Aurelio Maurici

The order of a US family's move to France, from official pages: a visa for each of you, your children's status and travel document, school, health cover, CAF.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

The apps and tools that plan a move to France, compared from their own pages: what each covers, before or after arrival, phone or web, and the price.

Aurelio Maurici8 min read

Paris apartments sold at a median 9,712 euros per square meter in 2025. Prices by arrondissement, the Carrez area, copropriété papers and buying costs.

Aurelio Maurici11 min read

A château can be a protected monument: works need state approval, buying costs run about 7 percent and the wealth tax starts at 1.3 million euros. What to check first.

Aurelio Maurici13 min read

Almost half of French house sales in 2025 were under 200,000 euros. Where houses sell cheapest, what a low price leaves out and the buying costs on top.

Aurelio Maurici9 min read

What a French assurance-vie is, how France taxes withdrawals and the transfer to heirs, which U.S. reports it triggers, and what the official pages do not settle for Americans.

Aurelio Maurici11 min read

What Article 18 of the US-France tax treaty says about Social Security, 401(k) and IRA payments, how France credits them on your return, and what the text leaves open.

Aurelio Maurici9 min read

What the French ALD status is, which illnesses qualify, how the protocole de soins opens 100% coverage, and which costs stay with you, per Assurance Maladie.

Aurelio Maurici9 min read

FBAR and Form 8938 side by side for Americans living in France: who files, the thresholds, deadlines, penalties, and which French accounts and assets go on which form.

Aurelio Maurici8 min read

The tests that make you a French tax resident (home, main stay, work, economic interests), what happens in the year you arrive, and the treaty tie-breaker.

Aurelio Maurici10 min read

How a French nursing home (EHPAD) bills its residents, which aid pays part of it (APA, ASH, housing allowance, tax reduction), and why Medicare pays nothing.

Aurelio Maurici11 min read

The French tools for the day you cannot decide for yourself: the mandat de protection future, advance directives and the trusted person, and what they do not settle for Americans.

Aurelio Maurici9 min read

Can an American parent move to France to live near an adult child? What France-Visas, the Interior Ministry and service-public say about the older-relative route and family reunification.

Aurelio Maurici6 min read

A wire in euros can show no fee and still cost you in the exchange rate. How to send dollars to France, compare quotes in euros, and what the CFPB and IRS say.

Aurelio Maurici14 min read

What to do in France and in the U.S. when your spouse dies: the death certificate, the town hall declaration, funeral rules, the bank, the embassy report and Social Security.

Aurelio Maurici11 min read

Americans can stay 90 days in France without a visa. For about six months you need a long-stay visitor visa. What each option allows, and what it does not.

Aurelio Maurici9 min read

What TRICARE For Life and the VA Foreign Medical Program pay when a veteran or military retiree lives in France, why Part B must be kept, and how to file claims.

Aurelio Maurici9 min read

Lycée and university blockades have spread across France since mid-September 2026. What is happening, what the sources say, and what it means for Americans there.

Aurelio Maurici10 min read

No. The Assurance Maladie repays 60% of set fees: a 23 euro dental check-up leaves 9.20 euros. With a mutuelle, 100% Santé crowns and glasses cost nothing.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

A couple living in France can divorce there, even after a US wedding. Each spouse needs a lawyer, and mutual consent takes a 15-day wait and a notaire.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

You are French if a parent was French when you were born. Through a grandparent it takes an unbroken chain, and 50 years abroad can bar the proof.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

No. Medicare does not pay for care in France. Part A stays free, Part B costs $202.90 a month in 2026, and dropping it adds 10% per full year without it.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

An SCI is a French civil company of at least two associés that owns the property. It removes no French inheritance tax and adds IRS forms for an American.

Aurelio Maurici22 min read

France does not look through a US revocable living trust. The trustee owes a declaration by 15 June each year, and each one missed costs 20,000 euros.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

Never filed US taxes from France? The IRS streamlined procedure covers 3 years of returns and 6 FBARs penalty free. Who qualifies, and the clock on it.

Aurelio Maurici15 min read

Sending money from the US to France? The 1% remittance tax only hits cash-funded transfers. The exchange rate spread is the real cost. How to compare and cut it.

Aurelio Maurici15 min read

What Americans pay on French property: taxe foncière, second-home taxe d'habitation, the IFI threshold, and 36.2 percent when you sell.

Aurelio Maurici21 min read

The CAF simulator runs in French only and wants a French tax notice. What France's free official simulators miss for Americans, and what to check instead.

Aurelio Maurici13 min read

France can tax your US LLC as a corporation at 25%. What triggers requalification, the 10 year audit window, and how to register before it happens.

