Residence permit costs
The cost of several key French administrative documents, including residence permits, citizenship applications and certain visa processes, increased in May.
The cost of first-time residence permits (carte de séjour) and multi-year cards increased from €200 to €300, while reduced-rate categories such as students and seasonal workers doubled from €50 to €100.
A higher “stamp duty” also pushes most standard permits to around €350 in total. Citizenship applications saw one of the steepest increases, jumping from €55 to €255.
Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a French one is also subject to a new €40 fee.
In addition, a previously free temporary residence authorisation costs €100, though some vulnerable groups remain exempt.
Renovation grant change
From September 1, homeowners applying for major eco-renovation grants under the MaPrimeRénov’ scheme will only qualify if their property does not have a gas boiler once the work is complete, or if there was already no gas boiler on the property.
The rule applies to large-scale renovation projects aimed at improving energy performance, as France accelerates its broader “electrification” strategy, which prioritises heat pumps over fossil fuel heating.
Additional measures include a requirement from January 2027 for eco-loans linked to social housing to exclude gas boilers, while new homes will already be banned from installing them from 2027.
Officials say only around 10% of major renovations currently retain fossil-fuel heating systems.
ETA expanded
The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme has been expanded to cover the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, meaning most travellers arriving from France and other non-UK countries now need approval before visiting.
The system, which costs £20 and must be applied for in advance, applies to visitors without a UK or Irish passport or existing UK residence status.
The ETA is a single digital authorisation linked to a passport and is valid across the UK and Crown Dependencies, meaning one approval covers travel to Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and mainland Britain.
It has been required for direct travel from the UK to the islands since February 2026.
However, French visitors making day trips and returning the same day remain exempt and can continue to use a national ID card.
Pool tax falls
People installing swimming pools in 2026 will pay slightly less taxe d’aménagement, with the levy falling for the first time in almost a decade.
Often referred to as the “swimming pool” or “garden shed” tax, the one-off charge applies to pools of 10m² or more, including both in-ground and above-ground installations, although smaller inflatable or removable pools are exempt.
The tax is calculated per square metre using a national construction cost index. After the index fell by 4.2% in 2025, the taxable rate for swimming pools dropped from €263 per m² to €251 per m² for 2026, although local authorities may apply additional charges.
AI tax checks widen
French tax authorities are widening their use of artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to identify undeclared property extensions, including verandas, garden sheds and pagodas.
The DGFiP hopes the campaign will uncover hundreds of thousands of unreported structures and recover around €100million in unpaid taxes.
The technology, already used to detect undeclared swimming pools, compares satellite images with tax records before any cases are manually checked by officials.
Property owners are reminded that extensions of more than 5m² must usually be declared within 90 days of completion for payment of the taxe d’aménagement.
Owners who fail to declare additions risk backdated taxes and penalties ranging from €1,200 to €6,000 per square metre, plus extra charges on unpaid taxes.
Minimum wage increase
France’s minimum wage (SMIC) will increase by around 2.4% on June 1 – a rise of around €44 gross – or €34 net – per month for an employee on a 35-hour contract.
The increase comes after state statistics body Insee announced a year-on-year consumer price (prix à la consommation) increase of 2.2% between April 2025 and April 2026.
A rise of more than 2% across the year triggers an automatic increase to the minimum wage in France.
It is the second SMIC increase of 2026 – it rose by 1.18% on January 1, based on annual inflation.
SFR sale
Around 25 million SFR subscribers in France could be affected by a proposed €20.35billion takeover of the telecoms operator by its main competitors Bouygues Telecom, Free (Iliad) and Orange.
If approved, SFR’s assets – including mobile and broadband customers – would be divided between the three operators, with Bouygues Telecom taking 42%, Free 31%, and Orange 27%.
While companies say services will not be disrupted, customers may see changes to contracts or pricing over time.
Water restrictions
Water usage restrictions have been imposed in parts of three departments in the west of France – Charente, Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sèvres – following unusually dry and warm conditions in late spring.
