France

From Trans World Express

France is one of the more LGBTQ+ friendly countries in the world (see LGBT Equality Index), offering a high standard of living, robust legal protections, and comprehensive healthcare for transgender individuals. Overall, France provides a relatively safe and inclusive environment for trans people.

Why France?

France is one of the more progressive countries in the world with a culture of equality, community and good food.

  • On 2022, France passed a law that banned conversion therapies.
  • Although experiences can heavily vary, the legal status is overall positive regarding young trans people. There exist official rules on the respect of young trans gender identity.

Why not France?

As for many EU countries, the political situation in France has been moving towards the far-right in recent years. While France is proud of its civil rights, racism - while different from US-style racism - against people read as non-white is still widespread, including in larger cities.

Political situation for trans people

details from people with 1st hand experience needed here

generic comment on the french welfare system, its applicability to non-french resident needed?


As of February 2025, the political situation in France is quite unstable. The president Emmanuel Macron dissolved the Parliament last summer, which resulted in a new Parliament divided between the left, the liberal right (presidential party) and the far-right. As a result, there have been two government changes in the last six months, and there may be a new dissolution by the next summer, so things could change in unpredictable ways by then.

It is possible to change one's civil registry name by simple request at the town hall. To change sex indication, it is a much longer legal procedure, but still possible. For a bit of context, in summer 2024, a law proposal tried to ban HRT for minors and limit access to puberty blockers – it was aborted with the dissolution. However, it should be noted that left parties here do care about trans people and do stand against the right on that ground, and there are strong LGBT+ networks and collectives in big cities who hold their ground.

Also things can change greatly from one city to another. Some rural towns, as well as some districts of big cities, can be far-right leaning, while others can be really welcoming. Generally speaking, a big city is probably a good option to start with, allowing easier access to accommodations, administrations, and queer communities.

Access to trans health care

While there is technically minimal gatekeeping of adults' access to medical transition though requirement of psychologists' letters, your access to care can still depend on the personal opinions of the medical practitioners you consult and how confident they feel in their knowledge of trans healthcare. While some GPs will prescribe hormones directly, for example - especially if you have an existing prescription from overseas - others may prefer to refer you to an endocrinologist.

Rural areas tend to be medical deserts, so you may have to wait three or four months for an initial appointment with a specialist if you are beginning transition, although follow-up appointments will be much more rapid. If you are working in France, the majority of this care will be covered by state medical insurance.

The Fransgenre site maintains a range of useful information on transition, available medication, and - upon request for access - crowdsourced information about the attitudes of specific healthcare practitioners to trans people.

Immigration policy

U.S. citizens can enter France visa-free for 90 days, but need a visa or residence permit for longer stays.

Visa requirements

From the French Consulate site "We are currently experiencing unusually high application volumes due to a combination of lifted Covid restrictions and seasonal demand. As a result, the wait time for an appointment at VFS Global is currently much longer than usual. New appointments become available each week. We thank you for your understanding."

The French government has provided a somewhat quirky wizard interface to determine one's visa requirements here: france-visas.gouv.fr (Hint: nationality is listed as "American" on the first page, and "United States" thereafter)

Of particular interest is the talents and economic attractiveness visa, or "tech visa" which one can get with most jobs in the IT field for a French company. official info

Requirements are as follows:

  • Gross annual pay of at least twice the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), i.e. €43,243.20 as of November 1, 2024.
  • A permanent employment contract or a fixed-term employment contract for at least three months with an employer established in France.
  • An active participation in the R&D project and development of the company or any active link with the economic, social, international and environmental development of the project.

Path to Permanent Residency

After living in France with a temporary residence permit for a qualifying period, you can apply for permanent residency, known as the "Carte de Résident," which is generally valid for 10 years and renewable, or "Carte de Résident permanent," which is valid for life.

5-year residency

Generally, after living in France for 5 uninterrupted years with a temporary residence permit, you become eligible to apply for a 10-year "Carte de Résident" or a "Carte de Résident Longue Durée-UE" (EU long-term resident card). Requirements generally include:

    • Continuous residency in France for 5 years.
    • Stable and regular income at least equivalent to the French minimum wage (€21,203 per year in 2024).
    • Health insurance.
    • Integration into French society, including French language proficiency (B1 level minimum) and signing a Republican Integration Contract.
    • Adequate housing.
    • Clean criminal record.

