News Digest: Micro-Entrepreneur VAT Changes, Tax Deadlines & Museum Fee Hike for Non-EU Visitors

Hot on the heels of the Louvre’s announcement that it would begin charging a higher fee for tickets sold to visitors from outside the EU, a number of other state-run museums and tourist attractions have announced that they will follow suit. An article in Le Monde confirmed that the Palace of Versailles, the Chateau de Chambord, the Conciergerie, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Opéra Garnier are all set to raise their fees.

In January this year, French President Macron announced that state-run museums and monuments would be allowed to modify their entry policies, but the decision to do so rests with the establishments themselves. With France looking to make cuts in cultural spending and many attractions in need of expensive repairs and refurbishments, it seems many are taking up Macron’s offer.

The ticket hikes won’t start straight away – they will begin from January 1st, 2026 – and they won’t apply to EU nationals or French residents. Further attractions may also join the trend from 2027.

There’s good news for small business owners and self-employed freelancers on France’s micro-entrepreneur regime. The proposed change to the VAT (TVA) threshold in France has now been pushed back until 2026, with hopes that it will be dropped altogether.

Originally put forward as part of the 2025 Budget, the change would have seen the VAT threshold dropped to €25,000 for all businesses. Most notably, this would have affected low-earning businesses on the micro-entrepreneur regime who, at present, do not have to charge VAT. Currently, the VAT thresholds (which are different depending on the kind of business and activity) start at €35,000. Making it a flat rate of €25,000 would therefore, require thousands of micro-entrepreneurs to pay VAT for the first time.

The proposition was understandably unpopular, and the pushback led the government to reassess, calling for a final decision on the proposal on June 1st. However, this deadline has now been pushed back to 2026, much to the relief of micro-entrepreneurs around the country.

We’re coming to the final weeks of tax season in France, and this week brings another deadline – this time for French residents living in départements 20 to 54. If you live in one of these départements, you have until this Wednesday, May 28th, at 11:59 pm (tomorrow!) to file your tax return online.

Note that the deadline is a day earlier than expected – this deadline typically falls on a Thursday, but as it’s a bank holiday, you’ll need to file your tax return a day early. The good news is that you can then enjoy your jour férié stress-free!

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

Another week, another jour férié, and another chance to faire le pont—“make the bridge”, in other words, take a four-day weekend as the bank holiday falls on a Thursday. This Thursday, May 29th, is the third of three May bank holidays that fell on a bank holiday, affording French workers plenty of opportunities to take a four-day weekend, and many will be taking advantage this weekend to,o.

May 29th is one of France’s religious holidays, marking the Christian festival of Ascension (the day that Jesus is believed to have ascended to heaven, 40 days after Easter Sunday). It’s one of the country’s oldest public holidays, surviving the French Revolution.

If you’re planning to go away this bank holiday weekend, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on traffic updates (Bison Futé is always a reliable source). Wednesday evening and Thursday morning are likely to see heavy traffic on France’s motorways, especially heading out of major cities and into coastal and tourist resorts. Similar traffic is expected in reverse on Sunday afternoon/evening.