Several communes are currently on “alerte”, the second level of drought warning.
At this level, households face limits such as bans on filling swimming pools or watering gardens during the daytime when using water from wells, boreholes or natural sources. Farmers are also subject to restrictions on irrigation.
Higher alert levels can lead to near-total bans on non-essential water use.
At present, tap water remains unrestricted, as it is supplied from deeper groundwater reserves that are still at healthy levels after heavy winter rainfall.
Restrictions are set locally and can vary between communes, with official updates available via the government’s Vigieau platform.
ATM merger
Four major French banks – BNP Paribas, Société Générale, CIC and Crédit Mutuel – are pressing ahead with plans to merge their ATM networks into a single system called “Cash Services” by the end of 2026.
Around 7,000 shared machines will replace existing bank-specific ATMs across the country, including new installations in rural areas.
The move is designed to improve access to cash in areas where ATMs are becoming less common, while also removing withdrawal fees for customers using the shared machines outside their own bank network. In many small towns, multiple ATMs from different banks will be replaced by a single terminal.
Act now on mosquitoes
Residents are urged to remove stagnant water where mosquitoes lay eggs, including in flower pots, gutters, tyres, barrels, children’s toys and other outdoor containers.
Health authorities say up to 80% of mosquitoes hatch on private property.
Rainwater collection tanks are also a growing concern. Experts recommend mosquito netting around gutters and keeping lids sealed.
Some local authorities in southern France are distributing mosquito traps or offering them at reduced prices.
EDF tariff trial
EDF will test a new form of off-peak electricity pricing with 6,600 households across France from October, linking cheaper tariffs to periods when national electricity production is highest.
The year-long experiment aims to encourage households to use more power during times of overproduction – particularly from solar and wind energy – helping reduce strain on the grid while potentially lowering bills.
Under the trial, electricity could become cheaper during daytime hours in summer, when renewable production is strongest, and more expensive during morning and evening peak demand periods.
Eligible households will be selected at random among EDF customers on standard regulated tariffs with relatively low electricity usage.
€1 university meals
All students in France can now buy €1 meals in university-run Crous canteens after the government extended the subsidised scheme nationwide in May.
Previously reserved for bursary students from lower-income households, the reduced-price meals are now available to all enrolled students, including postgraduates and doctoral candidates. Other students had previously paid €3.30.
Each student can receive one €1 meal per sitting, with both lunches and dinners eligible.
Meals typically include a main course plus up to two sides such as a starter, dessert, cheese or fruit.
Honey labelling change
Packaging on imported honey sold in France will include greater detail about its origins from June 14, under a new European directive.
Labels must now specify every country of harvest, detailing the origin in blends or mixed-source products.
Previously, labels showed whether honey was from EU or non-EU countries.
The directive is aimed at tackling concerns over imported blended honey sold in the EU, particularly those with added sugar.
Water quality map released
Environmental group Eau et Rivières de Bretagne has published the latest edition of La Belle Plage, mapping 1,871 monitored beaches using four years of official water-testing data collected by regional health agencies (ARS).
The map, labelleplage.fr, aims to give swimmers a clearer picture of health risks linked to polluted water than the official EU bathing classifications.
It rates 567 beaches “recommended”, 881 “low risk”, 353 “discouraged”, and 70 “avoid”.
Scores are set with recent data from national health agency Anses, whereas the EU system uses an average rating based on several years of data.
E-scooter ban in Burgundy
The town of Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire) is the latest to outlaw e-scooters in some areas of its centre following consultation with residents and businesses.
The ban, on a trial basis until September 30, sees municipal police issue fines of €35.
Mâcon joins Dijon (Côte-d’Or), Besançon (Doubs) and Albi (Tarn) in banning them.
There are 2.5 million electric scooter users in France, according to 2024 data.
Users must be aged 14 or over, and abide by the Code de la route, including using cycle paths and not pavements, observing a speed limit of 25km/h (20km/h in busy areas), and not using phones or earbuds.
