Relocation to France
Turn Your Dream Relocation to France into Reality
Relocating to France may sound picturesque – with the charm of historic buildings and courtyards, a café steps away from your apartment, and, if the assignment is to Paris, the Louvre and Eiffel Tour visible from your window or just a few Metro stops away. While all these perks are a reality in France – so is the tight rental market, the wait times for local registrations, and the fact that all local documentation and official business, from applying for national identity cards to reviewing property leases, is conducted exclusively in French. While France is a popular corporate relocation destination for companies in the finance, energy, IT, aviation, and fashion and retail industries, this country, renowned for its sophistication, is in fact quite traditional in business practices and day-to-day living.
Dwellworks years of relocation experience here, whether to Paris, Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille or any village in between, can translate the idyllic French lifestyle into a reality for employees arriving from any part of the world. Our 30-plus Destination Consultants in France can prepare assignees for not only daily life in France but also completing all the registration and documentation required to live in the country as a foreign national. Housing supply in Paris, especially, is limited as landlords are required to comply with converting their properties to eco-friendly living and to take units off the market while these changes are completed. This market – already competitive and expensive – is now experiencing additional rental increases, as the newly refurbished buildings become available again.
Despite the challenges of relocation to France, Dwellworks has successfully moved hundreds of expatriates, whether single professionals or those moving with families, as a part of group moves, or on short term stays, to all corners of the French Republic.
Area Orientation: Every employee wants to know more about the place they are moving to, whether it’s previewing neighborhood rental options, calculating commute times, or understanding the available community activities and hot spots. Our Destination Consultants always start the service experience with “How can I help?” and then put their local expertise to work with information, exploration, and guidance that aligns with your employee’s priorities.
Rental Home Finding Assistance: Our Consultants are experts in matching property solutions to employee budgets, requirements, and expectations, and are also a resource for understanding local leasing practices and landlord processes. After sourcing suitable housing, scheduling viewing appointments, and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of possible options, our Consultants help employees submit rental applications to give them the best chance of being selected as the preferred tenant.
Settling-in Services: Our Destination Consultants guide the employee through the full settling-in process, including support with key services like social insurance registration, banking services introductions, driver’s license application, and health care guidance. If the family has children, we also assist with school explanations, registration, and tours.
Departure services: Clients authorize this service when they are looking for end-of-assignment support for their employees. Our Destination Consultants advise on rental property termination, final property inspections, and the steps employees should follow to ensure a successful refund of their security deposit.
We check-in with the employee throughout their destination services experience via system-generated Pulse Checks to ensure we are meeting their expectations – and can quickly course-correct if needed. It is important to us that we provide exceptional service at all times. Visit our Destination Services page to learn about our end-to-end solutions and support.
Happy Customers
We are proud to earn the respect and admiration of the employees we assist. Here is some of our favourite feedback received from satisfied employees:
Our Local Experts Cover All of France
Dwellworks pairs each relocating employee with an empathetic and experienced Destination Consultant who lives in or near the employee’s new city and knows everything there is to know about that destination location – or knows where to find the answer. Our local experts are also well-versed in the nuances of the relocation process; many of them have been through the moving experience themselves.
Using our online service platform called myDwellworks®, our local Consultant connects with the employee long before their arrival in France to establish a relationship, understand the employee’s priorities, and begin conducting personalized research. Consultants are familiar with neighborhood differences, school district boundaries, and the local cost of living to aid your employees in securing a rental home that meets their needs.
Consultants are also the go-to for any other assistance or recommendations needed by your employees. Whether it’s identifying the closest bank, understanding the healthcare system, finding a market for fresh produce, or getting recommendations for nearby restaurants, parks, or youth sports leagues, Dwellworks Destination Consultants will have the answer.
With Consultants in Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Paris, and all of the cities that relocating employees want to live, we cover all major corporate hub locations. We can also assist in less traditional relocation markets. With knowledge of local laws, schools, and housing prices covering every province, Dwellworks virtual Consultants can assist with moves to any location in France.
So, whether the move is to the south of France by the Bay of Biscay or near the Baleanic Sea, our Consultants can provide area overviews and introductions, assist in the housing search, coordinate settling-in services, and offer access to other helpful guides through our myDwellworks® platform – with the continued guarantee of that personal touch.
Technology Supports Every Move
Whether employees are looking for local trusted guidance pre-arrival, tips throughout their program, or neighbourhood info and local favourites 3 months later, look no further than myDwellworks®.
Our easy-to-use online resource offers insights for successfully navigating a new location, from learning about neighbourhoods, to viewing housing styles, to ‘How To’ guides for completing important tasks – all available 24/7.
myDwellworks® is also a convenient communication platform for the employee and their Destination Consultant to send and retrieve messages, ask questions, and share and comment on properties.
And the best part? Flexibility to access the portal on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone with content not only available in 100+ languages but also for a full year after program initiation!
Local Registration Preparation: Why Time is of the Essence
Applying for a driver’s license, social security, healthcare, and proof of residency can be difficult under the tight deadlines associated with a corporate relocation. Our Destination Consultants know the exact order to follow to set up each task for success. They will advise your employees of the following factors to take into account when planning a successful move to France:
Extensive Paperwork: France has a well-earned reputation for its bureaucracy. Completing local registrations often involves navigating paperwork and official processes, which can be overwhelming for anyone unfamiliar with the system.
Official Language: Most official documents and communication with government agencies are communicated exclusively in French. For non-French speakers, the inability to understand and complete required forms could delay the overall process.
Strict Compliance: Authorities are strict and precise about the format, content, and required responses to official documentation. Even small discrepancies, such as a name spelled differently on different documents, can cause issues.
Interconnected Registrations: Local registrations in France are often interconnected with other national systems, such as those for social security, taxation, and healthcare. This means that successfully registering for one set of services in one region may be dependent on having completed another registration first. Understanding the sequencing of appropriate registrations is a key value of having a service partner to help work through the process.
Our Destination Consultant will be there to guide your employee through every one of these critical factors – as a translator, a local expert, and a resource to rely on as they settle into daily life in France.
Other Dwellworks Services Available in France
Intercultural Training
Dwellworks offers an array of Intercultural Training solutions which can be delivered pre-arrival or once settled in.
This vital service offers cultural tips and training to help employees and families acclimate faster to their new culture and feel more comfortable in their new location. Click below to learn more about Intercultural Training.
Temporary Accommodations
Have employees traveling for business, on a short-term assignment, or needing an interim housing solution prior to their final move?
We have you covered with convenient, fully furnished temporary accommodations solutions to meet all these needs and more. Click below to check out Dwellworks Living and our corporate housing solutions.
Become a Destination Consultant in France
Are you an expert in getting to know your city? Do you love helping others learn how to move successfully to your town? Are you great at property research and developing relationships with local landlords and property managers? Become a Destination Consultant! Our Consultants are the face of our company and the reason why relocation experiences with Dwellworks are so successful.
We are always looking for new local experts across France to add to our team. The role of Destination Consultant is great for those looking for part-time work while providing a valuable service. To learn more about becoming a Consultant, click the button below:
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