What to do in your first 90 days in France

Before We Start: The Mindset Shift

France operates on a logic that makes sense once you understand it, but it can also feel completely opaque when you’re new. A few things worth knowing upfront:

Everything requires a justificatif de domicile. That’s proof of address: a utility bill, a lease, a phone bill, anything that shows you live where you say you live. You will need it for almost every administrative step in this post. Get one as soon as possible and make photocopies.

The French system rewards persistence. Phone calls don’t always work. Letters sent en recommandé (recorded delivery) often work better. Showing up in person sometimes works best of all. If something isn’t moving, try a different channel. A lettre recommendée avec accusé de réception (LRAR) is also a very good option, especially when you want proof that it was delivered. 

“No” sometimes means “not yet” or “not like that.” French administration is rule-bound, but most rules have a process. If you’re told you can’t do something, ask what would need to be true for you to be able to. Often there’s a path, itt just isn’t the one you tried first.

Give yourself grace. You are navigating a bureaucracy in a foreign language while also building a life from scratch. That is genuinely hard. The things that take you three hours would take a French person thirty minutes. That gap closes over time.

I wrote more about that last point in How to Set Goals in France (& Why French Bureaucracy Forces You To).

Month 1: The Non-Negotiables

These are the things that cannot wait. Some have deadlines. Some unlock everything else. Do these first.

1. Validate Your Visa (If You Have a VLS-TS)

If you arrived on a long-stay visa that counts as a residence permit (a VLS-TS), you have to validate it online within 3 months of arriving. You do it on the official ANEF website by choosing the option to validate your VLS-TS and entering your visa details: its number, validity dates, delivery date, and purpose of stay. Depending on your visa type, you may have to pay a tax as part of the process.

Once it’s validated, your visa replaces a residence permit for your first year. Download the confirmation and keep it with your passport and visa. You’ll need it when you travel and for administrative steps.

Not every long-stay visa works this way. If yours says “carte de séjour à solliciter” or is a temporary long-stay visa (VLS-T), you don’t validate it and the process is different. Check the mention on your visa before you do anything. My visa terminology guide explains the common ones.

Here’s how I validated mine: Bienvenue en France: How to Validate Your Visa Upon Arrival. I wrote that in 2020, so use the ANEF steps above for the current website. Visa and permit fees also changed on May 1, 2026, and I broke down what changed.

2. Sign Your Integration Contract With OFII

Many people arriving on a first-time permit, such as family-based and salaried-employee permits, are invited to meet OFII (the French immigration and integration office) to sign the Contrat d’intégration républicaine, or CIR. It’s a one-year contract between you and the French state. At the meeting you take a short written and oral French test and get pointed to local services.

What it involves:

• Civic training. It’s mandatory: four sessions, 24 hours in total.
• French classes. If your level is below A2, OFII can prescribe free lessons, up to 600 hours.

This matters more now than it did when I went through it. Since January 1, 2026, a first multi-year residence permit requires A2-level French and passing a civic exam, and a carte de résident requires B1. The exam is 40 multiple-choice questions, and you need at least 80% (32 correct answers) to pass.

Not everyone has to sign. Some permits, like student and visitor permits, are exempt, and the CIR doesn’t apply to EU nationals. When I did my civics training in 2020 it was four days of classes, and I wrote about what to expect. The format has changed since, so go by what OFII tells you.

More on each stage from my own experience: What Is a Contrat d’Intégration Républicaine?, OFII Convocation Day One, and my OFII medical visit, which was part of my process. For the new requirement, read Examen Civique France: What Expats Need to Know in 2026. If you need to prove your French level, here’s how I took the TCF test for my carte de résident.

3. Get a French SIM Card

Do this before you do almost anything else. A French phone number is required for two-factor authentication on nearly every French administrative platform: your bank, your health insurance, your tax account and without one you will hit a wall very quickly.

Any of the major operators work: Orange, SFR, Bouygues, Free. Free Mobile in particular offers very competitive rates. You can get a SIM at any phone shop with your passport. You don’t need an address yet.

American expat note: Keep your US number active on a low-cost plan or get a Google Voice number for US-side authentication requirements. You’ll need it for things like your bank and IRS correspondence. I do not have this and have been able to get by with my email (or using my mum’s phone number. Thanks Mum!)

