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For Lyon
Your situation
EU, EEA or Swiss citizenNo visa and no residence registration. The flat, the bank and social security are the real steps. 6 steps Employee, non-EUA salarié or Talent Passport visa, validated online as your first residence permit. Includes UK citizens. 6 steps Student, non-EUA student VLS-TS, often through the Études en France procedure run by Campus France. 5 steps Founder or freelancer, non-EUA Talent Passport for a new company, or the entrepreneur and profession libérale visa for self-employment. 5 steps Living on savings or a pension, non-EUThe long-stay visitor visa. It forbids any work in France, remote work for a foreign employer included. 5 steps Open a step on the roadmap to see what it involves. Rules change
Most long-stay visas double as a first-year residence permit (VLS-TS) that must be validated online within three months of arrival. Since 1 January 2026 a first multi-year card also requires A2-level French and a passed civic exam, and residence fees rose on 1 May 2026. This is a general guide, not legal advice. Confirm each step with France-Visas, the official visa portal before you rely on it.
Your roadmap · EU, EEA or Swiss citizen 6 steps Before you fly → to The April after arrival 1 Step 1: Gather your civil documentsBefore you fly + A full birth certificate (and marriage certificate if relevant), with a translation by a traducteur assermenté if it is not in French. Social security asks for it before it issues your number. 2 Step 2: Arrive and build the rental dossierDay 0 + You can live and work from day one on your ID card. Apply for Visale if you qualify, and assemble the dossier landlords expect: ID, proof of activity, proof of income. 3 Step 3: Open a bank accountWeek 1 + The RIB from a French account is what rent, salary, utilities and health refunds all run through. A bank may not refuse you without offering the droit au compte route through the Banque de France. 4 Step 4: Get a social security numberWeeks 1–8 + Your employer declares you, or you register with the CPAM yourself, which leads to a numéro de sécurité sociale and then the carte Vitale. Use the EHIC until it arrives. 5 Step 5: Declare a médecin traitant and get a mutuelleMonths 1–3 + Naming a GP keeps reimbursement at the full rate, and a mutuelle covers what the state does not. Employers must offer one and pay at least half. 6 Step 6: File your first tax returnThe April after arrival + The annual declaration opens each spring for the previous year's income. Tax is withheld at source, but the return is still compulsory. Get help with the move to Lyon → Chat with Eva