Moving to Paris from Australia: the full guide

Paris is a wonderful place to live and a demanding place to arrive. Get your visa right in Australia, then expect a few months of forms before life feels normal.

The short version

Sort your long-stay visa in Australia before you fly. Smartraveller notes you can't apply for a visa or change your status once you're already in France [1].
Most long-stay visas must be validated online within three months of arrival, and that step comes with a €300 tax for a salaried worker [3].
There's no reciprocal healthcare agreement between Australia and France, so arrive with private cover [1]. If you work, you can join French public health insurance once your application is accepted [4].
Your Australian licence works for one year after you settle. After that you'll need a French one, if your state's licence is eligible for exchange [5].
Budget time as well as money. Paperwork in Paris is slow, written in French and rarely forgiving.

Before you leave Australia

The single biggest mistake Australians make is flying over on a passport and hoping to sort things out on the ground. It doesn't work that way.

Pick your visa

As an Australian you can visit France without a visa for short stays, but living, working or studying there for longer needs a long-stay visa issued before you go. The French Embassy in Australia points everyone to the official France-Visas portal, where a visa wizard tells you which visa fits, what documents you need and the fee [2]. You can lodge up to six months before departure, and appointment waits vary by season, so start early [2].

The common routes for Australians are:

Working holiday (PVT) if you're 18 to 35. It's a one-year visa with no quota for Australians [7].
Salaried worker if a French employer hires you. Your employer applies for a work authorisation first, then you apply for the visa [3].
Talent visas for qualified professionals, researchers, founders and investors.
Visitor if you'll live on savings or a pension and won't work.
Student if you've been accepted into a French course.

Our French visas guide goes through each one.

Know what's changing at the border

Europe is rolling out its Entry/Exit System, which records non-EU travellers' details at the border. The French Embassy says rollout began on 12 October 2025 and is being phased in [6]. ETIAS, a pre-travel authorisation similar to the US ESTA, isn't running yet and is scheduled for the end of 2026 [6]. The embassy warns that unofficial ETIAS websites are scams [6].

Pack the right papers

French offices love originals, translations and recent dates. Bring:

your passport, with plenty of validity left
birth certificate and, if relevant, marriage certificate, ideally with certified French translations
degree certificates and references, if you'll job hunt
your Australian driver's licence and a recent driving record from your state
several months of bank statements, for visa and rental applications

Your first month in Paris

Once you land, there's a rough order of play. Doing things out of order costs you weeks.

Find a temporary base. A short-term furnished flat or serviced apartment gives you an address while you hunt for something longer. See renting in Paris.
Validate your visa. Most long-stay visas act as your residence permit for the first year, but only once validated online. For salaried workers, this must happen within three months of arrival and involves a €300 tax [3]. Don't leave it until week eleven.
Open a French bank account. You'll need one for rent, salary and most bills. Banks usually ask for ID, proof of address and your visa.
Get a phone number. A French mobile number makes every other sign-up easier, from banks to delivery apps.
Apply for health insurance. If you're working, you're affiliated to the public system as soon as your application is accepted [4].
Get a Navigo pass. The monthly public transport pass covers zones 1 to 5, and employers must reimburse at least half of it for your commute [8].
Save the embassy's details. The Australian Embassy is at 4 Rue Jean Rey in the 15th arrondissement, and the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre is on +61 2 6261 3305 [1].

Health cover: mind the gap

This catches plenty of Australians out. Unlike the UK, Italy or the Netherlands, France has no reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia [1]. Medicare won't help you in Paris, and Smartraveller warns that public hospital stays can cost thousands of dollars [1].

French public health insurance, known as PUMa, has two conditions: lawful residence and stable residence [4].

Your situation	When public cover can start	What to do in the meantime
Working in France	Once your application is accepted [4]	Keep travel or expat insurance until your card arrives
Not working (visitor, partner)	After three months of residence [4]	You'll need private cover; it's a visa condition for visitors
Working holiday	Depends on whether and when you work	Insurance for the full stay is required for the PVT [7]

Most French residents also take a top-up policy called a mutuelle, which covers the share public insurance doesn't. Many employers offer one.

Driving: your licence has a one-year clock

A non-EU licence, including an Australian one, is valid in France for one year from when you take up normal residence [5]. To keep driving after that, you must swap it for a French licence. You apply online through the ANTS service, with a €40 tax stamp, and you need a certified translation if your licence isn't in French [5].

The catch: exchange only works for licences from places on France's reciprocity list, and the rules depend on where your licence was issued [5]. Check the official simulator before you rely on it. If your state isn't eligible, you'd have to sit the French test. In central Paris, many Australians simply give up the car and live on the Metro.

Where Australians tend to live

Paris is split into 20 numbered arrondissements, spiralling out from the centre. Each has its own character.

Le Marais (3rd and 4th): old streets, galleries and bars. Lovely, central and pricey.
Canal Saint-Martin and the 10th: cafés, the canal and a younger crowd. Busy and lively.
Batignolles (17th): village feel, a big park and good for families.
The 15th: quiet, residential and home to the Australian Embassy.
Belleville and the 20th: cheaper, multicultural and creative, with great views from Parc de Belleville.
Just outside the Périphérique: towns like Montreuil, Vincennes and Boulogne-Billancourt can give you more space for the money, with Metro access.

Visit at night and on a Sunday before you commit. A street that's charming at lunch can be loud at 2am.

French life: what to expect

The language matters more than people think. You'll get by in English in tech, tourism and some international firms, but leases, bank letters, prefecture emails and doctor's appointments are in French. Start lessons before you go and keep them up.

Expect slower admin, firmer rules and fewer shortcuts than at home. Strikes and demonstrations are common and can disrupt transport, mostly on Saturdays [1]. Petty theft is common in crowded tourist areas and on airport trains late at night [1], so keep your phone out of back pockets on the RER B.

The upside is huge. Good bread on every corner, parks and museums on your doorstep, trains to the rest of Europe, and a city that takes long lunches seriously.

You won't be the only Australian working it out. Join Cooee France, our Facebook group for Australians in France, to ask about prefecture appointments, flat hunting and which bakery is worth the queue.

Moving to Paris from Australia: visas, paperwork and your first months