3-year residency (for specific categories)

In some cases, you may be eligible for a "Carte de Résident" after only 3 years of residency. This includes:

    • Spouse of a French national: If you have been married to a French citizen for at least 3 years (or sometimes less, depending on the situation).
    • Family visa holders: Individuals who initially came to France on a family visa.
    • Parents of French children: Parents of a French child who has lived in France for at least 3 years.
    • Refugees or beneficiaries of humanitarian protection.
    • Victims of domestic violence or human trafficking.
    • Veterans of the French army or Foreign Legion.

Permanent Residency Card

After holding a 10-year "Carte de Résident" or "Carte de Résident Longue Durée-UE," you can apply for a "Carte de Résident permanent," which is valid for life. This is often granted automatically upon renewal of previous long-term cards, especially for those over 60 or those who have held two consecutive long-term cards.

Important Notes

  • Application Process: Applications for residence permits and permanent residency are typically made at your local préfecture or the police préfecture in Paris. It's advisable to apply within two months before your current visa or permit expires.
  • Seek Professional Guidance: Immigration laws can be complex and may change. It's always recommended to consult the official French government websites or seek advice from immigration professionals for the most up-to-date and personalized information.
  • Upcoming Changes to French Visa and Residency Language Requirements (Effective January 1, 2026)
    • France is emphasizing linguistic integration for long-term residency and citizenship. The following changes will take effect:
    • Multi-Year Residence Permit (Carte de Séjour Pluriannuelle):
      • Language Requirement Increases from A2 to B1.
      • 10-Year Resident Card (Carte de Résident):
      • Language Requirement Increases from A2 to B1.
    • French Citizenship:
      • Language Requirement Increases from B1 to B2.

Citizenship Pathway

more info needed

Languages Spoken

In France, it is important to learn French.

While many people in the cities and in business environments speak English, official documents are mostly in French, and there is a B1 language requirement to attain LPR status. Fortunately long-term visas without this requirement exist to allow time to learn the language.

Community & Social Support

LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities

Trans-Friendly Cities (descending in popularity)

Support Groups

Many French cities have their own support groups specifically around trans topics. Feel free to expand this list:

Further resources

This is a list of resources and service providers in France: https://trans-resources.info/en/resources/europe/france

Cost of Living

Housing Access & Cost

The prices range from 30€/m² in the city center of Paris to 10€/m² or less in rural areas. Renting is generally common but in many places not easy. In large cities, prices are high with lots of competition. For example, in Paris virtually every landlord requires a dossier with past income statements, tax filings and other information. In less urban areas, buying instead of renting is more common, making renting hard. Many queer spaces in big cities have their own "classifieds" for queer-friendly flat sharing, which may be more affordable.

Regular real estate agents and landlords prefer/insist on a French bank account. French banks often insist on a local address to open an account with them. This catch-22 can be hard to resolve, but digital online accounts like Wise etc. can be useful to overcome it as a temporary solution. Despite this option, you should aim to get a French bank account as soon as you can though. "IBAN discrimination" against non-French bank accounts even if they are in Euro is common in France despite being illegal and is practiced by e.g. the French social security system. Additionally, having a French bank account can be used to prove continued residency for residency permit renewals.

important places to find accommodation are:

French government offers assistance into producing a sound application for renting (available in english):

Renters have strong protections. It is illegal to move someone out of a flat during the winter, and it is overall difficult for the landlord to yeet you out of a flat you have a contract in.

If you live in France for more than two years and a half if working, or more than five years if not, you can get the APL (Aides Personnelles au Logement), which is a social allowance based on your income to help you pay a part of your rental costs. It may be about 150€/month for a single occupancy.

Systemic racism for housing accesses

While France takes pride in being the country of the human rights, systemic racism exists there, albeit more difficult to spot. On big cities, multiple testimonies from POC / Maghreb-presenting people expose more difficulties than white people to have their rent application selected. Since the landlord is free to refuse an application, proving that it was made based for racial motives is difficult. Common tricks involve sending a white friend visiting the potential flat, or altering the name for non-white perceived names.