4. Open a French Bank Account

You need a French bank account to receive your salary, pay rent, set up direct debits, and access most financial services here. Some landlords won’t rent to you without one.

Your options:

• Traditional banks (BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole): require an in-person appointment and more documentation, but are more widely accepted by landlords.
• Online banks (Boursorama, Hello Bank, Fortuneo): faster to open, sometimes more flexible on documentation requirements.
• Neobanks (N26, Revolut, Wise): easiest to open, but not always accepted as a primary account for rental applications or direct debits.

If you’re newly arrived with limited French documentation, some people start with a neobank for day-to-day spending while they build up the documents needed for a traditional bank.

What you’ll typically need: passport, proof of address (or proof you’re in the process of finding accommodation), and sometimes proof of income or enrollment.

5. Register Your Address

Your address is the foundation of your French administrative life. Everything is tied to it: your health insurance, your tax records, eventually your voting registration (when you have French nationality). As soon as you have a fixed address:

• Make sure your lease or proof of address is in your name, or that you have an attestation from whoever you’re staying with.
• Update your address with any French administrative accounts you already hold.
• If you’ve recently moved from another French address, update it on ameli.fr, impots.gouv.fr, and with your bank.

Still looking for a place? My guides to apartment hunting in Paris and the French dossier cover what landlords ask for, and the état des lieux explains the move-in inventory.

6. Sort Out Your Health Coverage (CPAM)

If you’re employed in France, your employer handles the registration process. If you’re not working yet, you apply to CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie) yourself once you’ve lived in France legally and without interruption for more than 3 months. Some situations are exempt from that wait, such as family members joining someone who is already insured, so ask CPAM if you think you qualify.

This is how you get your Carte Vitale, France’s health insurance card, and your numéro de sécurité sociale. Until you have them, you pay for care upfront and claim reimbursement later, which is manageable but inconvenient.

How to register:

• Go to ameli.fr and start the affiliation process.
• You’ll need your passport, proof of address, and proof of your legal status in France (visa, titre de séjour).
• Processing can take several weeks. Once you’re registered, you’ll receive your Carte Vitale in the post.

Since the 2016 health coverage reform (PUMa), adults are covered individually rather than as a dependent of a partner, so each adult needs their own affiliation. I’ve walked through the process in detail in my guides to applying for Sécurité Sociale as a foreigner and getting your Carte Vitale.

When I applied as the spouse of a French national, I was able to apply before the 3-month mark. Here’s how it went: Applying for Sécurité Sociale as the spouse of a French National. And while you wait for your Carte Vitale, my guide to the feuille de soins explains how to get reimbursed.

7. Find a Médecin Traitant

Your médecin traitant is your registered GP, the doctor who coordinates your care in France. You can see any doctor, but you get higher reimbursement rates if you go through your médecin traitant. More importantly, having one means you have a consistent point of contact who knows your history.

To find one, search annuairesante.ameli.fr for doctors accepting new patients near you. Once you’ve had an appointment and they agree to be your référent, you register them on ameli.fr.

This takes longer than it should. France has a shortage of GPs in many areas, so start looking early. If you can’t find one accepting new patients, your local PMI (Centre de Protection Maternelle et Infantile) and some community health centres can provide care in the meantime.

My full guide: Médecin Traitant in France: What It Is and How to Find One.

Month 1 & 2: Important but Not Immediately Urgent

These things matter, and the sooner you do them the better, but they won’t fall apart if they take a few weeks longer.

8. Get a Mutuelle (Supplementary Health Insurance)

CPAM covers a significant portion of healthcare costs, but not everything. The gap is covered by a mutuelle, a private supplementary insurance. Most employed people in France get one through their employer, who is required to offer it.

If you’re not employed, or your employer’s mutuelle doesn’t meet your needs, you can take out a mutuelle independently. Prices and coverage vary a lot, so online comparison sites can help you narrow it down.

If you have a low income: you may qualify for the Complémentaire Santé Solidaire (C2S), a subsidized or free mutuelle for people under certain income thresholds. Check your eligibility on ameli.fr.

My full explainer: French Mutuelle Explained: Coverage, Costs & How to Choose.

