News Digest: Final Tax Deadline, Digital Carte Vitale & New Smoking Laws in France

As we head into summer, France has introduced some new laws regarding smoking in outdoor spaces that will come into effect from July 1st, 2025. Since 2007, it’s been illegal to smoke indoors in all public spaces and places of work, but the new law will expand this to outdoor areas where children might be present.

This means no smoking in public parks and gardens, sports venues, beaches, at bus stops and on train platforms, and at school pickup areas. However, smoking will still be allowed on outdoor terraces at bars, cafés, and restaurants. The new law will not initially apply to vapes.

Fines of €135 will apply to anyone caught smoking in these areas.

This week marks the final week of tax season in France and, with it, the final deadline – this time for French residents living in départements 60 to 96. If you live in one of these départements, you have until this Thursday, June 5th, at 11:59 pm to file your tax return online.

Remember that everyone who is resident in France (regardless of whether you earn income or have taxes to pay) or receives French income must, by law, file an annual tax return – you have been warned!

Impots.gouv.fr: Your Guide to the French Tax site

France Tax Calendar 2025: All the Key Dates for Your Diary

Over the past year, France has been slowly rolling out the digital version of the Carte Vitale, the green card that enables access to the country’s state healthcare system. Up until now, this smartphone version has only been available to French citizens, but the next phase will see it finally opened up to foreigners resident in France.

If you are resident in France and have a valid carte de séjour (residency permit), you may already be able to apply for the digital version. So far, the card is available in 46 French départements, with the rest expected to join the scheme by the end of the year.

The départements currently offering the digital card are: Ain, Allier, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Ardèche, Ardennes, Aube, Bas-Rhin, Bouches-du-Rhône, Cantal, Calvados, Côte-d’Or, Doubs, Drôme, Eure, Hautes-Alpes, Haute-Loire, Haute-Marne, Haut-Rhin, Haute-Saône, Haute-Savoie, Isère, Jura, Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Manche, Marne, Mayenne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Nièvre, Orne, Puy-de-Dôme, Rhône, Saône-et-Loire, Sarthe, Savoie, Seine-Maritime, Var, Vaucluse, Vendée, Vosges, Yonne, and Territoire de Belfort.

I’ll be testing it out as I apply for mine this week, so look out for our full guide coming soon!

If you’re already missing May’s long bank holiday weekends, don’t worry – there’s another one this week, too! Next Monday, June 9th, is the Christian holiday of Pentecost or Pentecôte. For most people, it’s a public holiday, but some workplaces still offer employees the choice between working a “solidarity day” (essentially, working a day of work without being paid, with the money instead funding a government aid program for the elderly) or using up a day of their annual leave to take the day off.

Either way, banks, post offices, and public offices will all be closed, and many French will be making the most of the 3-day weekend to go away. Expect heavy traffic this Friday (Bison Futé has issued a red warning) and next Monday, especially in and out of major cities and tourist resorts.

Speaking of national holidays, this Friday, June 6th, while not a bank holiday in France, is the anniversary of D-Day in France, and special ceremonies will be held around Normandy’s D-Day beaches and WWII memorials.

If you’re hoping to move or retire to France from the UK, you won’t want to miss our upcoming webinar. Join us during your lunch break on Tuesday, 1st July, at 12:30pm UK / 1:30pm France for our free Where to start with moving to France – UK webinar. I’ll be joined by a panel of experts to answer all your questions on visas, healthcare, taxes, and removals to France.

Sign up here or by clicking the button below, and don’t forget to send me your questions in advance to webinar@frenchentree.com