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My family and I are getting pretty serious about moving to Paris in the next couple years. I am fortunate to own a successful consulting business that is 100% portable and that I can do from anywhere on earth as long as I have my cell phone, laptop, and reliable postal service.
In researching the move, it's clear that getting a traditional work visa is close to impossible; which is fine, since I'm not looking to get a job in France. Apparently, the only other ways we can get long term visas are to either prove a level of liquid assets that would allow us to retire in France (possible, but not likely) or to become part of the system by setting up as a self-employed "professional."
I am a CPA (certified public accountant) here in the states but don't actually practice accounting, so becoming an expert comptable in France isn't a high priority (unless I'd need it to be considered a professional).
What I'd like to know from other people who have done something similar is...how easy/hard is it to move/set-up a business in France as a self-employed professional?
Let me be clear: I'm more than happy to pay my share of the taxes and fully understand there will be a giant hike on my taxes from where they are here in Texas. I'm not trying to skirt anything here and very much want to be above board in France. I intend to use the Securitie Sociale system, so I'm happy to pay my part.
1) Will this fly? 2) Will I find it difficult to get a visa? 3) I understand nothing happens "quickly" in France, but is moving an existing American business to Paris too big of a pain to even consider?
Any other suggestions or help would be very much appreciated!
I have no particulars on France, even though they're all EU different European countries have different requirements for qualifications for work/residency.
One way to do it in at least a couple of European countries is to buy a home. Flat, land, property, whatever. If you own property it entitles you to apply for temporary/permanent residency. Once you have legitimate residency you can move forward to work permits and visas. I've heard the Netherlands is is easy for foreigners to buy property and Spain is another country that welcomes foreign home buyers.
France has a notoriously difficult bureaucracy. You will have to research very carefully that every step you take absolutely agrees with the letter of the law. Probably the best way to make the first moves is to investigate what you can on the internet and then go there and consult with local attorneys.
Check back as you go through the process. I'm interested to hear how it all goes.
I agree with azoria. There are a lot of expat websites out there to peruse.
Hopefully Moosketeer (who is French) will check in here and have an answer for you.
When I lived in Denver, I had a friend of a friend who had a successful antique importing business (France to the USA) and he spent about half of every year in France. That is not the same as what you want to do, but surely they had to go through some hoops to do what they did--and it worked.
This was before online banking, too.
I too would be curious to hear of your progress.
I had a friend of a friend who had a successful antique importing business (France to the USA) and he spent about half of every year in France. That is not the same as what you want to do, but surely they had to go through some hoops to do what they did--and it worked.
Actually, that's not much different. I would love to hear how they did it. My business isn't technically "anywhere" since I work solely from my laptop/cell phone and have no local clients that I ever see in person. I could "have" my business anywhere on earth for banking and address purposes, so I could pretty easily "run" it from France without France having any idea I was doing so. That's just not my plan. Like I said, I'm happy to pay in to the system if I'm going to be using the benefits of that plan.
It just seems to me that I might be more attractive from a visa standpoint since I'm not going to France to try to take a job from a local, but rather to volunteer to donate what appears to be about 1/3rd of my American income into the French SS system. Seems win-win to me.
If your friend of a friend can give you any tips or info, I've love to hear it.
If your friend of a friend can give you any tips or info, I've love to hear it.
We left Colorado three years ago and lost track of them (they moved, too), but I am still in touch with other old neighbors. I will email one of them and see if she remembers anything.
Also, my kid is living and working in France and I can ask him if he knows anything at all.
His visa was paid for by his boss. That process took two months.
There are some important financial issues which you need to consider.
Jumping the gun here a little, but let's say that you manage to buy a flat in Paris and manage to acquire legal residency in France. You're an American CPA who will be working independantly doing American CPA work in the US? How will you get paid?
Moving money across international borders isn't easy. We just spent 5 years in a former soviet bloc country working for an American company, 2 different companies actually. Our pay was direct deposited in an American bank account, in dollars. We lived off our ATM card for 5 years, it was our only access to our paychecks. I can assure you this is fraught with difficulties although we managed to squeak by. Plus we were being paid in dollars but spending in local currency. With every international devaluation of the US dollar our pay diminished. 30% in 5 years. The dollar is junk right now.
Also, America is the only country in the world which taxes its citizens living overseas. Yep, that's right. Now there is the Foreign Earned Income Exemption which exempts the first $80,000 of income but you have to meet the residency requirement (and other particulars) which stipulate that you must not be inside American borders for more than 35 days out of 365. You have to be really really careful with that. And you are still liable for the FICA and medicare withholding, et. al. You still have to file a tax return every year.
And depending on the state youy lived in you may still be liable for state income taxes. Believe it, I know people living overseas who have been bitten for state taxes.
There is also the considerable problem of moving money internationally. One of the best methods is to use a bank with a multiple of international operations. HSBC and Citibank have large operations. But all this must be put in order before you leave. Because of all kinds of international banking treaties and the *war on terrorism* many kinds of financial transactions can only be done in person. Particularly when dealing with the US banking system. I can tell you from experience, getting paid in one country and living in another country is a financial nightmare.
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