France admin checklist before your working holiday (PVT)

Your visa is approved and the flights are booked — but half the work still needs to happen in France. Social security, taxes, CPAM, CAF, health top-up insurance, your lease, your bank account: each one has its own logic when you change your country of residence. Getting it wrong can be expensive on return — back-dated contributions, tax adjustments, or a frozen bank account from the other side of the world. This guide covers the steps to take — or to consciously decide not to take — before leaving on a PVT (Programme Vacances-Travail) to Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. Some points depend on your personal situation (income, employment, lease type); we flag those as they come up.

Social security (PUMa): coverage ends when your residency does

The Protection Universelle Maladie (PUMa) covers healthcare costs for anyone who lives in France on a stable and regular basis. The key criterion is residence: the Assurance Maladie requires you to be physically present in France for at least six months per year to keep your rights. Once you leave on a working holiday — and are therefore no longer a stable French resident — your PUMa coverage lapses. The Assurance Maladie runs random checks and can demand repayment of costs covered after your actual departure if your situation was not declared.

You are required to notify your CPAM of your departure. The easiest way is through the messaging section of your ameli.fr account, or by submitting form S1105 ("Déclaration de transfert de résidence hors de France"). Do this within one month of leaving. Your Carte Vitale remains physically in your possession, but it will no longer be active for reimbursements once your rights are closed — there is no point taking it abroad expecting it to work.

• Notify your CPAM of your departure via ameli.fr (messaging) or form S1105, within one month of leaving
• PUMa requires stable residency in France (at least 6 months per year) — a 12–24-month working holiday ends that
• Your Carte Vitale becomes inactive for reimbursements once your rights are closed
• PUMa does not cover you abroad — do not rely on it once you have left France

CFE or private working holiday insurance: which to choose?

Once PUMa closes, you have two main options for health coverage: the CFE (Caisse des Français de l'Étranger) or a dedicated private working holiday insurance policy. They work very differently.

The CFE is a private-law body carrying out a public service mission. It offers French nationals abroad a health coverage scheme modelled on the French system — reimbursements, and optional pension contributions. Its main advantage is continuity of French social security rights. It suits people with ongoing health needs or those who want to maintain pension contributions. On the downside, its premiums are higher than a basic working holiday policy, and it does not necessarily replace the insurance required by the visa itself.

Private working holiday insurance policies (Chapka, AVA, Mondassur, and others) are built specifically for pvtistes. They cover routine care, hospitalisation, repatriation, and generally meet embassy requirements for visa approval. For a healthy person going for 12 to 24 months, they are typically cheaper than the CFE. One key point: the working holiday visa requires health insurance covering the full duration of your stay in all cases. Make sure your cover is compliant before submitting your visa application.

Some pvtistes start with a private policy and join the CFE later if they settle abroad long-term. The two are not mutually exclusive — but for a first working holiday, a dedicated private policy is the most common approach.

• CFE: continuity of French social security rights, optional pension contributions, but higher premiums
• Private working holiday insurance: built for pvtistes, satisfies visa requirements, generally cheaper for a 1–2-year stay
• The working holiday visa requires insurance covering the full duration of stay — verify compliance before applying
• Compare CFE premiums against private insurers based on your destination, duration, and health situation

Taxes: filing for the year of departure and becoming a non-resident

Changing your tax residency is not automatic — you need to inform the tax authority. Once you establish yourself durably abroad (which a working holiday of 12 months or more qualifies as), you become a non-resident for French tax purposes under article 4 B of the General Tax Code. In practice, you are no longer taxable in France on your foreign income, but you remain taxable on any French-source income (rent from a French property, for example).

For the year of departure, you must file a standard income tax return (form 2042) covering income from January 1st up to your departure date. Tick the box marked "départ à l'étranger" and enter the date you installed yourself abroad. If you also receive French-source income after leaving, you will need to complete form 2047 as well. The tax office that handled your file until departure remains responsible for that year; from the following year, your contact becomes the Service des Impôts des Particuliers Non-Résidents (SIPNR). The practical steps are outlined on the "Je pars à l'étranger" page of impots.gouv.fr.

