Things To Know Before Moving To France

Are you now fully committed to moving to France?

Firstly, congratulations!

Moving to France will be an exciting experience whether you have decided to move for either lifestyle, work, retirement, or other reasons. Although, making sure that you have planned ahead of time and know what to expect will improve your long-term experience.

Anglo French has over 30 years of experience in removals between the UK and France. So we decided to compile this guide of the top things to know before moving to France to assist you with your relocation.

1. Decide where you want to live in France

You've probably already done a lot of research into what life would be like in France, but deciding where in France you'd like to live is a big step. Knowing what different locations in France have to offer is one of the most important things to know before moving to France.

What has attracted you about moving to France?

Try to take everything into consideration about what it is you want from your new home. This is your chance to start again somewhere fresh and new!

2. Choose your new home

France is a gorgeous country, which is renowned for its picturesque vineyards and incredible food. It’s a place of culture, art and history, giving you everything you could ask for in a place to live.

When moving to France, you are spoilt for choice with the variety of places to live in. From thriving cities like Paris to calming countryside in Luberon, where you pick to live depends on what works best with your life and what you enjoy. We understand that this variety can be intimidating so we wanted to discuss some of the possible areas you could move to and the advantages of each.

Paris

Living in the thriving Capital city of France, Paris, provides iconic landmarks on your doorstep such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. The 19th-century cityscape of Paris is crisscrossed by wide boulevards and the River SeineIt. Paris is the epicentre of art, fashion, and culture.

Paris is known for its high fashion, where renowned brands such as Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel, to name a few, have originated. Paris Fashion Week is also one of the most popular attractions in the city.

Paris is also known for having world class cuisine. Soupe à l'oignon, Coq au vin, Chocolate soufflé, and Boeuf bourguignon are just some of the traditional French cuisine classics.

Toulouse

With a population of around 460,000, this compact city provides everything you need at a walking distance. With an almost Mediterranean climate and good transport connections around the city and to the airport, it’s hard to see why people wouldn’t want to live in this beautiful city.

Brittany

With a spectacular coastline and lush countryside, it's not surprising that Brittany is a popular destination for expats. Brittany is defined by its traditional character and retains a distinct cultural identity, reflecting its Celtic heritage. Living in Brittany as a Brit, Britain is never far away as ferries and flights allow for easy connection.

Moving to France after Brexit

A must-know before moving to France is how to organise your French Visa. France is a member of the European Union (EU), so if you are an EU/EEA citizen, you have the right to live there.

However, due to the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union, you will need to check your visa requirements as well as French government rules when applying for a Visa. This also applies to any country that is not a member of the EU.

4. Transfer Your Belongings To France

Another important thing to know before moving to France is how to transfer your logins or which company to rely on to assist you with this.

When you move all of your belongings into your new home in France, you will feel more at ease. Anglo French has been providing full removals to France for over 30 years, and in that time we've helped many people move their belongings to almost every location in France without any hassle.

Check out our services, which include:
Full Removals,
Vehicle Transport,
Furniture Delivery,
Packing,
Part-removals,
Man with a van,
Storage,
and Currency Exchange.

5. Learn some French

Learning a new language can be both exciting and intimidating. When relocating to France, learning French is a must. The French are notorious for being unforgiving of foreigners who do not make an effort to learn their language.

There are many ways to learn French nowadays, such as downloading apps and teaching yourself, or attending online classes or lessons.

6. The French culture

Another thing to consider before moving to France is learning about French culture. French art is well-known for its beauty. The Pompidou Centre, as well as classics such as The Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo in the Louvre, are all worth a visit.

7. Excellent healthcare options

When relocating to France, it is also important to know that you will have access to excellent healthcare. France reimburses approximately 70% of your medical costs, and French citizens or long-term residents pay a monthly contribution. If you have a medical condition or a chronic condition, the French government will pay for your medical expenses in full.

Private healthcare options are also available in France, which may be better suited to your needs, lifestyle, or family.

8. When working in France, you have some free time

France is known for its long lunch breaks, during which many French people eat out or go out for drinks. The French also have a legal 35-hour work week, which means they work fewer hours.

Some French companies will also give you up to 22 days of vacation if you work extra hours. With 30 days off per year and one public holiday, the amount of annual paid leave is nearly among the highest in the world.

In August, many employees leave Paris. Persians leave the city to go to the beaches, which means that many small businesses close down.

9. Transport

You may well find that the transport around France is much more efficient than England's transport system. France's high-speed rail network is the ninth biggest in the world. The speed combined with comfortable carriages and reasonable fares gives you a great way to explore the country.
You can even find double-decker trains - some of which travel at up to 320 km/h.

Next steps

You should also take a look at our super useful checklist for Moving to France from the UK!

Now that you have learnt the essentials to moving to France, all you need is a reliable removals service to get you there.

Get a free quote from us today with no-obligation

Click here for your no-obligation quote, use our contact form to enquire about your upcoming move to France, or call our team today at 01237 431393.

Témoignages

Dear Jasmine

Doing some tidying up of my paperwork/e mails, I realize that I never wrote to thank your staff for the excellent service. Not to mention your good liaison prior to moving day!

The men kept in touch by phone during the day. When they arrived, the van would not fit past the trees at the end of the track. The first thing we knew, two men were coming up the track, one carrying the armchair, the other with a sofa on a dolly. My partner was able to help with the last two sofa beds. There was never a word of complaint or comments that we should have trimmed branches, etc.

They were pushed for time and wouldn't stop for a cuppa.

Please extend them our very belated thanks and congratulations on having such a service orientated organization.

Margaret Morrison, Sussex

Dear Mark

We just wanted to say thank you for such a brilliant and seamless service. You will remember that your quotation came in at about 50% cheaper than the two bigger companies and obviously we were worried that would reflect in the service.

From your response time, to the lovely people we chatted to in Maidstone with our mutiple questions, letting us add to our load at no extra charge, to yesterday's experience when Nino and his mate arrived, everything has been quite brilliant.

They called us an hour before arrival and were both so cheery and obliging despite their obvious long drive and need to get to the next pick up. We had two different locations for our furniture plus we changed our minds a couple of times and literally nothing was too much trouble - Nino's manipulation of that giant blue monster around the tiny farm lanes was quite breathtaking!

Great job! Please thank your team.

Best regards

Heather and David, Trèbes

Dear Mark

I am writing to say thank you so much for the smooth moving process. From beginning to end you could not have done better. I'd like to put in a complimentary word for the three guys who you sent to load and unload. Service without servility is always the perfect combination. They were all extremely convivial whilst getting on at the same time, meticulously careful with the items being transported and cheery without being "goonish".

Your original quote was handled most efficiently by Jasmine from initlal enquiry through to date setting, payment etc and the quote itself was highly competitive. Your own communication skills were faultless and I felt like I knew exactly what was going on at any one time.

I, quite frankly, cannot fault the service provided, you could not have done better and I am very happy with the price too.

Well done to all the team!

Best wishes for all your future projects.

Di Miller, Kent