The visitor visa benchmark is about €1,478/month in income. Citizenship still takes 5 years. And under the US tax treaty, your 401(k), IRA and Social Security are taxed in the US — not France. Here's everything else, from official sources, checked and dated.
The long-stay visitor visa, the 1-year renewal cycle, the 10-year card at year 5, and the 5-year path to citizenship.
3 guides → Guide hub2026 brackets (0%–45%), why the US treaty makes France a tax haven for American retirees, and the Canadian departure-tax question.
Read → Guide hubJoining the state system (PUMa) after 3 months, the carte Vitale, and what a mutuelle costs in your 60s.
Read → Guide hubBuying vs renting, the 7–8% purchase costs, and why no one stops a foreigner buying a French house.
Read → Guide hubReal INSEE data: 0.9% inflation, falling energy prices — and what a couple actually spends per month.
Read → Guide hubWhy the visitor visa bans work, the routes that allow it, and the US and Canadian totalization agreements.
Read → Guide hubSwapping your US or Canadian driving licence (18 states qualify), bringing pets, setting up utilities.
Read → Guide hubParis, Nice, Occitanie, the Dordogne, Brittany — real prices and honest trade-offs.
Read →Income benchmarks, documents, fees, and realistic timelines — for applications from the US and Canada.
Read the guide → HealthcareEligible after 3 months' residence. How to apply, what the state pays, and the "PUMa tax" some early retirees owe.
Read the guide → Visas & ResidencyThe renewal cycle, the 10-year card, and the new B2-plus-civic-exam citizenship rules from January 2026.
Read the guide →From first visa question to keys-in-hand — tell us where you are in the move to France and we'll answer, or introduce a specialist we've independently vetted.