Published On: October 26th, 2023Categories: Women, RetireesTags: american expats, expat, france, why do people become expats

Expat Story: Amy Moves to France

I recently completed my move from Kansas City, MO to a village in southwest France! I’ve wanted to move abroad since taking French in junior high; after a lifetime spent in service work, I finally got the opportunity to go in 2023.

Like many American expats, I left the U.S. seeking a better life. For me, that meant rigorous gun regulations, less political division, a lower cost of living, and an easier home base from which I could see the world in retirement. I’m off on my adventure in France now; follow my expat journey on TikTok or my blog.

August 7, 2023: I meet my attorney

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

Hi everyone!

I met with the French immigration attorney on August 4. Next the attorney needed to email me a summary letter with my next steps for France.

Here’s what I learned:

Visas for France don’t take 3 months to get. Many of the sites I looked at said “at least” that far in advance.
You must apply for your visa first and will be given a number to give to the consulate for your in-person appointment (Chicago, here I come!) along with the paperwork they require.
Find the right French Consulate for you. Use your location to find which office you should go to. For example, if I were still in Colorado, I’d need to go to the San Francisco office.

Knowing that the EU has an entirely different view of healthcare, I asked about the health insurance thing extensively. I have, for many years, paid out of pocket for necessary doctor visits for the few medications I need. So, I asked if this was an option. What if I fell and cut my knee and needed stitches?

Out of pocket is fine for minor stuff. What they’re concerned about is catastrophic stuff—if you need hospitalization or in case of death for your body to be repatriated… I find this reasonable. What’s also reasonable is that it has a cap of €30,000 ($33,000).

Here’s the best part! 😃I asked if there were European insurance plans available to Americans for this purpose and there are! Here are contact info or websites for some affordable health insurances that cost around 1000€/year:

My visa will be a visitor’s visa, and after a year I can apply for a resident visa.

If you want a digital nomad visa, you have to provide your employer’s details. I have an Etsy shop (for income) and will not be allowed to do business in the EU for a year, so I must keep it US based. I also must provide my bank statements to prove I have enough in savings to live on (around $18K per year).
I must provide proof of accommodations (living with a friend or relative, Airbnb, hotel, etc.) to the consulate.
Lastly, this attorney was arranged for through the link that Expatsi Fam (Expatsi’s Facebook group) posted for the French immigration attorney.

There was a glitch when I scheduled my appointment and they were quick to remedy the situation and check my progress since then… very awesome! The law firm also provides full-on assistance with this process for around $3000.

Per the attorney’s email:

Should you wish to pursue the full-on assistance to obtain this visa, this includes scheduling the appointment at the consulate, preparation of the casefile from start to finish, helping obtain documents and sworn translations, answering any immigration question along the way, and once arrived in France, validating the visas with the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII). The timeline is generally 3-4 weeks preparing the file, then the appointment, then 2 weeks until the consulate issues the visa, and we stay in contact during this period.

September 12, 2023 I visit the Consulate

Shutterstock Amy Expat France Consulate jpg

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

I’m emigrating to France in just a few short weeks! This is a long story, but there are important points I want to communicate that can save you some angst.

After meeting with the immigration attorney, I worked through the list of requirements given to me at that time. Most importantly was applying for the French long-stay visa and making an appointment with the French Consulate. This second step required me to travel to one of the five locations for an in-person meeting.

Gathering the paperwork for accommodations (securing a vacation rental, hotel, rental, or equivalent), buying the (catastrophic) health insurance policy, proof of financial solvency for at least a year (you are not allowed to work or conduct commerce in the EU unless you are employed with a legitimate company).

I am self-employed with an Etsy store (shameless plug) which will provide some income. I would appreciate any support of solidarity with a purchase, if you can! 😃

The immigration attorney assured me that if I applied for my visa by the end of August/early September, there shouldn’t be a problem getting it before my leave date of October 1st. I had everything in order by mid-August (I thought—more later) and went to the embassy web page to make my appointment. You can pick the closest embassy and are not required to go to any particular city. I booked a flight and hotel room for Atlanta, since that French embassy had the earliest date.

At this meeting, I learned that my visa application did not go through for some reason and there were other documents that were missing. I believed I had been completely thorough), so I was a bit panicked. The nice lady I was working with said that this happens all the time, but it would cost more money to complete the process on site. I readily agreed to any and all charges.

I was fingerprinted and photographed. They also have my passport and will return it (hopefully) with my new visa before October 1st.

It’s important to know this detail. The people who work at the embassy said they have no say in whether your application is approved by the French Consulate. I will say they were very nice and helpful in completing this part of the process, despite my missing documents.

