Tag: moving

Everything You Need to Know About Applying for a French Visa

Posted on by Juliette
Applying for a French Visa

Have you ever dreamed of moving to France but were unsure how to manage applying for a French visa? In this article we break down the French visa application process for non-EU citizens (Brexit we’re looking at you ???? ) and answer some of the most commonly asked questions regarding French visa applications. If this process seems daunting or out of reach, don’t stress! The Urban Index team has navigated their fair share of French visas and we have a step by step process to get through it.

Please bear in mind that this applies to most general non-EU situations. Certain countries might have more specific requirements so be sure to check what those may be.

If there are any questions we missed drop us a line in the comments. We will do our best to find the answer for you !

When do I need a visa to come to France and how long can I stay in France without a visa?

If you are a non-EU citizen planning to visit France for an extended period of time, it is likely that you will need a visa before you arrive.

At present, citizens from over 60 countries, including Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, can visit the EU without a visa for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

However, if you’re already in the country and find it to your liking and plan on staying for more than roughly 3 months then you will need to apply for a visa. 

When in doubt check the visa wizard on the official French visa website and input your information.

Good to know:

Be aware that even if you are from a visa exempt country and just planning on eat, pray, loving it on the 90 day rule, you will soon need to register for a visa waiver program called ETIAS! The ETIAS system (similar to the American ESTA system) is expected to be operational by the end of 2022. Travelers will be required to apply for ETIAS authorization before their trip to the Schengen Area. The exact cost of the application has not been announced yet, but it is expected to be around 7 euros.

What visa do I need to come to France? 

The first place to start is to determine which type of visa makes the most sense for your situation.

There are different types of visas depending on what you plan to do in France.

  • Are you planning on living in France for more than 90 days but not working?
  • Do you want to study?
  • Is your company sponsoring you?
  • Do you have a French family member or partner you’d like to join in France?

You can check the French visa website to see which visa category applies to your situation.

What papers are needed to apply for a French visa?

The documents required for a French visa application may vary depending on the visa type. Generally they will include :

  • A valid passport
  • A visa application form
  • Passport photos
  • Travel insurance
  • Proof of accommodation
  • Proof of sufficient funds
  • And other supporting documents.

Good to know:

Don’t make the same mistake I did when applying for my au pair visa!

Check that you have :

  • At least two blank pages . The two blank pages must be adjacent to each other and be in the same section of the passport to allow for the placement of the visa sticker.
  • A validity that exceeds the duration of your planned stay in France or the Schengen Area in your passport.

But be careful! The last pages in an American passport are NOT actually visa pages, they are for “endorsements”. I didn’t know this and I had to rebook an appointment at the consulate, change my flights, and pay for express passport renewal to get a new passport with blank pages.

Do I have to go to the French consulate to apply for a visa?

Yes, in most cases, you will have to go to the French consulate or embassy in your country to apply for a visa.

Step 1 : find the right location

Some countries have outsourced visa processing to third-party companies. For example, VFS Global or TLS Contact, operate visa application centers on behalf of the French government.

Step 2 : Schedule an appointment

Once you find which embassy, consulate, or visa centre is closest to you (and that you have the right to apply at), you will need to schedule an appointment. Normally there will be a link on the embassy, consulate, or visa centre website to follow for the appointment scheduling process. Some embassy or visa centers might have options for express processing, some do not. In any case, it could take several weeks before you find an open appointment so plan accordingly.

Step 3 : what to expect during the process

On the day of your appointment, bring all the required documents and submit them to the visa officer. This is when you will pay the fees for your visa. You may also be interviewed during the appointment and have biometric data taken (digital fingerprints). If you have all the necessary documents they will take your file and your passport to process your visa.

Good to know: 

  • You may get lucky if there are last minute cancellations so keep checking regularly if you need an appointment quickly.
  • Don’t forget that you will not have access to your passport during the process so don’t plan any trips outside your home country!

How much does a French visa cost?

The cost of your visa will depend on the type of visa you are applying for as well as other factors such as your nationality. Usually the prices hover around 100 euros.

The visa wizard on the official French visa application website should tell you exactly what you need to pay.

Good to know:

  • If your visa is rejected you will not be refunded the cost of your visa so it really is worth triple checking that your documents are correct and all there.

How long does it take to process a French visa?

French visa processing times can take from as quickly as 2 weeks to up to 2-3 months.

