Maria B. Says:
I’ve decided to retire in France and understand the requirements: my question is, can I apply [for a visa] in France or do I need to do something ahead of time in the U.S.? I would also like some help with handling finances.
IL France Correspondent Tuula Rampont Says:
Hello Maria, and thank you for your question.
You’ll need to start the long-stay visa process in the U.S. It’s not a complicated application, but does require getting a bit of paperwork together and doing some planning regarding your timeline. You can’t start the application process any sooner than three months before your leave-to-France date.
The first step will be to fill out the application on the France Visas website here. You can save your work as you go, and then the final step is to attend a visa appointment at one of the 10 visa-processing centers in the US. The processing company is called VFS Global, and you can make an appointment on its website here.
The French consulate make the final decision on the visa, and the turnaround time is about two or three weeks. The visa is mailed directly to your home.
For financial services, I would recommend you contact Brian Dunhill. Brian is an English-speaking financial planner who works with American expats in France
Got a Question?
Send your thoughts to mailbag@internationalliving.com. We’ll post and respond to as many of your emails as we can right here in the e-letter.