To be clear, this all requires money to be spent. There is at least one content provider on TikTok that claims “it only takes a couple thousand dollars” to move to Europe. Perhaps my situation is different because I chose France, but this is probably not the case. Moving abroad will likely cost you more money than you expect.

To date, I have spent well over $2,000 between plane tickets, attorney’s fees, appointments, more fees, accommodations here and there, health insurance and incidentals. I’ve probably spent about double that—and I haven’t left yet. Add these expenses to the other hurdles like quitting work, trying to sell all my stuff (including my car) and moving out of my apartment here in Kansas City. Thankfully, I work well under pressure!

It wasn’t my intention to do this all at the last minute, but this is how it has worked out. I heard another consulate employee say they are getting about 300 visa applications a day across the U.S.—and that’s just for France. So, if you know you want to go, start the process as soon as possible. People are leaving the US in droves so the queues are getting longer.

Vive La France!

September 21, 2023: I get my visa

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

Hi all! It’s happening! 😎😁

After being in a whirlwind these past few weeks, I got my visa!

The French consulate texted me the progress of my application after I went there on September 11. Only 5 days after my appointment, I received the visa in the mail. Whew!

Now, I am just coordinating a massive garage sale of my stuff, including my car, and vacating my apartment. I’m scheduled to leave the U.S. in 9 days!

Something I learned (overheard) in the consulate’s office…300 people A DAY are applying for French visas from the US. Jen from Expatsi pointed out that it’s the #1 destination for expats right now. So if France is your goal, start the process as soon as you’re sure.

October 7, 2023: I’ve left the U.S.!

Shutterstock Amy Expat France Arrival jpg

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

Hi everyone! It’s been a little while, but I have made it across the pond!

I am currently in the UK for a week before heading south to France.

Here’s a few notes on the expat learning curve to make your trip a little easier. I found that, despite prior research, there are just some things that you will learn as you go. Keep an open mind!

Make sure your phone is a fairly current model. I had been advised to get an e-sim card for Europe because obviously international rates are $$, even with texting. I had to replace my phone at the last minute (literally the day before my departure) because it predated e-sim technology. DO research which models are capable before buying one, especially if you buy reconditioned models like I do. Be sure to keep the little do-hickey that comes with your phone to open your SIM card compartment and KEEP your US sim card!
The e-sim I purchased is for France, not the UK 🫠, so my phone was useless. I think, as an American (at least I did), we view the EU as another “body” like the US—what works in one state works in another. It’s good to keep in mind that the EU is a group of collaborative countries, each with their own stuff. Since Brexit, SIM cards that work for the EU won’t always work in the UK.
Be sure to purchase a sim card that allows phone calls if you want to call your loved ones. But be short and sweet. One ten-minute call cost me nearly $25. Conversely, be sure everyone you want to talk to has WhatsApp or Messenger so you can do Judy Jetson video calls for free!
Jet lag. Don’t forget that you will lose pretty much a whole day but land in the Upside Down (in Europe at least) when your day is night and your night is day. I thought I had it conquered the first day because I slept 12 hours. Nope. Give yourself time to recover…like a few days. My eating schedule (when I feel hungry and such) is still wonky.
If/when you are moving to the EU, consider a luggage transport service to take your additional/big pieces to your destination. Because I am alone, this was a tremendous help! My entire life is between 3 pieces totaling nearly 100 lbs. It will be a lot to handle when you’re exhausted.

Lastly, I have already secured a permanent house to live in! In a lucky break, an expat contacted me from another group and offered a place they’d purchased a few years ago. It’s in a village a couple hours southwest of Paris. I didn’t really want to jump on something sight unseen, but I have been in contact with my a number of times and have arranged to go see the place prior to making any final commitments. I have to say it’s quite a load off my mind to know I have a place to go!

Everything has worked out so well that I can’t help but think that this is where I am meant to be! 🥰🥰🥰

Follow me here:

Amy Willard

Broads Abroad | Website | + posts

Like many American expats, Amy left the U.S. seeking a better life. For her, that meant rigorous gun regulations, less political division, a lower cost of living, and an easier home base from which she could see the world in retirement. Amy’s off on her adventure in France now; follow her continued expat journey on her other channels.

Brett Andrews

Co-founder at Expatsi | + posts

Brett Andrews is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps expats discover how to leave the U.S. Brett and his partner Jen developed the Expatsi Test to recommend countries to move to, based on factors like budget, visa type, spoken languages, healthcare rankings, and more. In a former life, he worked as a software developer, IT support specialist, and college educator. When he's not working, Brett loves watching comic book movies and reading unusual books.