Photo by Jacob Diehl on Unsplash
🇫🇷 Europe (Schengen)
Moving to France from the US
France for American digital nomads: no dedicated nomad visa, and a heavy tax regime once you become tax resident. Tourist entry for US passports: 90/180 days Schengen.
Europe (Schengen) 🧾 heavy tax
France in numbers
At a glance
| 🛂 Tourist entry | 🇺🇸US90d🇪🇺EUUnlimited🇬🇧UK90d🇨🇦CA90d🇦🇺AU90d |
| 🛂 Digital nomad visa | No dedicated digital nomad visa |
| 🏠 Path to permanent residency | Carte de résident possible after 5 years continuous residence |
| 🌍 What gets taxed | Worldwide income Once you are a tax resident it taxes your income from anywhere in the world, including pay from US clients. |
| 📈 Top income-tax rate | 45% Brackets: 45% top + surcharges |
| ✨ Special regime | None specific to nomads; auto-entrepreneur regime available for registered freelancers (~22% social charges) |
| 🇺🇸 US tax treaty | ✅ Yes Stops the same income being taxed by both countries and can lower tax withheld on things like dividends. |
| ⚖️ Family-law exposure (payer) | Obligation 6/10 · cross-border collection 8/10 |
| 🗣️ English | Moderate proficiency (EF index 539) National average from the EF English Proficiency Index 2025; big cities and tourist areas usually run higher. |
| 🏥 Healthcare access | Very high (WHO coverage index 82/100, 2023) How well essential care reaches the population. Most Americans abroad use private care and insurance; this measures the public system. |
| 👩 Women's safety & rights | Very high (WPS index 0.864) Women, Peace and Security Index 2023/24 (Georgetown GIWPS): safety, legal rights and inclusion. |
| 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ equality | High (Equaldex index 74/100) Equaldex Equality Index (equaldex.com, CC BY-SA): laws plus public attitudes. |
| 🛡️ Safety (hard stats) | Homicide 1.33/100k · road deaths 4.7/100k |
Full detail with ratings and sources: visas & residency · tax breakdown · legal exposure · safety & crime
Data last updated · Source: Compiled from the visas, tax and legal datasets
Cities we cover in France
Photos from Unsplash: Paris by Jacob Diehl on Unsplash
Month-by-month weather: Paris climate
⭐ France on our best-of lists
🌅 Thinking of retiring here? Retire in France: visa, costs and healthcare →
🇪🇺 Other countries in Europe (Schengen)
Moving to France: common questions
Can Americans move to France?
Yes. The main routes are the Visiteur long-séjour (long-stay visitor visa) for retirees and passive income. Path to permanent residency: Carte de résident possible after 5 years continuous residence.
How long can Americans stay in France without a visa?
About 90 days visa-free as a tourist on a US passport. France has no dedicated digital nomad visa, so living there longer needs another residence route.
Will I pay tax in France as an American?
Heavy: once resident, local income tax applies at relatively high rates. What gets taxed: worldwide income; the top rate is 45%. As an American you also keep filing with the IRS wherever you live; the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and foreign tax credits usually stop you paying twice.
What does it cost to live in France?
About $2,816 a month for one person, all-in (everyday costs plus a 1-bedroom city-centre rent), across the 1 city we cover.
Is English spoken in France?
Partly. The country ranks "moderate" on the EF English Proficiency Index: common in tourist and business areas, much less so elsewhere.
Is France safe?
France's homicide rate is 1.33 per 100,000 people a year (the US is roughly 6), and road deaths are 4.7 per 100,000. On our country scale that's "safer".