Guides
Step-by-step guides
Curated guides for common procedures, each with the date it was last checked.
France
All of France
How to file your first income tax return in France
If you live in France you declare your income every spring, even when tax is already taken from your salary. Your first return works differently because you don't have a tax number yet. Here's how to get one and file.Verified 3 Oct 2026All of France
How to get your French social security number and carte Vitale
To be reimbursed for healthcare in France you need to join the national health insurance (Assurance Maladie), which gives you a social security number and then a carte Vitale. How you register depends on whether you work, study or simply live in France.Verified 3 Oct 2026All of France
How to validate your long-stay visa (VLS-TS) in France
If you arrived in France with a long-stay visa marked "VLS-TS", it only works as a residence permit once you validate it online on the ANEF website, within 3 months of arriving. Here's how.Verified 3 Oct 2026
Helpers share personal experience. This is not legal, tax or immigration advice.