Healthcare

France has a quite comprehensive public healthcare system, which also covers immigrants, as outlined here.

If you are a "regular" immigrant on e.g. a worker or student visa, you will have to register to the CPAM (the global health insurance). If you are employed, your contributions to this social security will automatically be deducted from your pay. The global health insurance will cover most healthcare expenses, in particular "urgent" care. For some bits, you might be required to pay a percentage of the cost. The french public health insurance also doubles as a EU-wide health insurance, you can request a card as proof of this if you travel within the EU.

There are mutuelle, which are private healthcare providers that offer extra coverage, e.g. covering the parts of treatments that the public insurance doesn't cover (e.g. things like dental care). Many employers offer enrolling in such a programme as part of their employee benefits where costs are covered between employer & employee.

France also covers necessary/urgent healthcare expenses for "irregular immigrants" (e.g. in cases of someone coming with a short-stay visa and still staying after its expiry), the system for this is called AME (Aide Médicale d'État).

Minimum wage & Allowances

The minimum wage in France is called SMIC, which is about 9.40€ per hour, or about 1400€ per month when you work "full-time" (35 hours/week). It is generally enough to get an housing and essential goods in most cities, except in Paris or in some city centers where housing is more expensive.

People over 25 years old with a visa allowing to work can have the RSA if they don't have any employment, which is an income of about 600€/month. It is just enough to cover a basic housing, but may be a temporary help. It has however some constraints (like obligation to seek employment) that are currently subject to change, and we lack hindsight at the moment.

For disabled people, there is also a dedicated social allowance, described below.

Accessibility and disability policies

Public transports

French cities are overall difficult to navigate for disabled people. Underground metros in Paris are, for the most part, impossible to navigate with a wheelchair (very few elevators, lots of stairs).

Job accesses

There exist a specific procedure called RQTH (Reconnaissance de Qualité de Travailleur Handicapé, see the official webpage for more info). On the tech sector, companies are usually eager to recruit people with such RQTH, as it helps them fill their quotas and not be fined.

would need some first hand testimony on how hard RQTH is to actually get

To get the RQTH, as well as other social allowances regarding disabilities, you have to fill a long form (only in french, more info on the official webpage), for which you can get help of a social worker, and obtain a medical certificate from a physician (GP, psychiatrist, or any relevant specialist). Then you have to check the different allowances you want in the form (may be an RQTH, AAH (see below), etc), and send it to the MDPH (Maison Départementale des Personnes Handicapées, Departmental House for the Disabled). Response delays are usually around six months, although it may vary a lot between different regions. An entitlement is usually given for a few years and must be renew periodically (if you still need it).

Social allowances

Disabled people who can't work, or not more than half-time, can be entitled for the AAH (Allocation Adulte Handicapé). It is an income of about 1000€/month (decreased in proportion to your salary when you work). The procedure is the same as for the RQTH, even though it may be a bit harder to obtain.

Internet Access & Cost

In most of the places internet via fiber optics is available, very fast (>>1GB) and affordable, like 40€/month for >5Gbit. Often it's bundled with Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming services.

Cell phone service is quite affordable, in many cases calling to outside of France is for free.

Law Enforcement ("How bad are the cops?")

Censorship Concerns

  • There exists laws against hate speech and homophobia; current political climate makes them less susceptible to be applied
  • NGOs that depends on public funding (including some of the biggest trans-supporting orgs) have to sign an agreement with the state (Contrat Républicain), giving the liberty to remove fundings with little contradictory from the org. May be a way to cut down the capabilities of actions of LGBTQIA+ orgs in the future
  • Medias in France are owned by a handful of billionaires, making contradictory discourse less likely to appear to the public

Ease of Travel to Other Countries

  • France is part of the Schengen Area, allowing visa-free travel to 26 European countries.
  • Trains, budget airlines, and buses make travel cheap and easy.
  • EU residency may allow work rights in other European countries.

Animal Policies

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