Once your application is processed, you will receive a decision on your visa application and be informed by email or text when your passport/visa is ready to be picked up.

Sometimes you will need to bring a prepaid, tracked & signed envelope to the appointment in which your passport will be mailed back to you. If you live near where you have your appointment sometimes you can choose to pick it up in person.

Good to know: 

  • Some embassies or visa processing centers will have a system where you can track the status of your visa processing.
  • It’s important to apply for your French visa well in advance of your planned travel dates to allow for sufficient processing time but you usually cannot submit documents more than 3 – 6 months before your planned entry date to France.

TL;DR – How to Apply for a French Visa: Step-by-Step

  1. Figure out if you need a visa and if yes, which one you need.
  2. Fill out the visa application form online or download it from the embassy’s website. Make sure to fill it out completely and accurately.
  3. Schedule an appointment at the French consulate or embassy in your country or at a third-party visa processing centre.
  4. Attend the appointment and bring all the required documents. You may also be interviewed and have biometric data taken.
  5. Wait for a decision on your visa application.
  6. Pick up your passport with your new visa (or wait for it to arrive in the post) and head to France!

Tips and Tricks:

Save yourself the stress and headache of trying to apply for a French visa at the last minute. Even if I have had French visas processed in as little as 3 weeks, applying with no time to spare makes for an unpleasant experience that could be spent better preparing and looking forward to your new adventure in France. Gather your documents and double check them (and your passport) before you make your visa appointment.

Always try to book the earliest appointment available, but if you are in a time crunch you can keep checking the website after you have booked an appointment in case an earlier one comes up. Just don’t forget to cancel the later appointment if you get lucky!

Internet Subscriptions in France

Posted on by Juliette

When deciding between internet subscriptions in France you want to check what internet you are eligible for: ADSL or Fiber. Fiber is faster, but your building has to be equipped with a fiber connection. You also should consider what your budget looks like. You can find out with a quick address search if your building has fiber access by clicking here or here.

How to choose an internet subscription in France?

There are THOUSANDS of offers at any time on the market. So knowing what type of connection you have and what your budget is (checklist below), is very helpful. In France, signing up for internet can also come with a TV option. So deciding if you want TV access, or access to private, provider-owned channels such as OCS (Orange Cinéma Séries) in addition to possible streaming services (Netflix, Disney+, you get the idea) is also good to have in the back of your mind.

Here’s a quick checklist:

  • Do I have DSL or Fiber?
  • Do I want TV access?
  • What’s my budget?
  • Do I want the ability to cancel anytime?
  • Do I want a cheap offer now that will increase in a year?
  • Do I need a human representative to ask questions to down the line or can I survive in a chat with google translate?

I recommend to head to one of the comparison sites using the info you have collected above – there are several, I usually find mine by googling “meilleur internet Paris” or “internet Paris pas cher” and it’ll come up, top choices being lemon.fr, selector.info or lameilleurebox.com

Here are the internet subscription keywords to look out for:

  1. “Sans engagement” – meaning you can cancel at any time
  2. “Frais de location” rental fees, you want to avoid this, having “Incluse dans le prix de la box” is better
  3. “Prix fixe” – fixed price. A lot of offers increase after 12/24 months, look out for this!

Once you find your perfect provider, remember booking an appointment to install the box is mandatory and you need to be home. These appointments are given out at random so make sure you can be flexible (a lot of employers understand if you explain the situation).

If you are installing Fiber internet, remember to have access to the basement, there often is a key involved, and without it the technician cannot finish the installation. You’ll have to book another appointment to finalise, and that can take another couple of weeks.

All this being said, word on the street is that Orange has the best internet, I myself use RED and they sometimes have a dropout, but nothing too dramatic, and anytime I walk by a FREE shop there is a long line of angry looking customers – just saying ????

Good to know:

If you ever move or change provider, you will need to return your internet router box, so make sure to hold on to the packaging and not damage it – not returning these items usually comes with a steep fee – make sure to read the fine print of your contract!

Setting up your Household

Posted on by Juliette

If you’re anything like me, you are not moving to a new country (or city) with your entire household in tow. You pack your things, your clothes and essential items plus those things that are not replaceable, and start from scratch at your new place.

Having set up a new household this three times now (so far) in my life, I consider myself somewhat of an expert and in this blog I will share all my learnings with you. If there are any tips and tricks I have missed but you know, please send me a message and I will add them! 

