France Guide
Your first month in France is mostly administration, and the order matters. Validate your visa first, then work through phone, bank and housing, because each document unlocks the next. The famous circle, banks wanting proof of address while landlords want a French bank account, breaks fastest with a French phone number and any temporary address attestation.
If your long-stay visa is a VLS-TS, you must validate it online on the ANEF portal within three months of entering France, providing your arrival date, address and payment of the residence tax. Without validation, you are not legally resident even with a valid-looking visa, and you cannot re-enter France after travel, apply for CAF or renew status later. Do it in the first week while your entry stamp and details are fresh.
Banks ask for proof of a French address, while landlords often want a French bank account and RIB before renting. Newcomers break this loop in a few standard ways: use an attestation d'hebergement from a host or relative as the address proof, start with an online bank with lighter address requirements, or use student housing paperwork as the address document. Once you have the RIB, the bank details slip, everything else, salary, CAF, phone contracts, becomes possible.
A French mobile number is needed surprisingly often, because banks and government portals verify by SMS. Prepaid SIMs are available with a passport, and cheap contract plans become available once you have a RIB. For transport, monthly passes in most cities cost far less than single tickets, and Paris uses the Navigo pass with its own registration. Set up these basics before tackling longer processes like CAF and health insurance, which both depend on your bank account and address being in place.
Common questions
After three months you lose regular status: you may be refused re-entry to France after travel abroad, cannot access CAF or other services, and face problems renewing your permit. If you missed the deadline, contact your prefecture as soon as possible rather than waiting for the next renewal.
Typically your passport, visa or residence permit, and a proof of French address such as a utility bill, housing contract or host attestation. Some branches also ask for a student card or work contract. If a traditional bank refuses, online banks are usually more flexible for newcomers, and France also has a legal right-to-an-account procedure through the Banque de France as a last resort.
A RIB (releve d'identite bancaire) is a slip with your French account details, IBAN and BIC. Employers need it to pay salary, CAF needs it to pay housing aid, and landlords and phone companies use it for direct debits. Your banking app can generate it as a PDF; you will share it constantly.
