t3_1guyd3s

Hi everyone,

I recently moved to France and have a four-year residency card, a permanent contract (no probation), a good salary (low six figures), and I'm single with no dependents.

I want to manage my finances wisely here. I have a bank meeting next week, but I'd like to hear from others about their experiences with the banking system, personal finance, mortgages, and saving money in France.

My company offers a savings plan with matched contributions, which seems too good to be true. Is this common in France?

I'm also interested in buying property within the next six months, as I prefer not to waste money on rent. I’d appreciate any advice or tips on navigating the French system.

Thanks! Just an expat trying to adapt in cold Paris.

<div class="md"><p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I recently moved to France and have a four-year residency card, a permanent contract (no probation), a good salary (low six figures), and I&#39;m single with no dependents.</p>

<p>I want to manage my finances wisely here. I have a bank meeting next week, but I&#39;d like to hear from others about their experiences with the banking system, personal finance, mortgages, and saving money in France.</p>

<p>My company offers a savings plan with matched contributions, which seems too good to be true. Is this common in France?</p>

<p>I&#39;m also interested in buying property within the next six months, as I prefer not to waste money on rent. I’d appreciate any advice or tips on navigating the French system.</p>

<p>Thanks! Just an expat trying to adapt in cold Paris.</p>
</div>

Managing personal finance in France - banks, savings, and a mortgage? 

t3_1gutx4g

hii! Does anyone dislike returning to their previous country/country where they grew up? I was born and brought up in country X and after high school moved to country Y which is a neighbour of X.

My family then moved back to our home country. I didn't really get to say goodbye to X and since Y is very similar to X, I didn't feel any difference.   
  
My siblings, on the other hand, were sad but eventually adjusted back home. Now, whenever they visit X, they are super happy and excited. But I am not really interested in X anymore. I would rather be in Y or my home country. I am not even a fan of Y so much lol but I rather be there.   
  
Idk. It feels like X has grown and developed so much in the 4 years I have been away it feels very new to me? 

anyone else?



<div class="md"><p>hii! Does anyone dislike returning to their previous country/country where they grew up? I was born and brought up in country X and after high school moved to country Y which is a neighbour of X.</p>

<p>My family then moved back to our home country. I didn&#39;t really get to say goodbye to X and since Y is very similar to X, I didn&#39;t feel any difference.   </p>

<p>My siblings, on the other hand, were sad but eventually adjusted back home. Now, whenever they visit X, they are super happy and excited. But I am not really interested in X anymore. I would rather be in Y or my home country. I am not even a fan of Y so much lol but I rather be there.   </p>

<p>Idk. It feels like X has grown and developed so much in the 4 years I have been away it feels very new to me? </p>

<p>anyone else?</p>
</div>

does anyone dislike returning to their previous country/country where they grew up?

t3_1gurjrx

Ive lost my id the following month we moved in, so getting a BSN and enrolling in any school was put off for couple weeks. Ill be 18 in january, I already have dropped out of one school in Poland(the major wasnt for me) and the thought of dropping out again is terrifying for me. The language barrier keeps me in my room 24/7, i dont have any friend and this anxiety everytime i have any kind of interaction with anyone outside of my family gets me unbearably miserable. I dont think im able to be happy unless i go back to Poland. I feel lonely and like i dont belong here. All friends ive made through my childhood, memories, places i loved to visit-its all gone. Does the constant depression go away? Will i ever acclimatise? 
Ive talked to my mom about it, but she keeps saying that ill be fine and everything will go away as soon as they accept me into school. Everyone is against me flying back to my home country under the assumption i wont be able to achieve as much as in NL. I know i have some time but it makes me miserable rotting in my room and waiting naively. I think about this situation everyday, but i cant come up with any solution. Everything just seems like bad decision and im stuck in this hell of a overthinking circle. Im so lost in all this and the feeling of being "outsider" is killing me. 
Have anyone had similar experience? Is there any workaround this thing?

