Residency Archives - LBS in France

Moving to France with an article 50 residency card

Since Brexit, many UK nationals have been granted Article 50 residency cards in various EU countries under the Withdrawal Agreement. These cards often allow for long-term residency — sometimes up to 10 years — and provide certain rights within the issuing EU country. However, a key misunderstanding has emerged:Holding an Article 50 residency card from another EU country does not grant automatic residency rights in France.Even if you’ve lived in an EU country for many years and have been issued a 10-year card, this does not entitle you to exchange that card for a French Carte de Séjour at a…

LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE in France

Residency, Visas, Work Life Balance

As I look at social media and see everyone ‘living their best life’ doing lots of activities, holidays and posting about living their best life and their dream lives, and I wonder what that means to different people? Social media paints a picture that is often false and puts pressure on us all to do more, do bigger, do better, do something. What if living your dream life is doing ‘nothing’? Doing ‘nothing’ is an acquired art. We need to remember how to spend time with ourselves doing nothing, especially women. It has been my motto for over 11 years now, ever since…

CFE Tax : All the questions answered

Residency, Tax

We are coming to that end of year. We’ve just made it through the taxe d’habitation and the taxe fonciere and its the run up to Christmas. We just think we are done with tax for this year and then ….. CFE tax comes along. So what is this tax and are you liable?

Why January and February are the best months of the year

General, Healthcare, Residency, Work, Work Life Balance

January is renowned for being a month of new beginnings, fresh starts and wiping the slate clean. A month of taking our desires and putting them to the forefront. It’s a month of let’s get on with this and make it a better, bigger, more successful, healthier than last year, year! Such pressure for everyone and I fight against every year.

Moving to France : How big is your dream?

Residency, Visas

They say Life begins at the end of your comfort zone, right? So showing up in Antibes – a place we had visited a handful of times – in January 2018 with our three children under 6, having sold our 4 bedroom house in the UK, and with no fixed plan except a 2 month Airbnb booking, that must really be living! Either that, or it was phenomenally gutsy but stupid.

Challenges for our American Clients: Your Vision, Our Mission

Residency, Visas, Work

For Americans considering a simple pied-à-terre in France, there are critical realities to address. Preparation is essential to create the right setup for a smooth, successful transition. Ideally, our journey together begins the moment your idea to live in France becomes a real goal.

New French Language Test Requirements in 2026: What You Need to Know

Language, Residency, Visas

If you’re planning to apply for a long-term residence permit, a 10-year resident card, or French citizenship, big changes are coming from 1st January, 2026. You have no doubt been hearing about this for quite some time via various news and media channels and wondering how this will affect your application. The French government is raising the required language levels for these applications, and the TCF IRN (Test de Connaissance du Français – Intégration, Résidence et Nationalité) will be at the heart of the process. At LBS, we want to make sure you are fully informed and prepared for these new rules and how that…