Expat Academy

How to retire in France as an American

Visas, tax residence, the US-France tax treaty, healthcare and housing for Americans retiring to France on Social Security, IRAs and 401(k)s.

Updated · Expat Academy · Education, not advice

1 EUR = 1.1193 USD · 1 USD = €0.8934 ECB euro foreign exchange reference rate, 23 Oct 2026

Euro amounts are converted at this rate and are estimates. Currency moves change what your life in Europe costs in dollars: a weaker dollar makes it more expensive.

Retiring to France on US income is very doable, and many Americans do it every year. What surprises people is not the paperwork at the consulate but the number of separate rule books involved: French immigration, French tax, US tax (which never lets go of a citizen), your US state, Medicare and Social Security. This guide walks through each one in the order you'll meet it.

First decide: move, or spend part of the year

There are two quite different ways to "retire to France", and almost every rule below depends on which one you choose.

  • Become a French resident. You move your home to France, hold a visitor visa and then a residence card, join French public healthcare, and file French tax returns as a resident. The US keeps taxing you too, and the tax treaty sorts out who gives way.
  • Stay a US resident and spend part of the year in France. You keep your US home, doctors and accounts, and spend a season in France as a visitor or on a temporary visa. Done well, you never file a French return.

Neither is better. The first gives you a life in France; the second keeps US healthcare and a simpler tax picture. Our free France Residence Check shows which way your current plan points.

The visa

Americans can visit France and the rest of the Schengen area for 90 days in any rolling 180 without a visa. To stay longer you need a long-stay visa:

  • Temporary long-stay visitor visa (VLS-T): one stay of more than three months, up to about six. Not renewable in France and not a residence permit. The usual choice for a long season.
  • Long-stay visitor visa serving as a residence permit (VLS-TS "visiteur"): a year in France, validated online after you arrive, then renewed at the préfecture as a residence card. The usual route for retirees who move.

Both ask for stable resources of at least the net minimum wage per applicant, €1,443 (about $1,615 today) a month in 2026, plus private health insurance and a promise not to work in France. Because the test is in euros and your income is in dollars, a weaker dollar can push you closer to the line. See our guide to the France visitor visa for retirees or check your margin with the Visa Income Checker.

Tax residence: the question that decides everything

France makes you tax resident if any one of four tests points to France: your household lives there, France is your main place of stay, your main work is there, or the centre of your economic interests is there. The 183-day rule people quote is only part of the second test. A retiree whose spouse lives in France full time can be resident with far fewer days. Our guide to France's tax residency rules explains each test and the treaty tie-breaker.

How France taxes US retirement income

This is where the US-France tax treaty matters most, and where it's generous to American retirees:

  • Social Security, 401(k), IRA and pension income is taxable only in the US. France counts it to set your rate, then gives a credit equal to the French tax on it.
  • Dividends and gains on US shares of US citizens get a French credit for the 12.8% income tax, but French social charges (18.6% from 2026, or 7.5% on one reading of the treaty) may still apply.
  • US interest is taxed by France, and the US gives the credit instead.

The detail is in Does France tax Social Security, 401(k)s and IRAs? and French social charges on US investments.

US obligations that follow you

  • Your US return, every year, on your worldwide income.
  • The FBAR (FinCEN 114) once your foreign accounts together pass $10,000 at any point in the year, and Form 8938 at higher amounts.
  • Your state: some states keep taxing former residents who don't cut ties cleanly. Selling or renting out the house, moving your driver's licence and voter registration, and filing a final part-year return all help.
  • Social Security keeps paying in France, into a US account or directly in euros. Return the questionnaire it mails abroad every year or two, or payments stop.

Healthcare

Medicare doesn't pay for care in France. If you move, you buy private cover for the first year, then join French public healthcare (PUMa) after three months of stable residence, usually with a top-up policy (mutuelle). If you spend seasons in France, you keep Medicare and buy travel medical insurance for each stay. Whether to keep Medicare Part B after a move is one of the bigger decisions; see Medicare and health insurance for Americans in France.

Housing and the cost of living

Most people rent first. French leases are tenant-friendly but the paperwork is heavy, and landlords want a French guarantor or a bank guarantee. See Renting in France as an American and The cost of living in France for retirees.

Before you go

The date your French residence starts splits your finances in two: before it, only the US taxes you; after it, both countries can. Some decisions are best made before that date, and a few can't be undone after it. See tax planning before moving to Europe.

Who you'll need

Even with all of this understood, you'll want a cross-border CPA who files both US and French returns, a French attorney or notaire for estate questions, and possibly an immigration adviser. The point of learning the rules first is to walk into those meetings with the right questions, which makes them shorter and the answers more useful.

Questions

Can a US citizen retire in France?

Yes. Most American retirees use France's long-stay visitor visa, which lets you live in France for a year without working and is renewed as a residence card. You need stable income of at least France's net minimum wage per person, private health insurance for the first year, and a signed promise not to work in France.

How much money do you need to retire in France?

For the visa, at least the net minimum wage per applicant each month, about €1,443 in 2026, and consulates often look for more. For daily life, most retirees budget well above that; housing is the biggest and most variable cost, from Paris and the Côte d'Azur down to smaller towns in the south-west and centre.

Do I still file US taxes if I retire in France?

Yes. The US taxes its citizens wherever they live, so you keep filing a US return every year, and the FBAR if your foreign accounts pass $10,000. France taxes its residents too; the US-France tax treaty decides which country gives up tax on which income.

Can I spend part of the year in France without moving there?

Yes. Many retirees keep their US home and spend a season in France as visitors (up to 90 days in any 180) or on a temporary long-stay visa for up to about six months. The aim is that none of France's four residence tests points to France, so you stay a US tax resident only.

Go deeper

  • C1 The four kinds of "residence" Free preview: Your visa, your tax residence, your US state and your Schengen days are four separate tests, and they can point in four directions.
  • F1 France's four residence tests Free preview: Any one of four tests makes you French tax resident. How each works, how the treaty breaks a tie with the US, and how Track A students stay on the US side.
  • F2 The visitor visa, step by step: France's long-stay visitor visa is the usual route for retirees. The resources test, the insurance, the application, validation on arrival and renewal.

Sources

Education, not advice. This guide explains general rules as of the date above. Rules change every year; confirm your own situation with a qualified adviser in the US and in France.