9. Open Your Ameli Account

ameli.fr is your online Assurance Maladie account. It’s where you track reimbursements, access your health statements, update your information, and handle declarations. Open your account as soon as you have your social security number, and set up two-factor authentication.

If you’d like one login for most French government sites, here’s how I set up FranceConnect.

10. Get Set Up With the French Tax Office

Your tax account lives on impots.gouv.fr. Even if you’ve only just arrived and have no income yet, being in the system before your first tax season helps. If you can’t create the online account yet, your local tax office (your SIP) can get you set up. My guide to filing taxes in France as an expat walks through the first year.

Not sure where to start? I explain what a numéro fiscal is and how to get one, and I wrote about filing French taxes as an American living in France.

American expat note: you are required to file US taxes every year regardless of where you live and whether you owe anything. You are also likely required to file an FBAR (FinCEN 114) if your foreign bank accounts total more than $10,000 at any point in the year. That is separate from, and in addition to, your French tax obligations. The tax treaty between France and the US prevents most double taxation, but the filing requirement remains. Consider an expat tax specialist for your first year at minimum, and read my guide to US taxes for Americans living abroad.

11. Get a Transport Card (Navigo or Equivalent)

If you’re in Paris or Île-de-France, get a Navigo card, the reloadable public transport card. Passes are significantly cheaper than buying individual tickets. You can set it up at any staffed metro station or at navigo.fr. My Paris metro ticket guide breaks down the options and prices.

Outside Paris, every city has its own system: Marseille has RTM, Lyon has TCL, Bordeaux has TBM. The process is similar. Find the local transport authority’s website, register, and get your card.

Once you have your card, my list of day trips you can take on your Navigo is a fun way to use it.

12. Register With Your Country’s Embassy

This is the step most people skip and then wish they hadn’t. If you’re American, register with the nearest US Embassy through the STEP program (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) at step.state.gov. It lets the embassy contact you in an emergency, reach you if there’s a crisis in France, and provide consular help if you need it. It takes five minutes.

Also worth reading as an American: Voting Abroad as an American Living in France.

Month 2 & 3: Building Your Life Here

By month two, the immediate crises are behind you. Now you’re building: settling into routines, filling in the gaps, making France actually feel like where you live.

13. Put Your Renewal Date in Your Calendar

Your first permit or validated visa lasts one year, so your first renewal comes sooner than you’d think. For most permits, you apply for renewal online on ANEF between 4 and 2 months before it expires, roughly day 120 to day 60 before the expiry date. Some permits are handled at the prefecture instead of ANEF, and the window can differ by permit type, so check your prefecture’s website for the exact process, timeline, and the documents it wants for a renewal.

The part that catches people out is proof of status while you wait. The confirmation you get when you file doesn’t prove you’re in France legally. What does is the attestation de prolongation d’instruction, which you show together with your old permit. You only get it if your file is complete and was filed on time. It’s issued for up to 3 months at a time and renewed while the prefecture is still reviewing your file. For permits handled at the prefecture, the equivalent is a paper récépissé.

Keep both documents together. The Conseil d’État has noted that the attestation isn’t automatically recognized as a document that opens access to social benefits and housing, so keep your old permit and everything from your file in one place. I wrote about my own renewal in How I Applied for My French 10-Year Residency Card.

I’ve written up my own first renewal, How to Renew Your VLS-TS in France: The Complete Guide, and what picking up my carte de séjour looked like. Both are from 2021, so use the steps above for the current process.

14. Sort Out Your Driving Licence

A valid driving license from an EU country is recognized in France. If you’re from outside the EU, it’s more complicated, and the clock is shorter than most people expect.

Americans: France exchanges licences with only some US states (official government answers have put the number at 18 of 50), so your state matters. Check the current list on service-public.fr, because it can change. If your state is on the list, you can exchange your US license for a French one without taking a test. If it isn’t, you’ll need to take the French driving exam.

Either way, don’t leave it. The exchange has to be requested within one year of establishing residence in France. After that, your foreign licence is no longer recognised for driving here.

Here’s how I exchanged my Ohio license: How to Exchange Your US Driver’s License for a French One.

