News Digest: Income Tax Declarations Open in France this Thursday!

If you’ve received a surprise speeding fine in France in recent months, you may have been caught on one of the new Mesta Fusion 2 radar cameras, also known as ‘turrets’ or tourelle. The new cameras use high-resolution video surveillance and multifunctional sensors to detect speeding offences, and notably, do not give away their detection with the telltale flash older cameras use.

These flash-free speed cameras have actually been in use in France since 2019, but more and more have been popping up around the country in recent months as the old-style speed cameras are being gradually phased out.

You can find out exactly where these cameras and other speed traps are using the official map here, but the best way to avoid a fine is, of course, by sticking to the speed limit!  If you do get caught out, here’s how to pay a French speeding fine.

France’s online income tax declaration portal will go live this Thursday, 10th April (paper forms will be released on the same date), from which point French residents will have between six and eight weeks (find the deadlines here) to file their tax return. If you are resident in France, you must, by law, file a French tax return, even if you don’t have any income to declare or aren’t liable for any taxes, and you can do that online by logging into the Impots.gouv.fr website.

If you moved to France in 2024, you will need to file your first tax return this year, which you will do as a paper form; if you moved in 2025, your first tax return won’t be required until 2026.

If you are a second home owner, you typically won’t need to file a tax return unless you have French income to declare – for example, if you rented out your property.

Where & How to Get Help Filling in Your French Tax Return

The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) has barely been in place for EU citizens for a week and the fees are already going up! The visa-free waiver is now required for everyone except citizens of the UK and Ireland, and currently costs £10. However, from tomorrow (Wednesday, 9^th April) this fee will increase by 60% – to £16!

If you know that you will be travelling to the UK in the coming months and require an ETA, we highly recommend applying TODAY to make the most of the lower price point.

Read our guide for all the details: ETA Visa Waiver for the UK: Everything You Need to Know

Our upcoming webinar is entirely devoted to our American and Canadian audiences, and will cover everything you need to know about buying in France.

Our guest host will be joined by a panel of expert advisors to talk about those first steps, from deciding on your dream property and securing a mortgage to signing the compromis de vente, the property purchase process, and navigating foreign currency exchange. Join us to brush up on the basics and take the first steps towards becoming a French property owner today.

Where to start with buying in France – US (PT1)

Thursday 17th April 2025, 6:00 pm Eastern Time USA