March is a significant month for changes in France, with several as a consequence of the late-passing 2026 budget.
Many of these changes come into force with the aim of reducing France’s social security spending.
Below, we cover the main areas.
Hospital fees increase
Several hospital fees will increase from March 1, including the forfait hospitalier and forfait patient urgences.
The increases are part of plans to save €400 million a year in social security spending, and costs will be covered by mutuelle insurance plans.
However, those without a mutuelle will need to pay the increases at their own expense. The change may see insurance costs rise in the future.
Further increases will take place on April 1.
Small parcel tax
A €2 tax on small parcels sent from outside the EU to France will come into force on March 1.
It applies to all parcels costing less than €150 sent from any non-EU country (including the UK and US), although is mostly aimed at reducing the number of parcels sent from Chinese e-commerce sites.
It is paid by the sender (although if purchasing a parcel through a merchant it is likely this will result in an increased final cost for the buyer).
The tax will only be temporary – expected to end by December 31, 2026 – as France will eventually align its policy to a wider EU tax when this comes into force.
Home savings accounts may close
Holders of a plan épargne logement (PEL, home savings account) should be aware their account may be closed automatically from March 1 onwards.
PEL accounts opened after March 1, 2011 are only valid for 15 years, after which point they are automatically closed.
Those opened before this date can be held indefinitely, without forced closure.
If the account is closed automatically, it is turned into a standard savings account with an interest rate set by the bank, and the conditions of a standard PEL (minimum annual investments or restrictions on adding new funds after a certain number of years) are lifted.
The funds can then be used for any project.
If you wish to use the savings in a PEL account for a home purchase before the account is closed, or to obtain a loan for improvements/renovations to your current property (under certain conditions), you remain free to do so.
Contact your bank advisor to discuss options.
You can also manually close the account before it is automatically closed, if you wish, and transfer the funds into another account. Again, after this point the funds can be used for any purpose.
Around 3.2 million PEL accounts will be closed between 2026 and 2030, and are currently holding up to an estimated €90 billion in funds according to the Banque de France.
More information is available on the Service Public website here (in French and English).
Carte grise cost increases
Several regions will increase the cost of registering a vehicle (certificat d’immatriculation or carte grise) on March 1, as authorities increase the associated horsepower tax (CV) for vehicles.
The metropolitan regions set to see an increase are Corsica (€43 to €53), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (€53 to €58), and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (from €59 to €60) alongside the capital Île-de-France region.
Île-de-France will see a €14 increase in the regional tax starting March 1, raising it from €54.95 to €68.95.
This makes it the only region where costs are above the usual maximum rate of €60 per ‘CV’ level, already in place in several other regions.
The temporary increase above this amount has been authorised to plug a gap in financing for the region’s public transport authorities.
MaPrimeRénov reopened
MaPrimeRénov’, France’s state grant scheme for eco-renovation projects, reopened at the end of February, after delays relating to the 2026 budget.
Partially closed last year due to a surge in claims and fraudulent activity, it reopened in September 2025 in a scaled-back form, before closing again at the end of the year.
Several of the restrictions from September 2025 remain in place, including a limit on properties covered by the scheme and maximum project cost.
The type of projects covered by the scheme have also seen changes.
However, households of all income levels are now able to apply for aid once more.
You can read our full roundup of the changes here.
Gas price increase
The benchmark gas price set by the Commission de régulation de l’énergie will increase slightly on March 1.
The average price per kWh for cooking and hot water will rise from €0.1304 to €0.13569, while the price for heating will rise from €0.0998 to €0.10514.
This is a reference price that consumers can compare their bill to, as regulated gas tariffs no longer exist in France.
Stricter contrôle technique for mopeds
Roadworthiness tests (contrôles technique) for mopeds will include a new speed test from March 1.
Vehicles with a 50cc engine will be checked via a speedometer to ensure they have not been modified to drive faster than the 45km/h legal limit.
Cigarette price increase
The price of several tobacco products will increase from March 1 under new regulated prices set out by French Customs (Douanes). Some products will see increases of up to 40 cents per packet.
However, the price of certain products including some Fortuna cigarettes will reduce by 10 cents.
A full list of tobacco product prices is available here.
Lower family benefits
The age at which enhanced family benefits are paid for children will be raised from 14 to 18 from March 1, affecting more than 5 million households.
Until now, families benefitting from Allocations familiales (family benefit) had seen payouts increase for a child once they turned 14, to accommodate greater expenditure related to adolescence.
The increase ranged from an additional €18.88 and €75.53 per child depending on household income.
Unions say the changes could see household incomes drop by around €900 per year for those affected, or up to €2,700 for a family with three teenagers.
It is worth noting that children are only deemed a ‘dependent’ of the family until they are 20 (at which point Allocations familiales stop) meaning parents will now only receive two years of heightened payments for older children, as opposed to the previous six.
Maternity booklet updated
The ‘maternity booklet’ (carnet de maternité) issued to parents by their first trimester check-up to track pregnancy health will be updated with new information on March 1.
The updated booklet will include additional information on topics such as postpartum depression, as well as information on how to improve postpartum health for mothers and newborns.
It will also include information about perinatal care, vaccinations administered during pregnancy, screening for Down’s syndrome and gestational diabetes (performed if risk factors are present).
The booklet remains free.
Rental investment scheme
A new scheme to encourage buy-to-let investors in France took effect at the end of February.
Investors who purchase a property solely for the purposes of renting it out (and let it for at least nine years after) can deduct a portion of the purchase price or upkeep costs – property renovations and ecological changes, taxe foncière, etc – from their rental income each year.
In turn, this reduces or sometimes even eliminates the tax they must pay on rental income from the property.
It applies to all investors regardless of income level, although the properties themselves must be:
located in a multi-building unit (a block of flats, etc)
new, or if old at least 30% of the purchase price must be invested into upgrades such as eco-renovations
rented unfurnished, as a main home to renters, for at least nine years
Full information can be found on the Service Public website.
Note France’s winter rental truce (trêve hivernale) that forbids tenant evictions in most cases, remains in place until March 31.
RoissyBus shuttle service ends
The RoissyBus running between Opéra (central Paris) and Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport will no longer run from March 1.
Traffic congestion on the route leading to longer than advertised journey times saw a significant drop in users, said the region’s public transport authority IDFM.
Travellers should instead use the RER B to reach the airport from the city centre, or the new 9517 bus, running from Saint-Denis – Pleyel metro station to the airport.
The latter reaches the airport in 30 minutes, the IDFM says.
Clocks change
Finally, do not forget that clocks go forward by one hour on Sunday March 29.
They will move from 02:00 to 03:00.
