14 January. France is one of the few EU countries where one can obtain citizenship without significant investments in the local economy. Nevertheless, the French passport has its own price.
Currently, the issue of obtaining a residence permit in the EU countries is still on the agenda of many Russians. At the same time, the country is often chosen based on pragmatic conditions: time costs and time-consuming procedures for preparing documents for obtaining residence permit; financial costs; the term for the granting of a residence permit and the absence of requirements for the knowledge of the language.
Here, unexpectedly for many potential migrants wishing to obtain a residence permit in the EU countries, France is attractive. This is due to the fact that a long-term visitor visa (D-Visiteur visa) allows you to stay in the EU for the first year, and in a year it can be converted into a residence permit. And after 5 years of residence in France you can get a French passport.
At the same time, there is no need to invest in business or securities, organize companies or acquire real estate. You do not need to accumulate hundreds of thousands of euros in your accounts and show passive income.
Naturally, the applicant must have the means to reside on the territory of the country, but this is a reasonable amount, measured in tens of thousands of euros. The amount required depends on the composition of the family, the cost of long-term rental of housing and the desires of those who move.
It is desirable that the necessary funds at the time of submission of documents from the applicant were in the French bank. But this requirement is not mandatory.
The decision-making process for issuing a visa does not provide for an interview with the applicant, but is limited to a telephone conversation with a representative of the consulate.
It is a mistake to think that the French immigration commissioners are ready to issue visas to everyone without analyzing the purpose of the move, the reliability of the applicant and without checking the financial status of the applicant.
Any extra phrase, inaccuracy, incorrectness in the phone conversation, and, quite likely, notification de refus (with the possibility of appeal in the established order).
Choice of place of residence
And here is the long-awaited visa of the visitor (as we discussed above, this visa is quite acceptable for obtaining residence permit) is received, and the question arises - where to move? Most will answer - of course, to the Cote d'Azur.
Cote d'Azur is attractive, above all, the location: the flight to Nice takes several hours (from Moscow), not far from the Principality of Monaco and Italy. The advantages of Nice include high business activity, mild climate and rich cultural life.
However, there is a minus - the high cost of living on the Cote d'Azur.
Find a home on the French Riviera - this is a very troublesome occupation. If housing in a new building, then it is usually removed from the center. If you want to buy an apartment in the center, then there is usually a house with a history. Buying such a house, you need to be ready for a major overhaul.
However, it is not necessary to buy a house, you can rent it. But even when renting, you should find out whether this is a mortgage. This is due to the fact that owners of luxury real estate on the French Riviera are willingly credited by local banks on the security of their expensive real estate. Most of them live far beyond France and do not always fulfill their obligations to banks. In this case, you can get acquainted with the representatives of the bank right before the sealed doors of rented housing.
Taxes
Buying real estate, we should not forget about taxes. In October 2017, significant amendments were made to the law on the collection of the tax wealth tax or, as it is called, the luxury tax. After the amendments enter into force, the luxury tax will be transformed from the property tax l'impôt sur la fortune (ISF) into the property tax l'impôt sur la fortune immobilière (IFI).
Thus, this tax will apply to:
- property (real estate) of companies and shares of companies directly or indirectly owned by the taxpayer,
- real estate owned by the taxpayer.
Social services
Medical insurance is one of the most relevant topics, especially when it comes to the family. Grandparents, grandchildren and children are the main applicants for contacting doctors, and hence consumers of insurance companies. It should be borne in mind that it will not be possible to save on older members of the family. Some insurance companies refuse to insure people over the age of 65, other than regular customers. Of course, this problem can be solved, but the insurance rate for clients aged will be significantly higher.
If you have children of school age, then you need to think about the arrangement of the child in school. On the Cote d'Azur, there are no problems with schools, there is a problem in order to agree with the school that you have chosen. The fact is that to get into a prestigious educational institution, you usually need to stand in line. Therefore, to start looking for an educational institution should be as early as possible.
Another important point is the knowledge of the language. Tourist knowledge of the French language is hardly useful, but for someone who wants to live on the Cote d'Azur permanently, knowledge of the language is necessary.
