Pre-Departure Checklist before Leaving France

Preparing to leave France can be a daunting task. With a myriad of details to consider, from administrative duties to personal goodbyes, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

By following all these detailed steps, you can ensure a thorough and organized departure before saying “au revoir” to France.

Accommodation
- Rental Contract
- Exit Inspection
Education
Finance
- Bank Accounts
- Credit Cards
- CAF
- Savings & Investments
- Insurances
- Taxes
- Pension
Health
- Social Security
- Mutuelle / Complementary health insurance
Utilities
- Mobile Number
- Landline / WIFI / TV
- Electricity / Gas / Water
Subscriptions
Visa & Resident Permit
Work
Others
- Vehicles
- Pets
- Transporting Belongings
- Selling or Donating
- Update Contacts

Accommodation

Rental Contract

Inform your landlord about your departure and provide the required notice. It is usually one to three months, depending on your rental contract.
Send a registered letter with acknowledgment of reception “lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception”.
If you do not respect this procedure, your security deposit will not be returned.

Exit Inspection (État des Lieux de Sortie)

Schedule and attend the move-out inspection with your landlord or rental manager, État des lieux de sortie pour un bail d’habitation.
This will document the condition of the property during exit and help determine if you’re entitled to the return of your security deposit.
If the security deposit is not fully returned, the landlord must provide you with bills for all the expenses including cleaning, painting, etc.

Education

Notify your college or university of the departure. Request for your academic records and any certificates.
If you have children, contact their school and inform them.
Here is a quick checklist for students from Univ-lorraine.fr.

Finance

Bank Accounts

Ensure that you have paid all the pending bills and payments. Also, you must ensure that all direct debits and standing orders are canceled or updated.
If there is any cash balance in the account; you must withdraw or transfer it.
You can also share the IBAN and SWIFT (BIC) numbers of your new bank account so that the remaining sum on your French bank account will be transferred to your new bank account.
Then, request an appointment with your bank or send an account closing request using a registered letter, “lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception”.
If you close your bank account by visiting the local branch, do not forget to get a written confirmation of the closure.
It is highly recommended to maintain at least one French bank account for a year after leaving France. Many online banks such as Bourso, Fortuneo, Hello, Revolut, etc do not have any monthly account charges.

Credit Cards

If you have any credit cards in France, you must inform the credit card companies that you are leaving France.
Ensure all pending transactions are settled.

CAF

The payment of French family benefits is subject to a condition of residence of parents and children in France for more than 3 months.
So, if you go abroad for over 3 months, you must report it to CAF.
Go to “My Account” on the CAF website or the “CAF-Mon Compte” mobile application and use the section “Déclarer un changement“.

Savings & Investments

Livret A and PEL accounts can be maintained even after leaving France.
Livret Jeune and LEP accounts must be closed before leaving France.
PEA
- Since 2012, It is no longer mandatory to close the PEA or PEA-PME accounts when leaving France.
- So, You can keep the PEA account open even after you depart from France, except when your new residence is in a country part of the list of non-cooperative tax states and territories. Etat ou Territoire Non Coopératif (ETNC)
- Plans closed after departure from France are not subject to any social charges “prélèvements sociaux”,
Assurance Vie
- The account can be maintained but you should check about the impacts of a change in tax residence for the payments made after moving abroad.
- Also, non-residents cannot benefit from the annual deduction allowance of 4,600 euros allowance (9,200 euros for a couple subject to joint taxation) for contracts of 8 years and more.
- Plans closed after departure from France are not subject to any social charges “prélèvements sociaux”
- It is also important to inquire about the taxation applicable in your state of residence.
- In the absence of a tax treaty signed between France and your country of residence, there is a risk of double taxation.
SCPI
- There is no obligation to close the account after leaving France.
- If the SCPI invests only in properties located in France, the income generated will be taxed in France.
- So, a non-resident income tax declaration must be submitted every year.

Insurances

Cancel all your French insurance contracts by contacting the various Insurance companies.
Inform them that you are leaving France and want to settle any pending bills.
Send a contract cancellation request using a registered letter, “lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception”.

Taxes

You must notify the local French tax office of your departure.
You may need to fill out specific forms, such as the “formulaire de déclaration de départ à l’étranger” (Declaration of Departure Abroad).
Submit your final French tax return whenever possible. You must declare all income earned up until your departure date.
If a tax deducted at source was higher, a refund is possible.
If you have any income from France, you must submit a non-resident tax declaration every year in France.

Pension

Contact your pension fund to discuss options for transferring or freezing your pension contributions. For more information, Je vis à l’étranger.
You can find details about your pension rights on the official retirement account and on lassuranceretraite.fr.
If you have only contributed less than 9 quarters to your pension during your working life in France, you can request a reimbursement of your retirement contributions when you leave France permanently. Login into your official retirement account and contact them.
If you have crossed the above limit, the funds are locked until your retirement age and then paid as pension. You can collect your pension on your French bank account or request the transfer directly to your bank account abroad. Your new address must be updated on your retirement account as explained, Signaler un changement de situation.

Health

Social Security

Within one month of your departure from France, you must declare your transfer of residence outside France, as well as that of your minor children accompanying you, to your health insurance organization.
It can be done by submitting the form “S1105 – Déclaration de transfert de résidence hors de France” to CPAM.
If you are moving within the EU, consider obtaining a European Health Insurance Card “Carte européenne d’assurance maladie (CEAM)“
However, you can keep your SSN and Carte Vitale, if you are a pensioner of a French social security scheme (pension for personal retirement, accident at work, occupational disease, or disability).
If you return to France, you can contact the local CPAM office and register again for Social Security.

Can I claim back the social security contributions paid in France?.
No, it is not possible.

Mutuelle (Complementary health insurance)

If you have private health insurance from your employer, you do not have to do anything separately.
If you subscribed to one on your own, you must cancel the contract by sending a registered letter with acknowledgment of reception “lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception” to the insurer.

Medical Records

Request copies of your medical records from your doctor, hospital, or other healthcare providers.
This includes any vaccination records, prescriptions, and treatment histories.
Here is a list of Vaccinations for travel abroad.

Utilities

Cancel all your utility contracts by contacting the various service providers. Inform them that you are leaving France and want to settle all the pending bills.
Send a contract cancellation request using a registered letter, “lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception” to various service providers of,
- Mobile Number
- Landline / WIFI / TV
- Electricity / Gas / Water

Subscriptions

Cancel subscriptions or memberships for services such as gyms, clubs, magazines, etc.

Public Transport card

You can cancel your monthly or yearly subscriptions:

by Internet via your account
by visiting the local public transport officers at various metro or train stations.
by a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt sent to the local public transport agency such as Navigo, Tisseo, etc.

Gym

Send an account closing request using a registered letter, “lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception”.
You can also visit the gym and cancel it.
Some gyms even allow cancellations via email or via the personal online account.

Education

Cancel or transfer any subscriptions or memberships related to education, such as library memberships or extracurricular activities.

Visa & Resident Permit

You don’t have to do anything about your French visa or resident permit.
They will automatically expire after their validity dates.

Work

Inform your employer of your departure and complete any necessary exit procedures, including return of company property and final payroll settlements.

Pre-Departure Checklist before Leaving France

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