Aurelio Maurici16 min read

US accounts, the PFIC trap, the IFI wealth tax and its 5-year window, inheritance and FATCA: the complete money map for Americans moving to France in 2026.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

The 2% tax on fortunes above 100 million euros is not in the 2026 Finance Law. What passed: a 20% levy on luxury assets in family holdings. IFI unchanged.

Aurelio Maurici20 min read

Renovating an old French farmhouse runs 1,000 to 2,000 euros per square meter in 2026, often as much as the house. A bad DPE restricts renting, not buying.

Aurelio Maurici19 min read

Most French investment products are PFIC tax traps for Americans. How the US-France treaty helps and where US citizens can actually invest in 2026.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

How French forced heirship, Brussels IV, and the US-France estate tax treaty affect Americans in France, plus 2026 succession tax rates.

Aurelio Maurici21 min read

Why English-speaking residents in France use an insurance broker, what a courtier actually does, and how to choose a good one with confidence.

Aurelio Maurici15 min read

No. With CPAM, a €30 doctor visit leaves you €11, a hospital day costs €23, and two flat fees run up to €70 a year each. The real bill for Americans.

Aurelio Maurici26 min read

The French administrative vocabulary Americans actually need at the prefecture, CPAM, bank, and housing office, with key phrases to build confidence fast.

Aurelio Maurici13 min read

International plans average 3,500 to 3,600 euros a year, and US coverage is the big price lever. What qualifies for your visa and how to pay less.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

How Americans in France register to vote overseas, request an absentee ballot, meet state deadlines, and return it from France. UOCAVA rights explained.

Aurelio Maurici11 min read

How to find a médecin traitant in France: Doctolib, shortage workarounds, CPTS referral, ameli.fr declaration, and English-speaking doctor options.

Aurelio Maurici20 min read

How ENIC-NARIC France evaluates US degrees, what the attestation unlocks, which professions require formal recognition, and how to apply step by step.

Aurelio Maurici13 min read

France treats your 401(k) and IRA as foreign accounts. Form 3916 is due yearly, even with zero withdrawals. Roth treatment is unsettled. RMDs still apply.

Aurelio Maurici19 min read

First-time filing French income taxes as an American? Numéro fiscal, Form 2042, Form 2047, deadlines by department, and declaring US income explained.

Aurelio Maurici28 min read

Traveling while waiting for residence permit renewal France: Schengen travel, U.S. return risks, récépissé rights, and documents to carry.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

Americans can get a French mortgage, but FATCA, the 35% debt ratio, assurance emprunteur, and income documentation create specific hurdles. Here's how.

Aurelio Maurici20 min read

French pharmacists advise clinically and handle minor problems without an appointment. How the ordonnance works, Carte Vitale reimbursement, and generics.

Aurelio Maurici16 min read

Kids under 10 reach functional classroom French in 4-6 months. "Doit fournir plus d'efforts" is standard teacher talk, not a warning. Grades run out of 20.

Aurelio Maurici25 min read

CPAM covers roughly 70% of most healthcare costs. Here's what a mutuelle covers, what it costs in 2026, and whether Americans in France actually need one.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

Prefecture, CPAM, or CAF not responding? When silence counts as a refusal, the recours gracieux, and Défenseur des droits steps for Americans in France.

Aurelio Maurici21 min read

Which US documents need an apostille for France, which need certified translation, and how to get both. Institution-by-institution checklist for Americans.

Aurelio Maurici20 min read

Americans not employed in France wait three months of continuous residence before joining French healthcare. The Carte Vitale often takes months more.

Aurelio Maurici20 min read

France's IFI taxes real estate wealth above 1.3 million euros. New arrivals get a 5-year exemption on foreign property. What US movers need to know.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

French public school is free and compulsory from age 3. Your address decides the school, and enrollment starts at the mairie, not at the school itself.

Aurelio Maurici15 min read

Moving apartments in France? Every institution to notify in the right order: ANEF, CPAM, CAF, impots.gouv.fr, bank, and employer. Checklist for Americans.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

Yes: the US taxes citizens on worldwide income wherever they live. Filing deadlines, FBAR over $10,000, FATCA and what the France-US treaty changes.

Aurelio Maurici38 min read

Most American CPAM files are incomplete on first submission. CPAM does not tell you. From arrival to a provisional social security number: 6 to 9 months.

Aurelio Maurici26 min read

When micro-entrepreneur status isn't enough, Americans in France may need a SARL or SAS. Here's when, how to register, and the US tax implications.

Aurelio Maurici19 min read

CASNAV assessment, UPE2A language classes, and how French schools integrate non-French-speaking children: what actually happens and what parents must do.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

A French social security number starting with 7 or 8 is provisional. You are reimbursed as normal, but the Carte Vitale waits for the permanent number.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

Moving to France? Fidelity and Schwab may restrict your US brokerage account. What happens and which alternatives work for American expats.