If you leave mid-year, your tax rate may differ depending on the proportion of your French income. Bilateral tax treaties between France and your destination (Canada, Australia, New Zealand) generally mean you will not need to declare your working holiday earnings in France once you are a non-resident — but the rules vary. If in doubt, contact the SIPNR or consult an accountant.

• Declare your departure on impots.gouv.fr — section "Je pars à l'étranger"
• File form 2042 for income from January 1st to your departure date
• Tick "départ à l'étranger" and record your installation date abroad
• From the following year, the SIPNR (Non-Resident Tax Service) is your tax office
• Foreign earnings are generally not taxable in France once you are a non-resident — but check the applicable tax treaty

French bank account: non-resident status and what it costs

Unlike some countries, France does not require you to close your bank account when you move abroad. You can absolutely keep it. That said, you are legally required to inform your bank of your change in tax status (switching to non-resident): failing to do so can cause tax complications, and some banks detect the change through automatic tax information exchanges.

Most traditional French banks (BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, etc.) keep accounts for non-residents but often apply higher monthly management fees, commissions on international transfers, and currency conversion charges on foreign payments. Some French online banks have less accommodating policies for non-residents — check the terms and conditions before you leave. The practical advice: keep a French account active to receive potential refunds (taxes, CAF), maintain direct debits for remaining subscriptions, and allow family to send you money. But for daily spending abroad, a multi-currency account avoids repeated conversion fees.

• Inform your bank of your departure and non-resident change of status — legally required
• Most traditional banks keep the account open, but may add fees for non-residents
• Check your French online bank's terms — some restrict access for non-residents
• Keep a French account active for refunds, direct debits, and transfers from France
• For spending at your destination, a no-fee multi-currency account is far more practical

The rest of the checklist: top-up insurance, CAF, lease

Complementary health insurance (mutuelle): if you have an individual policy (not an employer scheme), you can cancel it before departure using the grounds of "change of domicile / moving abroad" (article L113-16 of the Insurance Code). Send a recorded letter with your flight confirmation and a copy of your PVT visa. Cancellation takes effect one month after receipt. For an employer-provided mutuelle, check with your HR department — it generally ends on the last day of your employment contract.

CAF: if you receive housing benefit (APL, ALF, etc.), declare your departure on caf.fr as soon as you hand back the keys. Benefits stop on the date you vacate the property; failing to declare the change can result in overpayments you will have to reimburse.

Lease: the legal notice period for an unfurnished rental is three months (one month in designated high-pressure zones). For a furnished flat, it is one month. You can negotiate a shorter period with your landlord. Give notice as early as possible — ideally as soon as your visa is approved — to avoid paying rent you no longer need.

Subscriptions and postal address: cancel or pause subscriptions (French phone plan, streaming, gym). If you need a French mailing address while abroad, a family member or trusted friend can receive official post on your behalf.

• Mutuelle: cancel for "moving abroad" (Art. L113-16) — recorded letter with flight + PVT copy, one month's notice
• CAF: declare your departure on caf.fr when you return the keys — avoids overpayment recovery
• Lease: 3 months notice (unfurnished) or 1 month (furnished / high-pressure zone) — start the clock early
• Postal address: a trusted contact in France can receive official correspondence on your behalf
• Cancel or pause unnecessary subscriptions (French SIM, streaming, etc.)

How Tern helps

Tern is a multi-currency account built for working holiday travellers — open from your phone before you board the flight, with pre-launch registration available now. Your account details are ready before you land, so you can share them with an employer on day one without waiting for a local bank account. Transfers from euros convert at the mid-market rate with no hidden margin, and ATM withdrawals at your destination carry no extra fee. While your French bank account handles the France-side admin, Tern takes care of your day-to-day spending abroad — without the conversion fees that add up fast on a working holiday budget.