Your first 30 days in Paris: a step-by-step plan

Before you start

• A place to stay that can give you a proof of address (justificatif de domicile)
• Your passport or national ID card, and your long-stay visa if you needed one

Documents you need

• Passport (or national ID card for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens)

  required

• Long-stay visa (VLS-TS or other long-stay visa)

  Non-EU citizens only

  optional

• Proof of address less than six months old

  required

• Employment contract or admission letter

  optional

• Tenancy agreement (bail)

  Once you rent a flat

  optional

• Home insurance certificate (attestation d'assurance habitation)

  Required for tenants before moving in

  optional

• Bank details (RIB)

  You receive them when your account is opened

  optional

• Official ID photos

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Days 1-3: Stay somewhere that can give you a proof of address

   Banks, the health insurance fund and the prefecture all ask where you live. What counts as proof depends on your situation. According to Service-Public, for a residence card application you need a document less than six months old:

   • Tenant or owner: one document, such as a utility, landline or internet bill, your tenancy agreement (bail) or a rent receipt.
   • Hotel: two documents, a certificate from the hotel management and the latest invoice.
   • Staying with someone: three documents, a dated and signed accommodation statement from your host (attestation d'hébergement), a copy of the host's ID or residence card and, if needed, the host's own proof of address.

   Ask your host, hotel or short-term landlord before you book whether they will provide these papers. See temporary accommodation in Paris.

2. 2

   Step 2: Days 1-90: Validate your visa or apply for your card (non-EU citizens)

   Read the visa in your passport. If it says visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS), validate it on ANEF, the online platform for foreigners, within three months of arrival and pay the tax online: €300, or €100 at the reduced rate (for example students and family reunification), rates in force since 1 May 2026. Keep the confirmation with your passport.

   If you hold another type of long-stay visa, you must apply for a residence card within two months of entry. People who live in Paris deal with the préfecture de police. See after arrival in Paris: OFII and the prefecture.

   EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a residence permit; see EU citizens in France.

3. 3

   Step 3: Week 1: Open a bank account

   Your employer, landlord, the health insurance fund and the family benefits office (CAF) will all ask for French or SEPA bank details (RIB). Banks usually want your ID and a proof of address. If a bank refuses you, or does not answer within 15 days, you can ask the Banque de France to designate a bank under the right to an account (droit au compte): it names a bank within one working day of receiving your file, and that bank opens the account within three working days of receiving the documents it needs, according to Service-Public. Compare several banks neutrally; see opening a bank account in France.

4. 4

   Step 4: Week 1: Get your Navigo pass

   Most people who commute in Paris use a Navigo pass. In 2026 the monthly pass (Navigo Mois) costs €90.80 and the weekly pass (Navigo Semaine) €32.40, valid in all zones; a single metro-train-RER ticket costs €2.55 (fares from 1 January 2026). If you are a salaried employee, your employer must refund at least 50% of your public transport pass. See public transport in Paris.

5. 5

   Step 5: Weeks 1-4: Register for health insurance

   Health cover in France is provided through the universal health protection scheme (protection universelle maladie, PUMa), run by the local health insurance fund (CPAM, on ameli.fr).

   • If you work, you are covered from your first day of activity; your employer declares your hiring and you complete the registration with the CPAM.
   • If you do not work, you can usually be affiliated after three months of stable residence in France.
   • International students register free of charge on etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr once enrolled.

   Once you have a social security number, ask for your health card (carte Vitale) and declare a regular doctor (médecin traitant). It makes a real difference: in 2026 a standard GP visit costs €30, and Assurance Maladie reimburses €19 if you have declared a médecin traitant, but only €8.40 if you have not. Private employers must also offer a collective complementary health plan (mutuelle) and pay at least half of its cost. See health insurance in France.

6. 6

   Step 6: Weeks 2-4: Insure your home and apply for housing aid

   When you rent a flat, you must take out home insurance covering at least the tenant's risks (fire, water damage and explosion) and give the certificate to your landlord when you receive the keys, and again each year if asked. A landlord whose tenant has no insurance can end the lease or take out insurance on the tenant's behalf and recharge it.

   As soon as you have a lease, check whether you can get housing aid from the CAF; many tenants, including international students, can. See finding a flat in Paris, home insurance in France and housing aid from the CAF.

7. 7

   Step 7: Weeks 2-8: Attend the OFII welcome session if invited (non-EU citizens)

   If you intend to settle in France, the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII) may invite you to a welcome session in Paris, where you sign the republican integration contract (contrat d'intégration républicaine, CIR) and, for some permits, have a medical check. Students, visitors and talent card holders do not sign the CIR. Keep every certificate you receive; renewals ask for them.

8. 8

   Step 8: Ongoing: Understand how income tax is collected

   Income tax is withheld from your salary at source. Until the tax office knows your personal situation, your employer applies a default rate that depends only on the amount of your salary. You file your first income tax return in the spring after your arrival year, after which the tax office calculates a personal rate. Newcomers without a tax number can still declare online after verifying their identity with their local tax office, or use the paper form 2042. See taxes in France.

9. 9

   Step 9: Day 1: Save the emergency numbers

   Call 112 (European emergency number), 15 for medical emergencies (SAMU), 17 for the police and 18 for the fire brigade. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people can reach emergency services on 114 by text. All emergency calls are free. See emergency numbers in France.

Why the order matters

If you cannot get a proof of address yet

Where to get help in Paris

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Waiting for a permanent flat before opening a bank account or registering for health insurance. A hotel certificate or an accommodation statement usually works as a temporary proof of address.
• Not declaring a regular doctor (médecin traitant), which sharply reduces how much you are reimbursed.
• Forgetting to give your employer your Navigo receipts, so the 50% refund is not paid.

Tips

• Keep a folder, paper and digital, with your visa validation, proof of address, RIB, social security number and every receipt; French offices often ask for them again.
• Ask your employer early which health insurance plan (mutuelle) the company offers and how to join it.
• Students should compare the annual Imagine R pass with twelve monthly Navigo passes.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Validate your VLS-TS onlineAdd to plan
• Note the deadline for your visa validation or card applicationAdd to plan
• Open a bank accountAdd to plan
• Register with the health insurance fund (PUMa)Add to plan
• Sign your lease and insure your homeAdd to plan
• Apply to the CAF for housing aidAdd to plan
• Attend the OFII welcome session and sign the CIRAdd to plan
• Get a Navigo pass or ticketsAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 5 Jan 2027.