Moving to France: your first-steps checklist

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1. Validate your VLS-TS within 3 months of arrival
   If you entered on a long-stay visa that acts as a residence permit (VLS-TS), you must validate it online and pay the tax within 3 months of arriving. Without it, your stay becomes irregular after that period.
2. Answer the OFII appointment
   If the immigration office (OFII) invites you to sign the Republican Integration Contract or for a medical check, attend and keep the papers: they are asked for when you renew your permit.
3. Open a bank account
   You usually need ID and proof of address. Choose a current account with no interest. If banks refuse you, the law gives you a “right to an account” (droit au compte) through the Banque de France.
4. Join the health insurance (Assurance Maladie)
   If you work, your employer declares you; then request your Carte Vitale from your ameli account. Choose a médecin traitant (regular doctor) to get full reimbursement.
5. CAF
   If you rent or have children, check your right to housing aid and family benefits based on your status and income.
6. Get a SIM card
   Prepaid SIMs and no-commitment plans are easy to get with your passport.
7. Driving licence: mind the one-year deadline
   A licence from outside Europe is valid for only 1 year after you settle in France, and you must request the exchange within that year, if your country is on the list of exchangeable licences. After the year, no exchange: you need a French test.
8. If you have children
   Enrol them in school through the mairie. School is compulsory from age 3.

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