<div class="md"><p>Ive lost my id the following month we moved in, so getting a BSN and enrolling in any school was put off for couple weeks. Ill be 18 in january, I already have dropped out of one school in Poland(the major wasnt for me) and the thought of dropping out again is terrifying for me. The language barrier keeps me in my room 24/7, i dont have any friend and this anxiety everytime i have any kind of interaction with anyone outside of my family gets me unbearably miserable. I dont think im able to be happy unless i go back to Poland. I feel lonely and like i dont belong here. All friends ive made through my childhood, memories, places i loved to visit-its all gone. Does the constant depression go away? Will i ever acclimatise? 
Ive talked to my mom about it, but she keeps saying that ill be fine and everything will go away as soon as they accept me into school. Everyone is against me flying back to my home country under the assumption i wont be able to achieve as much as in NL. I know i have some time but it makes me miserable rotting in my room and waiting naively. I think about this situation everyday, but i cant come up with any solution. Everything just seems like bad decision and im stuck in this hell of a overthinking circle. Im so lost in all this and the feeling of being &quot;outsider&quot; is killing me. 
Have anyone had similar experience? Is there any workaround this thing?</p>
</div>

As 17yo me and my mom moved from Poland to Netherlands to live with her boyfriend.

t3_1gujogn

Hey guys I wanna change my status to auto entrepreneur in France. Anyone had DIY it? Or do I have to hire a lawyer? It’s kinda confusing for example some people said the business plan has to be approved by the mister and some said it’s not necessary. Also how much is your tax per month? (Percentage) I asked a lawyer, accountant and read websites, all the answers are not the same, I’m very confused. 

<div class="md"><p>Hey guys I wanna change my status to auto entrepreneur in France. Anyone had DIY it? Or do I have to hire a lawyer? It’s kinda confusing for example some people said the business plan has to be approved by the mister and some said it’s not necessary. Also how much is your tax per month? (Percentage) I asked a lawyer, accountant and read websites, all the answers are not the same, I’m very confused. </p>
</div>

Auto entrepreneur visa in France 

t3_1guhumw

Has anybody applied for visa to enter Paraguay?

First I want to know the visa type to apply for.

Our goal is to start a business, for that do we need to share business plan?

Or is if  the tourist visa? Is itinerary enough.

For any visa I presume we have to submit

Birth certificate, police clearance, hotel booking, flight booking(refundable?), criminal record.

The consulate I talked with is little confusing, they would need a copy of visa to apostile but do I get the visa without apostile?

We have contacted a few agents, most of them did not suggest anything about visa so would Appreciate a suggestion!

<div class="md"><p>Has anybody applied for visa to enter Paraguay?</p>

<p>First I want to know the visa type to apply for.</p>

<p>Our goal is to start a business, for that do we need to share business plan?</p>

<p>Or is if  the tourist visa? Is itinerary enough.</p>

<p>For any visa I presume we have to submit</p>

<p>Birth certificate, police clearance, hotel booking, flight booking(refundable?), criminal record.</p>

<p>The consulate I talked with is little confusing, they would need a copy of visa to apostile but do I get the visa without apostile?</p>

<p>We have contacted a few agents, most of them did not suggest anything about visa so would Appreciate a suggestion!</p>
</div>

Paraguay visa

t3_1gufaq4

I will be going to Lisbon or Porto for 6 months in February and I already feel quite stressed. I’d like to talk to other expats in one of those cities but I can’t find a subreddit or group specifically for those places. Does anyone know of group with expats here?

<div class="md"><p>I will be going to Lisbon or Porto for 6 months in February and I already feel quite stressed. I’d like to talk to other expats in one of those cities but I can’t find a subreddit or group specifically for those places. Does anyone know of group with expats here?</p>
</div>

Expats in Lisbon or Porto? Are there subs/communities where I can meet and talk to people before actually going there?

t3_1guescz

Are there any expat health insurance companies that aren't horrible? Cignaglobal, IMG, Geoblue all have HORRIBLE online ratings. I had a personal experience with Cigna Global when I made a claim and they wanted medical documentation about my tonsillectomy from 1978. They asked me about documentation for diseases I have never had and never have heard of...

After much searching, I have not honestly found ANY that aren't horrible. It's depressing really.

