France · Europe
Moving to Paris
Paris quick facts
France at a glance
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Cost of living in Paris
Getting set up in France
Visas & Residency
For non-EU nationals, the backbone is the long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS), applied for via france-visas.gouv.fr before you fly and validated online with OFII within 3 months of landing. The main routes are the multi-year Passeport Talent (skilled employees, founders, researchers, French Tech Visa), the standard 'salarié' work visa, the 'visiteur' visa (proof of income, no work allowed), and 'étudiant'. France has no dedicated digital-nomad visa as of 2026 — the visitor visa is the closest but bars all employment. After your first year on a VLS-TS you renew at the Préfecture de Police, increasingly through the ANEF online platform; a carte de résident (permanent) becomes possible after 5 years.
Read the full step-by-step guideGetting Around & Driving
You almost certainly won't need a car: Paris has one of the world's best transit networks (16 métro lines, RER express trains, buses, trams) all run by Île-de-France Mobilités/RATP, plus Vélib' bikes. Since Jan 2025 a single flat €2.50 ticket covers any métro/train/RER trip across all of Île-de-France (zones abolished for single tickets). Get a Navigo card and load a monthly pass or pay-as-you-go. If you do drive, Paris is deliberately hostile to cars: 30 km/h citywide, a Crit'Air low-emission zone (ZFE), and punishing parking. Non-EU drivers can use a foreign licence + French translation for 1 year, then must exchange it (if your country/US state has reciprocity) or pass the French test.
Read the full step-by-step guideOpening a Bank Account
France has a classic chicken-and-egg trap: a traditional bank wants a justificatif de domicile (proof of address), but most leases want a French RIB first. The escape hatch is a neobank or online bank (N26, Revolut, Boursorama) that opens remotely in minutes with just a passport and any EU address, handing you a French/EU IBAN and downloadable RIB. Use that to sign a lease and receive salary, then optionally add a traditional branch account (BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, LCL, La Banque Postale) once you have a utility bill. If every bank refuses you, the droit au compte gives a legal right to a basic account via the Banque de France.
Read the full step-by-step guideHealthcare & Insurance
France's Sécurité Sociale reimburses ~70% of standard care, and after 3 months of stable residence anyone qualifies for public cover via PUMA (Protection Universelle Maladie). You register with your local CPAM, receive a numéro de sécurité sociale, then a Carte Vitale, and declare a médecin traitant (GP) to be reimbursed at the full rate. Because the state covers ~70%, almost everyone also holds a mutuelle (complementary private insurance) to cover the remaining ticket modérateur — employees get one part-paid by their employer. Employees are covered from day 1 of work; everyone else must hold private insurance (a visa requirement for non-EU) until PUMA kicks in.
Read the full step-by-step guideMobile & Internet (SIM)
France has one of Europe's cheapest, most competitive mobile markets: four networks — Orange (best coverage), SFR, Bouygues Telecom and disruptor Free Mobile — plus low-cost sub-brands Sosh, Red by SFR and B&You that sell 100-200GB 5G SIM-only plans for ~€10-20/month with no commitment. The catch for new arrivals is billing: postpaid plans pull a monthly prélèvement from a French RIB you don't have yet, so the practical day-one move is a prepaid SIM (or a plan that takes a foreign EU card), then port your number with the free RIO code once you're settled. A French SIM roams across the EU at no extra cost.
Read the full step-by-step guideTaxes
Once Paris is your tax home, France taxes your worldwide income. Tax is collected monthly via prélèvement à la source (PAYE), but you must still file an annual déclaration des revenus on impots.gouv.fr in April–June. Salaried hires recruited from abroad should check the régime des impatriés (Art. 155 B CGI), which can exempt a chunk of pay and 50% of foreign passive income for up to 8 years. Headline rates run to 45% plus social charges (CSG-CRDS).
Read the full step-by-step guideEach guide has verified costs, timelines, required documents, and the non-obvious gotchas — sourced from official government pages. Last verified 2026-06-29.
Essential French phrases
What to know before you go
Say 'Bonjour' first — it's the rule that unlocks Paris
CriticalThe single biggest social key here: greet with 'Bonjour' (or 'Bonsoir' in the evening) when you enter any shop, café, bakery or office, and before you ask anything — including 'do you speak English?'. Parisians aren't cold; they're formal, and skipping the greeting reads as genuinely rude. Lead with Bonjour and a please, and the famous 'Parisian attitude' largely evaporates.
Non-EU? It's the long-stay visa + OFII, and there's no nomad visa
ImportantEU/EEA/Swiss citizens just move. Everyone else needs a long-stay visa (VLS-TS) applied for before arrival on France-Visas, then validated online via OFII/ANEF within 3 months of landing (the tax rose to ~€300 from May 2026). The standout route for skilled workers and founders is the multi-year Passeport Talent (salary threshold ~€39,582, family included with open work rights). France has no digital-nomad visa — the 'visiteur' visa is the closest but bars all work, including remote.
Healthcare is excellent and near-universal — once you're in the system
ImportantFrance's system reimburses ~70% of care via Assurance Maladie, with a mutuelle (complementary insurance, ~€20-80/mo) topping up the rest. After ~3 months of stable residence you join via PUMA, register with CPAM, declare a médecin traitant (GP) and get a Carte Vitale; employees are covered from day one. Non-EU newcomers must carry private insurance (a visa requirement) until then. Always declare a GP — going off the 'parcours de soins' cuts your reimbursement.
