address you provide, says Hammond. 'It must be consistent with the application – if it's for an entire family, the accommodation must be large enough for them all.'
You need to provide a rental contract, long-term accommodation reservations through a rental platform, a property deed, or a friend's ' attestation d'hébergement ' – a document that certifies you are living long-term and free-of-charge in another person's property.
'Hotel bookings or [short-term] Airbnbs are almost always rejected for long-stay visas by UK consulates,' adds Pelissier.
Despite believing they'd followed the rules, in planning to move to Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie, Laurie Anderson turned up for his VLS-TS visa appointment with partner Keith Jones, and got thrown a curveball.
Along with the rental contract for their gîte accommodation – they have since bought a flat in Sevrier through Leggett Immobilier – they had to supply the passport details of the gîte owner.
'The passport requirement was a big surprise, as [it was] not stated on the visa website. I guess they needed proof it was not a fake contract,' says Laurie, a 65-year-old retiree who loves skiing and cycling.
'I had to ring up the gîte owner during the appointment. Luckily they were around, or our application would have been delayed.'
John Skrine agrees that the process can be tricky, but he found it manageable.
'You need to have bought [or rented] your French home but cannot apply once you are in France,' he says.
John, 62, a former civil servant, moved with his wife, Helen, to the Vienne from Surrey for a new challenge and good weather.
'Although the process was as lengthy, it all made sense. There were no hidden steps or requirements.'
'I'm used to being pedantic, but French bureaucracy is another level'
For Debbie and Kevin Harris-Brandim, it was her passport that nearly caused a hitch at the visa processing centre in Wandsworth, south-west London – where you have to attend an in-person appointment following the online application for the VLS-TS.
The couple from Bridgwater in Somerset have bought a four-bedroom home in the Hautes-Pyrénées, where the therapeutic climate will quell the rheumatoid arthritis Debbie, 66, a former care-home manager, suffers from.
'We got a document checklist from French Connection,' she says. 'Little things we did not know included the fact that my passport did not have enough time on it.'
A passport must not expire during the 12-month visa period – or within three months after the visa expiry date.
The couple moved out in December and love their new life, but getting there required some patience. 'I was previously a director in quality compliance so was used to being pedantic, but French bureaucracy is another level,' she adds.
The paperwork doesn't stop after you make the initial move, either. After swapping North Yorkshire for the Charente last year, Sonia Saxton and her partner, Karl, are happy to pay for help for every year's visa renewal.
'Paperwork is a nightmare. Paying €100 (£85) a head for a hand-holding service is well worth it,' says Sonia, 66. There's also the online renewal fee of €225 (£195).
Americans need to be aware of another idiosyncrasy – especially if they are from California, New York or Oregon, like Karen and Mark – which is that only 18 states have reciprocal agreements with France on driving licences.
'Those of us from other states have to take a test as if [we were] beginner drivers – in French, with no translator,' says Karen.
Despite the many hurdles, she says the move has still been worth it. 'It's been quite a journey, but people have been very helpful along the way, so France already feels like home.'