I’m Richard, and my wife Tracy and I are excited to be starting our journey toward relocating to France—most likely to the beautiful Dordogne in the long run. We’re still in the early stages, but after spending many summers in France (we have a static caravan in the Vendée), we know this is where we want to be. We’re both in our (very!) early 60s and ready for a new adventure.
Tracy is retired with a pension that should meet the visa requirements, however I’m hoping to continue working. I’ve run an artisan leatherworking business for the past 20 years and plan to carry it on in France. I’m therefore currently putting together a business plan for a Profession Libérale visa, and if all goes well, I’ll close my UK Ltd company and re-register as an auto-entrepreneur in France.
The more we learn about the process, the clearer it becomes that there are quite a few hurdles to get over—so I’m sure we’ll be very grateful for any advice from the members here. Looking forward to getting to know you all!
When Phill and I wanted to get ourselves set up as auto-entrepreneurs way back in 2017/2019 respectively we had our hands held along the way by the very professional Valerie Aston (Start Business in France) - https://www.startbusinessinfrance.com/
She assisted with all the necessary paperwork that had to be completed. She could be of assistance if you have any questions or encounter any hiccups along the way.
Thanks, Mikey & Steve! Tracy is absolutely convinced we’ll end up somewhere around Eymet. Our UK home has just gone on the market, but we’ve decided to rent first so we can properly explore the area and make sure we find the right place for us.
The visa process feels a bit daunting, but hopefully we’ll manage to navigate it without too many surprises (famous last words!).
Ironically, the only one of us who can already live in France permanently is Dave, our 6-year-old cocker spaniel—he’s already the proud owner of a French pet passport!
This is exactly what we did, and I highly recommend it. We spent six months looking at different parts of the area we knew we wanted to live in and looking at many houses and finally found some immobilier that understood what we wanted rather than what they wanted to sell to us
Strictly speaking, I think you need an Animal Health Certificate to bring your dog to France and just using a pet passport, even if it’s been issued in an EU country, is no longer acceptable. Not sure if it’s the same if you’re coming to live here.
Welcome, and it sounds that you are on the right path. I’m sure you’re aware, but just in case, the PL visa requires you to turn over a minimum income and although the guidance doesn’t state a precise figure just that it must be enough to support you, the rule of thumb is that you must achieve SMIC levels. Which must come from the business alone, and not topped up by savings.
Thanks, hairbear. That’s an interesting article, but I’m not sure it applies to us as we are looking to relocate permanently (the AHC is only valid for a maximum 4 month stay). The pet passport has always been perfectly sufficient, and we take Dave to France 3-4 times a year. I will look into this further, but I do think his French pet passport is all he needs.
Hi Jane, yes, I’m aware. Thank you. I’m anticipating that the annual income projections won’t be an issue - the main issue I think we’ll face is that if we are initially renting (as seems likely), I will need written permission from the landlord to work from it in order for the visa application to be successful. The alternative is renting a unit locally to work from, but these are all hurdles that can be overcome!
According to the letter of the law, as a non resident visiting, you do need an AHC and a French Pet Passport is not sufficient. It’s not been properly enforced before, but if it is then you could be refused entry for you pet. It’s a risk you take.
You will be coming to an area which is heavily involved in your craft from individuals like yourself through to Hermes which has a manufacturing facility in Nontron. There are numerous training programmes in leather work including the Hermes foundation again in Nontron and the technical training college in Thiviers.
I’ve just spent 20 minutes discussing this with our vet, who at my request then checked up on the legislation to be absolutely sure. He has just emailed me to say
“because the pet passport was issued by an EU-based vet after the UK left the EU, it is considered a genuine EU pet passport. This means you are already fully compliant to take Dave into France and you do not need an AHC. As long as his rabies vaccination stays valid you don’t need any further paperwork. This is how EU citizens with pets travel, and Dave will be treated in the same way. All you need to do is contact I-CAD (which is the French pet database) on arrival to notify them of your change of address, and choose a local Vet who can change the address on the pet passport.”
So it does look as though we are OK, which is good to know
There are quite a few handholders out there I am connected up to one in Normandy if you need. Yes its bureaucratic but roles reversed the uk is probably at least as bad now.
One thing not to forget is tax - yes dull and boring but the immigration authorities like to see them as proof of legitimacy. So registering with impots will be part of the journey. Also dont forget to tell lovely hmrc you have left the uk with a p85 form. There are other things you need to do but start with that and ask for help if you need.
Hi and welcome. I came over on an profession/libérale visa to run www.cours-du-fleuve.com gîte complex in the Dordogne a year ago.
I strongly recommend with this visa that you seek professional help. I used Valerie Aston who has a company www.startbusinessinfrance.com
She helped me with business plan approval - which you must do first before applying for the visa. Valerie helped with the visa application and registering my business (you will need help with this as French bureaucracy is a nightmare) . I am also taking her ‘manage your entrepreneur business’ course which covers the plethora of paperwork you need to complete in your first year.
Welcome, and best of luck as you begin this exciting new chapter—your plans sound wonderful.
If it would be helpful, please feel free to contact me privately. I’d be happy to share the details of a reliable English-speaking attorney based just outside Paris who can handle everything via email and phone, with very reasonable rates.
I have personally used his services, as has a friend of mine, and both of our experiences were very successful.
Why might they need an attorney for a straightforward (if time consuming) process?
Why?
I know I sound anti-handholder, which I am to a degree, but since so much can only be done by the person concerned it seems odd to pay someone else. There is guidance about preparing a business plan, and yes it can be helpful to have someone critique it, but it is your business plan that you will have to stick to so you can’t outsource this.
And registering a business on INPI is not a nightmare.
It may well be straightforward for some, but others prefer a bit of extra reassurance, especially when making a big life change in another country. I just wanted to share a contact that worked well for me.
Very kind of you. They are, however, moving to Dordogne where we have loads of English speaking lawyers and hand holders and lots and lots of people who have done the same thing and are now living in or around Eymet which was mentioned as a future home. I have to say I think it’s better to see someone in person.
I don’t know when you came to France but the rules for immigration have tightened considerably, especially with the new laws introduced on January 1st. A business plan, entirely in French, must now be submitted for approval before you can apply for the visa. This is where most people slip up as they don’t provide enough detail or in a format that suits French authorities. It really does need some help, especially if you do not speak French well. Which at the time I didn’t. Even though. My French is now very competent I am not sure I could handle all the process of registering with INPI and the correct Chamber of Commerce. It has been noted , even by the French government, that the new visa applications are so complicated most people should now seek professional advice. I’m really glad I did because moving country was hard enough battling all that paperwork (small rainforest died in the making of the shipping forms) and we had some serious problems at the start in that I caught pneumonia. If you f at or in then trying to register your business I can tell you now, it was worth every single euro to have someone working for me behind the scenes as it turned out I couldn’t do it myself.