15. Understand the CAF System

CAF (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales) manages family and housing benefits in France. Depending on your situation, you may be entitled to:

• APL (Aide Personnalisée au Logement): housing benefit for renters. You’ll need a valid residence permit.
• Family benefits: if you have or are expecting children. These depend on your legal stay.
• RSA (Revenu de Solidarité Active): income support, but non-EU nationals generally need to have held a work-authorizing permit for 5 years first. There are exceptions, such as carte de résident holders, refugees, and some single parents, so don’t count on it in your first year.

Check your eligibility at caf.fr using the simulator (simulateur de droits). Applications are done online through your CAF account, and processing can take several weeks. If you’re expecting, my guide to having a baby in France as an American covers the CAF steps for pregnancy.

16. Learn the Pharmacy System

French pharmacies, identified by the green cross, are a real first stop for minor ailments. You don’t need an appointment, and the pharmacist can often point you to the right treatment faster than a doctor’s visit would.

What to know:

• Prescription medications are reimbursed through CPAM, so always present your Carte Vitale.
• Some medications available over the counter elsewhere require a prescription here, and vice versa.
• Your local pharmacie can also help with things like blood pressure checks and pregnancy tests.

Find your nearest pharmacie and introduce yourself. Knowing your local pharmacist by name is genuinely useful.

17. Find Your Community

This is not an administrative step, but it matters as much as any of them.

Moving to France is exhilarating and isolating in equal measure. The first few months, especially if you don’t have colleagues yet, can be very quiet. French social culture is warm but slow to open. Friendships here tend to develop gradually, through repeated contact over time rather than immediate disclosure.

Some places to start:

• Expat Facebook groups for your city or region. People ask and answer practical questions constantly, and these groups are often how people find their first friends here.
• La Sororité, an expat women’s community in France: connection, shared experience, and people who understand exactly what you’re going through. Starting back up in January 2027. STAY TUNED!
• Meetup.com, for language exchanges, hiking groups, and professional networks.
• Your mairie. Many communes run integration programes for new residents, including language classes, cultural events, and social activities.
• Sport clubs and associations. Joining a club (running, yoga, a choir, a pottery class) is one of the most effective ways to build French friendships, because it gives you the repeated contact French social culture runs on.

On loneliness: it is very normal to feel it, especially in the first months. It doesn’t mean you made a mistake. It means you’re doing something genuinely hard. Give it time.

The Emotional Reality: What Nobody Puts in a Checklist

Moving to another country is a particular kind of transformation. You are not the same person in France that you were at home. That’s not because you’ve changed, but because the version of you that existed in your home country was built on a thousand invisible foundations: language, cultural reference points, the way you navigate a grocery store, the jokes you make, the way people read you. All of that is gone. You’re building it again from scratch, in a language that may not yet be yours.

There is grief in this, even when the move was entirely your choice. You may miss things you didn’t expect to miss: the specific light of a specific afternoon, a particular way that people talk, the ease of being immediately understood. This is normal. It doesn’t mean France isn’t right for you.

There is also something extraordinary about it. You get to choose, more consciously than most people ever do, who you want to be and how you want to live. The blank-slate quality of starting over in a new country is exhausting and terrifying and also, eventually, one of the great gifts of your life.

Be patient with yourself through months one and two especially. The competence will come. The friendships will come. The day will come when you navigate something difficult in French and think, without noticing: I live here now. I actually live here.

That day comes faster than you think.

Download the free checklist. Everything above in a clean, printable PDF, plus a few extra resources that didn’t make it into the post. Get the free First 90 Days checklist

I’m Sarah, an American living in the Paris suburbs, married to a Frenchman, and the person behind A Buckeye in Paris. I’ve been writing about life in France since 2018, with a particular focus on the administrative and practical side of actually making a life here. If you’re pregnant in France, newly arrived, or navigating the French system for the first time, you’re in the right place.

Have a question I didn’t answer here? Leave it in the comments and I’ll do my best to help.

You’ll also find quick answers on healthcare, the Carte Vitale, and more in my FAQ.

A note on the rules: I’m not a lawyer or an immigration advisor. What applies to you depends on your visa and permit type, and French rules change often. Check your own situation on the official sites below and on your prefecture’s website.