Hello everyone. I’m Lee and I’m exploring moving to France, probably to Brittany, but it’s not set in stone. Basically, I’m looking for somewhere with reasonable/cheap property prices for an initial rent before, probably, buying eventually.
Any alternative suggestions to Brittany would be most welcome. I’m looking to live in the country rather than a city.
I’m learning the language and intend to fully integrate, so I don’t need it to be somewhere with loads of Brits, although that would be a welcome option too.
I run my own business in the UK, but can work from anywhere, so intended to keep the current office address, paying tax in the UK but not in France, if that’s an option? Anyone with experience of that would be more than welcome to make contact.
I’ve heard moving to France can be a bureaucratic nightmare, so I’ll read up plenty on here and will, no doubt, have loads of questions eventually.
I’m afraid I don’t know Brittany at all, so I’ll leave others to help out on that part of your post. I’m a bit further down, in Charente-Maritime.
If you’ll still be working for your business then it’s not quite that easy. Firstly, unless you have a passport from another EU member state (or can obtain one, e.g. through marriage, via grandparents, etc…) then you’ll need a visa. Even if your line of business means you can do the work remotely, France doesn’t have a “digital nomad” visa, as far as I’m aware. If you’re living in France permanently then you’ll be fiscally resident too.
However, having a financially viable business could make getting a visa possible. There are visas that apply to people setting up (or transferring in your case) a business in France. But, then your business will pay taxes in France, obviously.
Taxes are higher here than back in the UK, but I don’t begrudge paying them here as they help fund what makes living here so great.
There’s so many rural areas in France and they vary enormously, so it would be helpful if you added some of your search criteria - such as climate, type of terrain, proximity to the UK etc.
Very quick response, but you will have to re-register your business in France and if it is a business that requires specific qualifications in France then you could have a problem getting your UK qualifications recognised as not automatic since Brexit.
You will need an entrepreneur visa, or if business is big enough a talent (?) visa which reuires much more detail to be provided by way of a business plan.
FRance is bureaucratic but if you read the rules, provide EXACTLY what is asked for, and remain patient it can work just fine.
Thanks Jane. It sounds complex, but everything’s solvable. I notice there are linked sites offering professional assistance, which is usually the best way to go to save time.
Yes they are well used by many on here with positive feedback. The only thing I’d say about using ‘handholders’ for everything is that you then don’t learn the system so you can end up becoming dependant. ANd
if they get it wrong there is no comeback as not a registered profession. Sometimes slow is good.
“Taxes are higher here than back in the UK, but I don’t begrudge paying them here as they help fund what makes living here so great.”
I like to pay my bit into the system, so contributing more tax isn’t a biggie. Living in a better society is.
Strangely, though, if AI’s correct (and that’s a big IF …), I’d be paying much less in tax. The corporate rate is 4 per cent lower than the UK (says AI) and the amount I take personally seems to be taxed at 8 per cent less (says AI).
If that’s true, I might be moving a bit sooner than I thought …
One of France’s idiosyncrasies is changing things regularly so if you can always cross check sith official French government sources. Most are in French which is manageable with things like Deepl translator - the automatic translation on the gov sites is mostly rubbish. Start here perhaps:
I moved south three years ago and a bit now after 30 years of living in Brittany so have plenty of experience of the peninsula, its lands and its people and places if you want to know anything. Be careful buying dirt cheap in the middle of nowhere these days, you may find it a bad decision depending on your needs and expectations.
Hi Lee, and welcome.
As well as taxes, France also has ‘social charges’ which bump up the ‘total deductions’ considerably.
Like NI in UK but more.
I think that’s how best to describe it, if not someone will correct me.
No you are right and depending on what business you carry out, various other obligatory charges as well. We never had much left at the end of the month after all these had been paid I can tell you plus three full time employees and all their charges we had to pay out.
