First Month in France: The Settling-In Checklist.

Your first month in France is a flood of admin tasks that chain together — and in the right order, it all becomes simpler. This guide gives you the step-by-step roadmap so you forget nothing when you arrive: visa, bank, housing, health, benefits. Each step links to a detailed guide. (Updated June 2026.)

JARI tip: everything you need to settle in is on JARI — the Info guides, the of Korean spots, the Marketplace (housing, second-hand, jobs), Pro Services, the Community and the.

Keep these on hand when you arrive.

Have these ready (and get the Korean ones translated by a sworn translator, traducteur assermenté):

• your passport and your VLS-TS (long-stay visa) or residence permit;
• several ID photos;
• your birth certificate (acte de naissance) translated (needed for health cover);
• an address in France, even temporary;
• enough to cover the first costs — housing often asks for 2 to 3 months' rent upfront.

The recommended order.

Many steps depend on each other: you need a French IBAN (RIB) for health cover, CAF and your salary, and housing to prove your address. The most efficient order: validate your visa → open a bank account → secure housing → register for health insurance → claim your benefits.

Step 1 — Validate your visa (ANEF), in week 1.

If you arrived with a VLS-TS, you must validate it online on the ANEF (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr) within 3 months — do it in your first week, it takes about 30 minutes. Without validation, you're in an irregular situation. → Details (process, tax, student / working-holiday / employee cases) in our Residence permit guide.

Step 2 — Open a bank account.

A French-IBAN account is the key to everything: salary, rent, direct debits, and it's required by CAF and health insurance. An online bank opens in minutes, and the ANEF certificate can serve as proof while you wait. → See our Bank account guide.

Step 3 — Secure housing.

In parallel, search for housing and build your file. Without a French guarantor, apply for Visale (free) and certify your file on DossierFacile before you even view a place. Don't forget home insurance (mandatory) and the move-in inventory (état des lieux). → See our Housing guide.

Step 4 — Health insurance & carte Vitale.

Register with the health insurance within the first month (students via etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr; employees are registered by their employer). You get a provisional number, then your carte Vitale. → See our Health insurance / carte Vitale guide.

Step 5 — Claim your benefits (CAF).

Once settled, apply for the housing benefit on caf.fr: it's not retroactive, so do it as soon as you move in. (Note the 2026 change for non-EU students — see the guide.) → See our CAF housing benefit guide.

The right timing at a glance.

Common mistakes.

• Forgetting to validate the VLS-TS within 3 months → irregular stay.
• Delaying the bank account: it blocks everything else.
• Giving a foreign IBAN to CAF, health insurance or your employer.
• Waiting on CAF when it isn't retroactive.
• Not translating the birth certificate → definitive social security number blocked.

FAQ.

Where do I start if I don't have permanent housing yet? Validate your visa (ANEF) and open a bank account with a temporary address; you'll update your address later. CAF, though, waits for your permanent home.

Does everything have to be done in French? Public portals are in French; online banks often offer English. Keep your translated documents ready.

How long until I'm "settled"? Expect about 1 to 3 months: visa validation is quick, but the carte Vitale and CAF take several weeks.

Official resources.

• france-visas.gouv.fr — Your arrival in France
• administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr — Validate your VLS-TS (ANEF)
• service-public.gouv.fr — Foreigner settling in France (F12859)