For Americans moving to Paris for work, school, family, retirement, or simply a long-term change of pace, the city offers a mix of history, culture, career opportunities, public transportation, and neighborhood life.
Moving to Paris means juggling more than one clock. Visa approval can drag on while your shipment is already in transit. Housing paperwork might be due before your immigration status is even settled. The move itself is only one piece of the puzzle – you need to plan for the rest of it too, or your first few weeks in France will be spent trying to figure out logistics instead of enjoying your new city.
Understand France’s visa and residency requirements
Plan to stay in France more than 90 days? You’ll need a long-stay visa before leaving the US, not after you arrive. Which type of visa you need will depend on why you are moving and may require work authorization, school enrollment, family records, or proof of financial resources.
Below is some information about what you may need if you’re moving to:
Take a job – work authorization and a long-stay employee visa
Attend university – a long-stay student visa
Join family already in France – a family-based long-stay visa, or the reunification process
Retire or move without plans to work – a long-stay visitor visa, which doesn’t permit employment
Start a business or work for yourself – typically an entrepreneur/profession libérale visa, or a qualifying talent visa depending on your field
Many long-stay visas are issued as a VLS-TS (a visa that acts as a residence permit during the first year and must be validated after you arrive in France). Other visas require a residency application soon after entry. Use the official France-Visas wizard and begin gathering documents several months before departure.
Tip: Before you schedule movers to ship your belongings or sign a long-term lease, make sure your immigration plans are buttoned up.
Build a moving timeline for Paris
Track all of your immigration, housing, travel, and shipping deadlines on the same calendar. A practical moving to Paris checklist might look like this:
90+ days before your move
- Determine which visa type you need and start the process to secure your visa
- Request moving estimates, gather records, and decide what to sell, store, or ship
60 days before your move
- Choose your moving partner and schedule packing
- Begin searching for housing
- Organize your medical and pet records
30 days before your move
- Finalize inventory and customs documents
- Arrange for temporary housing
- Confirm travel
Moving week
- Keep passports, medication, valuables, chargers, and several weeks of essentials in your luggage
First month after arrival
- Complete visa and insurance tasks
- Finalize housing
- Coordinate banking and healthcare registration
- It typically takes several weeks for household goods shipments to arrive (and customs may add time), so plan to live without your main shipment after you arrive.
Tip: Pack an arrival kit for at least two to three weeks, including work clothes, bedding, basic cookware, and important records.
Decide what to ship and what to leave behind
Sea freight is generally the most practical choice for a larger household shipment. Air freight is faster but usually better for a small number of essentials. An international mover can help you compare a full container, shared container, air shipment, or combination.
Apartments in Paris are usually smaller than US homes with less storage space, and older buildings can have narrow stairs, compact elevators, and limited delivery access. Before you move any of your furniture to Paris, compare large pieces with the floor plan, doorways, stairwell, and elevator. Check US appliances for compatibility with French electrical systems.
Having your belongings professionally packed can protect furniture, artwork, antiques, and other fragile items that will be handled multiple times. A full-service moving company can also coordinate export transportation, customs documentation, destination clearance, and final delivery.
Tip: Declutter before the moving survey. Shipment volume is a major cost factor, so selling or storing bulky items may reduce the quote.
Prepare for French customs
Americans transferring their primary residence may qualify to import eligible household goods without customs duties and taxes. French customs generally requires at least 12 months of residence outside the European Union and at least six months of prior private use of the goods.
You have 12 months from your residence transfer for eligible belongings to arrive — with a detailed inventory and supporting documents included. Additionally, you can’t sell, rent, loan, or transfer your duty-free goods during the first 12 months after they arrive. Some belongings may have different rules, including vehicles, alcohol, tobacco, new purchases, and regulated items.
Make copies of everything before you go: passport, visa, proof of residence, your inventory, transport documents, whatever forms your mover asks for. And keep the things you genuinely can’t replace – immigration papers, medication, cash, and irreplaceable records – with you at all times, not packed away.
Tip: Your inventory list will do triple duty for customs, delivery checks, and valuation claims, so be sure to use clear, consistent descriptions for your items.
What does it cost to move to Paris from the United States?