In this article I won’t be covering topics like finding an apartment or the moving process itself, we’ll begin where you already have the keys to your room / apartment, and want to set up your household. Depending if you are renting a furnished or an unfurnished room / apartment, you’ll already have some things in place.

If you are renting a furnished property, your landlord must provide you with furniture, bedding, kitchen appliances, tableware, lighting and cleaning utensils.

Furnished or unfurnished, here is where you can procure items at any price point:

✨Free✨: 

Having a laptop and internet is essential for this option because you’re going to have to not only hunt for free items, but be the first one to strike. Finding free items is possible in several places online, and any social media that offers a marketplace (like facebook, for example). 

The top destination for free items for your household is leboncoin.fr, the craigslist, gumtree or eBay Kleinanzeigen of France. At the top, you can select what items you are looking for, and then at the maximum price you add “0€” or “don (gratuit)” which means donation. You will find a plethora of items, the only catch is that you have to collect them yourselves (99% of the time). On leboncoin.fr you can also set an alert, so list what you want and then receive an email each time there is a hit. 

Another popular website is nextdoor.com, where you can post an ad if you’re looking for something specific, or respond to ads from people who are giving away their things. Local facebook groups, reddit forums or even on vinted.com (sort by 0€) can turn up results without you having to pay money for the items.

€: 

Working with a small budget is made very easy in France because of the wonderful secular charity Emmaüs, founded by Abbé Pierre in 1949 in Paris, to combat poverty and homelessness. They have chapters all over the country, and in these locations you can purchase all items for your household at a low price point. Emmaüs sells everything, from furniture to dishes, cutlery to pots & pans, clothing, shoes, picture frames, electronic items, mirrors, board games, records, mattresses – really, everything you can imagine. You can find your nearest chapter by searching on this map. 

There are different types of Emmaüs locations, from huge warehouses to small shops in city centres, depending on what items you need, make sure you choose the right location. They also have an online shop. Transporting the items back to your place is up to you, some Emmaüs offer a delivery service for an extra fee, alternatively you can try your luck on public transport (I’ve done both metro and bus to move furniture by myself) or ask a friend who is lucky enough to have a car.

If you prefer new items in your budget have a look at H&M Home, Hema, or consider your local supermarkets, most Carrefour, Monoprix and Franprix have some basics available. In most neighbourhoods there will also be local stores, family-owned businesses, that offer most of the items you are looking for – have a wander around and see if you can find any near you!

€€: 

Ikea. If you have some money to spend, most cities have an Ikea nearby. If you don’t, there often will be an Ikea shuttle that will take you there (and back) free of charge, google “ikea+shuttle+city”” and you should find a good result. I’ve used this service both in Toulouse and Paris, it worked great if you plan well. If you plan to buy large furniture this shuttle is not for you, you can either hire a man with a van (on leboncoin.fr or yoojo.fr) or just wait at Ikea, there usually are a bunch of people offering their services. Be sure to negotiate a price before getting in the car, usually it is around 50€ – 100€. 

Another option to find household items that I personally love is Selency, an online flea market. You can find unique pieces from all over the place and have them delivered directly to you – there are options for every price point (except for free). A great alternative to Selency of course are real flea markets, each city has them and you can check your city on Vide Greniers or Calendrier des Brocantes. If you want new items, look no farther than Zara Home, Maisons du Monde, Muji, Casa,or  La Redoute, 

A third option available is to find people who are dissolving their households and are trying to find a buyer for all of their things – especially if you are starting with nothing and need everything, this can be a great solution for you! You can find these listings on expat facebook groups, expat forums, and soon also on Urban Index!

€€€: 

If money is no object and you want to avoid the previous two categories, there are several options to choose from.

One of the most popular store is Habitat, not only do they have a decent selection of items, but their sales are very generous and you can find a good deal. If you like their basics, it’s worth getting “la carte habitat” as you can save money on deliveries and access their private sales events.

Another very popular store is Roche Bobois, the items purchased there are unique and usually fall into the luxury category. If your budget is uncapped, you can head to the Galeries Lafayette, La Samaritaine, La Grande Epicerie de Paris and other similar department stores, they’ll stock what you are looking for from various designer brands.

I hope this will make the prospect of setting up shop less daunting and you feel equipped on how, and where to get started once the time comes!