Aurelio Maurici20 min read

Controlled medications travel on you, with the original prescription. The letter to bring, the Adderall problem, and a checklist to keep your treatment going.

Aurelio Maurici19 min read

French public school is free. International schools cost €10,000 to €35,000 per year. The decision framework American families in France actually need.

Aurelio Maurici15 min read

Some French banks quietly decline US persons over FATCA. Refused? The droit au compte obliges the Banque de France to designate a bank for you within days.

Aurelio Maurici28 min read

RIB, IBAN, virement, prélèvement automatique, and cheques explained for Americans in France: what each is, when you use it, and how to set each one up.

Aurelio Maurici19 min read

The CSM exempts anyone drawing US Social Security or a pension. You owe it only on capital income above €24,030, plus the 2026 visitor-visa contribution.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

American freelancers in France owe taxes to both countries. Here's how Schedule SE, French cotisations sociales, and the Totalization Agreement interact.

Aurelio Maurici15 min read

Since January 1, 2026, the French language requirement is A2 for a first multi-year permit and B1 for a 10-year card. Citizenship requires B2, up from B1.

Aurelio Maurici23 min read

Since 1 January 2026, French naturalization requires a civic exam: 40 multiple-choice questions, 45 minutes, 80% to pass. What it covers, how to prepare.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

Homeschooling in France requires state authorization since 2022. The 4 accepted reasons, annual inspections, and CNED: what Americans must know.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

Moving to France doesn't end state tax obligations automatically. California, New York sticky state rules and the domicile change steps that actually work.

Aurelio Maurici21 min read

Americans in France can open a Livret A but it triggers FBAR and US tax. PEL, LEP, assurance-vie access, and the after-tax return calculation explained.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

Monaco has no income tax; France taxes worldwide income. But US citizenship taxes Americans in both. Compare tax, residency, and the cross-border traps.

Aurelio Maurici23 min read

Prefecture appointments disappear because slots are released in batches, weekly or biweekly, and claimed within minutes. Most renewals run on ANEF instead.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

Section 121 exclusion timing, French tax on US property sales, Form 8949, and what Americans in France must report when selling their US home.

Aurelio Maurici20 min read

Mental health support in France is reimbursed once you are with CPAM. Up to 12 psychologist sessions a year cost 50 euros each, 60 percent covered.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

Maternity care in France is covered at 100% from the sixth month, and you have five days to declare the birth. A baby of two Americans is not born French.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

US Social Security in France, the totalization agreement, Medicare Part B abroad, and the Windfall Elimination Provision explained for Americans.

Aurelio Maurici22 min read

Form 1116 credits French income tax against US tax, dollar for dollar. Unused foreign tax credit carries forward ten years. CSG and CRDS generally qualify.

Aurelio Maurici25 min read

France has no official retirement visa. Americans retire on the long-stay visitor visa, on passive income of about the net minimum wage or more.

Aurelio Maurici42 min read

How to get a crèche place, find an assistante maternelle, use monenfant.fr, claim CAF childcare allowances, and navigate childcare in France as an expat.

Aurelio Maurici16 min read

In your first month in France, order beats speed: the bank needs an address and the lease needs a bank. Phone first, bank in week two, lease in week three.

Aurelio Maurici31 min read

Which US bank accounts to keep, credit cards, brokerage decisions, Medicare Part B, Social Security, and wire transfers before moving to France.

Aurelio Maurici20 min read

TCF IRN vs DELF vs TEF turns on validity: TCF IRN and TEF results last two years, a DELF never expires. More than 18 months from filing, take the DELF.

Aurelio Maurici14 min read

The path from a VLS-TS to permanent residency in France takes five years at least. Since 2026 the 10-year card also requires B1 French and a civic exam.

Aurelio Maurici31 min read

An idle ANEF session times out in 20 to 30 minutes and may not save your work. Before renewing a carte de séjour, scan each document as a PDF under 4 MB.

Aurelio Maurici20 min read

Your deposit starts at the move-in inspection. How to document the apartment, what to watch for, and how to get your money back at move-out.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

What French banks ask for, how to handle the proof of address problem, and the fastest path to a working account when you first arrive in France.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

French citizenship for Americans takes five years of residence, certified B2 French since January 2026 and a civic exam. You keep your US passport.

Aurelio Maurici43 min read

Why proof of address blocks so many admin steps in France, what documents institutions actually accept, and how to build a realistic path out of Airbnb.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

A French lease deposit is capped at one month's rent unfurnished, two furnished. You give three months' notice or one, and some signed clauses are void.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read

To move out in France, give notice by registered letter: one month if furnished, three if unfurnished. The deposit is due back within one month, or two.

Aurelio Maurici18 min read

Renter's insurance is mandatory in France. Here is what it covers, how to get an attestation before key handover, and the fastest options for Americans.

Aurelio Maurici17 min read