Visa, titre de séjour, carte de séjour… What’s the difference? I often hear these terms being used interchangeably, but they’re actually different! Here’s a little guide to visas and residence permits for France.
French Visa Terminology
How I Got the Carte de séjour “vie privée et familiale” Through Marriage
I arrived in France on a long-stay visitor visa, got married to a Frenchman, and applied for the carte de séjour “vie privée et familiale” (VPF) in Paris. This residence permit provides stability, allowing me to stay in France and work.
Paris: Deconfined and Sans Touristes
Like most Parisians, I rushed out of my small apartment as soon as I could, ready for freedom and direct sunlight. This summer, I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors, hoping to never be subjected to lockdown again. It’s a strange new world out there, with an extreme lack of tourists, and I’ve attempted to capture a bit of this period in photos.
How to Apply for Health Insurance in France as an Expat
Those who have been following my story for a while know how tricky French bureaucracy is. Getting access to the national healthcare system is a BIG win in my book. I have a permanent numéro de sécurité sociale as well as the highly sought after green carte vitale. I’ve included all the steps for how I did it in this post.
What to Pack for a Day Trip: Essentials I Always Bring
Packing for a day trip should be easy, but forgetting one little essential can make for an uncomfortable and stressful day. Here’s my checklist of what to pack on a day trip.
Our Paris Love Story
This is the story of how a French teacher from the United States of America and a New Caledonian, who was working and living primarily in Tunisia at the time, met and fell in love in Paris over the course of two weeks. It wasn’t love at first sight or a fairy tale romance. But it’s our story.
Black Lives Matter. Ici Aussi.
In this post, I would like to explore France’s taboo surrounding the topic of race and the implications that this has for talking about and acknowledging racism.
5 French Food Habits I’ve Embraced
Do I talk about food a lot? And if yes, do you have a problem with that? No? Good!
Here are some French food habits I’ve picked up over the years. As always with my cultural comparison pieces, I write from my own experience and from a place of love. Enjoy!
Deconfinement in France: Looking Ahead to May 11
As we head towards the beginning of the deconfinement (French people literally just made this word up, and I’m following suit), I want to give you an update on the situation here in France, and specifically in Paris.
5 Things Nobody Tells You About Multicultural Relationships
I think we can all agree—relationships are complicated. There are a lot of possible points of contention that could either bring you closer together or drive you apart. When you’re in a relationship with someone outside of your own culture, the divide between these topics can be augmented as a result of our unique cultural lenses.