News Digest: Property taxes, Armistice & Americans Moving to France

From today (Tuesday, November 5th), Paris’ new ZTL or zone à trafic limité comes into action, meaning that all vehicles – including mopeds – are effectively banned from the area. However, there are quite a few exceptions! The zone covers much of Paris’ historic right bank area, arrondissements 1-4, although it won’t include the riverside quays.

The ZTL doesn’t apply to buses, taxis/Ubers, or emergency vehicles, and there’s also an exemption for delivery drivers, drivers who live or work within the zone, as well as for those who have an attestation showing their reason for travelling into the zone – such attestations will likely be made available online, although the details of how to get one and which reasons are valid are a little vague at this stage. The main idea is to eliminate all through traffic, believed to account for up to 50% of the traffic in the area, and encourage visitors to walk, cycle or use public transport in the central area.

Find out more about the ZTL here.

Taxe d’habitation bills, which now only apply to second-home owners in France, will be issued from this week on, and with property taxes continuing to go up, especially in some zones tendues, you may find that your bill is higher than previous years.

Those who have opted for annual payment will receive their bills first (from November 4th), while those who have opted for monthly payment will receive their bill from November 18th. Remember, you won’t be sent a paper bill unless you have specifically requested one, and while you should receive an email or text message to alert you, these do sometimes get lost, so it’s best to log onto your online tax account even if you haven’t received notification. If you have opted for a paper bill, these will likely arrive later in the month.

The deadline for payments is December 15th.

Known around the world as Remembrance Day or Veteran’s Day, November 11th is Armistice in France. Commemorating the signing of the Armistice agreement on November 11th^, 1918, which effectively ended WWI, it’s a day to reflect, remember, and honour the millions of soldiers who fought and died for France, not only in WWI, but in all past or current conflicts.

In France, it’s a jour férié (national holiday) and marked by remembrance ceremonies taking place at WWI memorials around the country. Most notably, the President lays a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. A minute of silence is traditionally observed at 11am to mark the moment that the fighting ceased.

The symbol of Armistice Day in France is a blue cornflower, a bleuet in French, rather than the poppy as seen in the UK, which is said to symbolise the blue of the French soldiers’ uniform. If you want to purchase a bleuetor make a donation to Bleuets de France, the charity that supports French veterans and their families, you can do so here.

What You Need to Know About Armistice Day in France

We’ll all be following the progress of the US elections today, but whatever the results, if you’d like to take your mind off election fever and start focusing on your dreams of moving to France instead, we’ve got you covered! Our final FrenchEntrée webinar of the year is THIS THURSDAY and it’s especially for our American audience (Canadians – a lot of it will probably be relevant for you, too!).

Our guest host, Iva Slavtcheva, will be joined by a panel of expert hosts, including Miranda from Paris Property Group, Thomas from Société de Courtage, Eleonore from Lexidy, and Kelly from Moneycorp to cover everything you need to know about moving to France as an American in 2025. We’ll be covering the differences between the US and French real estate market (plus top tips for buying in Paris), looking at French mortgages for Americans, and talking you through the most important step of moving to France – getting a French visa. We’ll also be letting you in on the secret to maximising your budget and potentially saving thousands of dollars when purchasing in France.

Make sure you don’t miss out and sign up today. If you have a question for any of our panellists, you can also send it to us in advance at [email protected] 

Moving to France as an American in 2025:Your Essential Guide

Thursday 7th November
6pm ET