If a French employer recruited you from abroad, claim the impatriate tax break
ImportantThe régime des impatriés (Art. 155 B) is the single biggest expat tax lever: if you were non-resident for the 5 prior years and join a French employer, you can exempt your impatriation bonus (or a flat 30% of net pay), pay for foreign workdays, and 50% of certain foreign passive income — for up to 8 years. It's claimed on your return, not automatic, so many eligible hires overpay for years. France taxes residents on worldwide income (progressive to 45% + social charges), so this matters.
Renting is a competitive sport — build a strong 'dossier'
ImportantParis's rental market is brutal: tiny studios, fierce competition, and landlords who demand a thick dossier (ID, visa, work contract, last 3 payslips, tax notices) plus a French guarantor (garant) earning ~3x the rent — or a paid guarantor service like Garantme/Visale. Rents are partly capped (encadrement des loyers), agency fees are regulated, and most flats need a French RIB to set up. Have your paperwork ready before you view.
Skip the car — and learn the Paris rhythms
Good to knowTransit is superb: a flat €2.50 ticket now covers any métro/RER trip across Île-de-France (since Jan 2025), Navigo Mois is ~€92.80, and Vélib' bikes are everywhere (rental e-scooters were banned in 2023). Paris is engineered against cars (30 km/h, the Crit'Air low-emission zone, costly parking). Two rhythms to know: much of the city empties and many small shops shut in August (les vacances), and Sundays are quiet. Lean into the café-and-market life.
Top industries & employers
Luxury & Fashion
LVMH, Kering, Hermès, Chanel, L'Oréal, Dior
Paris is the world capital of luxury and fashion — LVMH and Kering are headquartered here, and the houses, ateliers, beauty and retail groups make it the deepest global market for luxury, fashion and cosmetics careers.
Tech & Startups
Station F, Mistral AI, Doctolib, Qonto, Alan, Back Market, La French Tech
Europe's most ambitious startup scene, anchored by Station F (the world's largest startup campus) and La French Tech. AI (Mistral), health-tech, fintech and climate-tech scale-ups are hiring hard, with the Passeport Talent / French Tech Visa pulling in international talent.
Finance & Banking
BNP Paribas, Société Générale, AXA, Crédit Agricole, Amundi (La Défense)
Paris is a top European financial centre — banking, insurance and asset management cluster in La Défense and the centre, and the city has drawn finance jobs and trading desks from London since Brexit.
Aerospace & Defense
Airbus, Safran, Thales, Dassault Aviation
France is a global aerospace and defence power; the Paris region hosts major engineering, R&D and corporate functions across civil aviation, space, defence electronics and propulsion.
Media, Culture & Tourism
Vivendi/Canal+, Publicis, Hachette, plus the world's most-visited museums
The most-visited city on earth runs a vast culture economy — film, publishing, advertising, the arts, hospitality and tourism — a major employer and a magnet for creative careers.
Consulting & Corporate HQ
The Big Four, McKinsey/BCG/Bain, and many multinational EMEA HQs at La Défense
La Défense, Europe's largest purpose-built business district, concentrates consulting, professional services and the European headquarters of countless multinationals — a deep market for corporate and advisory roles.
Where to go in Paris
The Eiffel Tower & Champ de Mars
Landmark · 7th arrondissement
The 330m iron icon over the Champ de Mars lawns — and, on the hour after dark, the five-minute sparkle that still stops conversations.
Local tip: Skip the queue stress: picnic on the Champ de Mars or the Trocadéro steps opposite for the best free view, and catch the sparkle on the hour from sunset to 23:00 (or midnight in summer). Sunrise from Trocadéro is crowd-free and magic.
The Louvre & Musée d'Orsay
Culture · 1st / 7th arrondissement
The world's most-visited museum and, across the Seine, the Impressionist treasure-house in a former railway station — two of the great art collections on earth.
Local tip: The Louvre is free the first Friday evening of the month after 18:00 and far calmer then; enter via the Carrousel or Porte des Lions to dodge the pyramid queue. For the Orsay, go late afternoon and head straight to the 5th-floor Impressionists.
Le Marais
Neighborhood · 3rd / 4th arrondissement
The historic, fashionable heart — medieval lanes, the Place des Vosges, falafel on Rue des Rosiers, galleries, boutiques and the centre of LGBTQ+ Paris.
Local tip: Come Sunday, when much of Paris closes but the Marais stays open and buzzing. Queue for falafel at L'As du Fallafel, then wander the Place des Vosges arcades and the side-street galleries and vintage shops.
Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
Culture · 18th arrondissement
The hilltop village of artists — the white basilica with the city's best panorama, vineyard, winding stairs and the cafés of Amélie's Paris.
Local tip: Climb early morning to beat the crowds and skip the funicular; explore behind the basilica (Rue de l'Abreuvoir, the vineyard, Place Dalida) where the real village charm — and quiet — survives. Beware the friendship-bracelet hustlers on the front steps.
Canal Saint-Martin
Hidden gemNeighborhood · 10th arrondissement
The tree-lined canal with iron footbridges, where young Paris picnics on the banks with wine and cheese on warm evenings — bobo cafés, indie shops and a laid-back cool.
Local tip: Grab a bottle and a baguette and join the quayside picnic crowd at golden hour (the city tolerates it here). Brunch and browse the boutiques of the 10th and 11th around Rue de Marseille; it's the antidote to tourist Paris.
Marché d'Aligre & the food markets
Hidden gemFood · 12th arrondissement
One of the city's liveliest, cheapest covered-plus-street markets — produce, cheese, a flea market and the legendary natural-wine bar Le Baron Rouge beside it.
Local tip: Go on a weekend morning, shop the open-air stalls (haggle near closing for deals), then stand for oysters and a glass at Le Baron Rouge. It's how Parisians actually eat — far better value than the tourist-district restaurants.
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