Staying in France
Visas
If you want to stay in France for a long time, you might need to request a visa. You can find out by going to your country’s embassy or consulate, or by visiting this website : https://france-visas.gouv.fr/
Administrative procedures
Nowadays, almost all administrative procedures are done online; you can find all you need to know on this website: https://www.service-public.fr/
Taxes
In France, everyone pays taxes. They can be direct, or indirect.
Direct taxes: These are mostly taxes on income, paid by individuals and companies. They are automatically deducted from your salary if you are employed, but you still need to declare them by filling in a tax return every year.
This online declaration allows you to obtain documents that grant access to services such as housing assistance (see below).
Indirect taxes: Every time you buy something, a part of the cost goes to the state (tax on added value – TVA). You can find out more about this here.
Financial support
In France, the Family Allocations Office (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales, CAF) can offer you different kinds of financial assistance, depending on your situation: housing subsidy, employment bonus (prime d’activité), active solidarity income (RSA), student housing, allowance for disabled adults, etc. You can find out all about them here.
If you pay rent and you are staying in France for more than 8 months, you can request housing support. The amount varies depending on your situation, but you can calculate it using this simulator.
Accommodation Check out our article about finding accommodation in Marseille here.
Header photo : Stéphane Pachot