The cost of moving to Paris depends on how much you’re shipping, which freight method you use, where you’re departing from, how easy your delivery address is to access, and whether storage, packing, or timing add anything extra. Moving from New York may involve different transportation and routing than a move from California, so a personalized survey will be much more accurate than a generic estimate.
As you plan your moving budget, account for packing and crating, sea or air freight, storage, valuation coverage, possible customs or port charges, flights, temporary housing, pet transportation, rental deposits, agency fees, utilities, and other settling-in costs.
Expect the rent in central Paris to be high. But you may not need a car because of the city’s strong Metro and regional transportation system. Compare the full monthly cost of living, including taxes, insurance, schools, and commuting.
Tip: Get a written, itemized estimate from your moving company and confirm everything that is included at origin, in transit, at customs, and during final delivery.
Find housing and choose a Paris neighborhood
Be ready with a full dossier before you go apartment hunting in Paris — landlords typically want ID, visa or residency documents, proof of income and employment, tax records, bank information, and a guarantor. You’ll also need rental risk insurance.
You may want to take the path of other expats in Paris by looking for furnished temporary housing at first to build a French financial record and visit neighborhoods in person before deciding where you want to settle down.
The best Paris neighborhood for expats depends on budget, work location, school needs, and commute. Visit at different times of day before signing a long-term lease.
5th and 6th arrondissements: central, historic living near universities and major landmarks- 7th arrondissement : quieter central setting near embassies and government offices
- 10th and 11th arrondissements: restaurants, nightlife, and an energetic city atmosphere
- 15th arrondissement : residential streets, services, and family-oriented living
- 16th arrondissement : quieter setting with more space and international school access
- 17th arrondissement : residential neighborhoods, parks, transit, and local shopping
- Western suburbs: more space and school options in Boulogne-Billancourt, Neuilly-sur-Seine, or Versailles
Tip: Don’t send a deposit until you’ve thoroughly researched the property and landlord or agency and confirmed the lease and payment instructions.
Plan for work, healthcare, schools, and daily life
Americans can work legally in Paris only when their visa or residency status authorizes employment, and any required work permit is approved. Permission from a U.S. employer to work remotely does not automatically settle French immigration, payroll, or tax obligations.
Once you’re working or living in France legally, you can be covered by the public healthcare system, but registration takes a while depending on your status. You may need private insurance for the visa while you wait for public coverage. Make sure you have your prescriptions, medical records, and other medications to get through the in-between period.
If you’re moving with kids, research public, private, bilingual, and international schools early. After you arrive, you may need to set up the basics for everyday interactions — a French bank account, home insurance, mobile service, internet, and utility accounts. Basic French makes these tasks easier.
Tip: Scan and cloud-store copies and certified translations of your important civil documents before you go.
Prepare to move pets to France
Dogs, cats, and ferrets entering from the United States generally need an approved microchip, a valid rabies vaccination given after microchipping, and an EU animal health certificate. A first rabies vaccination usually requires a 21-day waiting period before travel.
Get a USDA-accredited veterinarian to complete the certificate, following the current USDA endorsement process. There may be other requirements to bring your pet to Paris depending on airline rules, crate standards, weather restrictions, and whether the pet travels with you.
Tip: Contact a USDA-accredited veterinarian early. Pet paperwork follows a strict sequence and timing.
Frequently asked questions about moving to Paris
How do I move to Paris from the USA?
Choose the correct long-stay visa, arrange housing and healthcare, hire experienced international movers to Paris, and prepare your customs documents and arrival plan.
What visa do Americans need to move to Paris?
Visa options include employee, student, family, visitor, entrepreneur, and qualifying talent. Most stays longer than 90 days require advance approval.
How long does an international move to Paris take?
Planning often begins several months before leaving the US. Household goods shipped by sea usually require several weeks, depending on routing, customs, and delivery access.
Should I hire an international moving company?
For a full household move, an experienced mover can manage specialized packing, freight, inventories, customs support, storage, destination partners, and final delivery.
A successful move to Paris starts with careful planning
A move to Paris means juggling immigration, logistics, housing, and an unfamiliar administrative system – all at the same time. The earlier you start, the more time you have to choose the right visa, downsize what you’re going to ship overseas, book with an experienced international mover, and get your customs paperwork in order so you can actually enjoy your first month in Paris.