Please offer suggestions to companies you had CLAIMS with. The fact that it was easy to BUY is rarely helpful or relevant for health insurance!

<div class="md"><p>Are there any expat health insurance companies that aren&#39;t horrible? Cignaglobal, IMG, Geoblue all have HORRIBLE online ratings. I had a personal experience with Cigna Global when I made a claim and they wanted medical documentation about my tonsillectomy from 1978. They asked me about documentation for diseases I have never had and never have heard of...</p>

<p>After much searching, I have not honestly found ANY that aren&#39;t horrible. It&#39;s depressing really.</p>

<p>Please offer suggestions to companies you had CLAIMS with. The fact that it was easy to BUY is rarely helpful or relevant for health insurance!</p>
</div>

Expat Medical/Health Insurance

t3_1gubi7r

Hello! I'm looking for a CPA that can help me figure out my taxes as I move to Colombia as a dual citizen. 

<div class="md"><p>Hello! I&#39;m looking for a CPA that can help me figure out my taxes as I move to Colombia as a dual citizen. </p>
</div>

Colombia <> USA

t3_1gu9voh

Hopefully this question doesn't go against the rules but I'm trying to move my accounts from the US to France since I live here now, and I wanted to know if anyone else in this situation had to do anything specific beyond a simple bank transfer. If it's between 10k - 100k I would imagine there's some kind of justification I need to explain or maybe declare it as income on my French taxes? Any ideas? Want to make sure I'm not doing anything the wrong way!

<div class="md"><p>Hopefully this question doesn&#39;t go against the rules but I&#39;m trying to move my accounts from the US to France since I live here now, and I wanted to know if anyone else in this situation had to do anything specific beyond a simple bank transfer. If it&#39;s between 10k - 100k I would imagine there&#39;s some kind of justification I need to explain or maybe declare it as income on my French taxes? Any ideas? Want to make sure I&#39;m not doing anything the wrong way!</p>
</div>

Transferring money to France?

t3_1gu8yom

\*\* Reposted in new format due to advice from readers.

Hi all,

My family and I may be moving to the Netherlands in the next six months, and I'd like to get any information I can on autism care and education for children. My eldest son, 9, is autistic, and while I hear wonderful things about Dutch programs and care I'm having some trouble getting details about it. I would really like more information on what services might be available.

We need: 

* Information on the educational system, specifically what services are generally available for autistic children
* The ages to which these services extend
* Any offices which could be contacted (We do not speak Dutch, but I know how much English is spoken there)
* Any potential expats or natives with similar situations willing to reach out and speak to us.

My son would be considered on the upper-middle level of the functional scale: he is verbal, with clear English (occasional grammatical oddities aside) and can interact with people with a little nudging, but has trouble with context and clear communication thanks so sensory processing issues.  He is intelligent, but again getting it out of him can be a task.  He can also be demand avoidant, so ABA hasn't worked for him in the past -- we have him working with private, FloorTime trained therapists at the moment which are far better at getting him to cooperate as required.  While he is homeschooled currently, this is due to a lack of resources in our state's school system and have no problem working with the Dutch educational system -- he would very likely need an assisting teacher, and is generally considered to be behind in terms of grade-level equivalent.  We are willing to foot the bill for any additional care that national programs do not provide support.  We're ready to contribute!

Thank you all in advance for your time.  Seriously, we're a bit at sea and we would be incredibly grateful for any assistance.

<div class="md"><p>** Reposted in new format due to advice from readers.</p>

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>My family and I may be moving to the Netherlands in the next six months, and I&#39;d like to get any information I can on autism care and education for children. My eldest son, 9, is autistic, and while I hear wonderful things about Dutch programs and care I&#39;m having some trouble getting details about it. I would really like more information on what services might be available.</p>

<p>We need: </p>

<ul>
<li>Information on the educational system, specifically what services are generally available for autistic children</li>
<li>The ages to which these services extend</li>
<li>Any offices which could be contacted (We do not speak Dutch, but I know how much English is spoken there)</li>
<li>Any potential expats or natives with similar situations willing to reach out and speak to us.</li>
</ul>

<p>My son would be considered on the upper-middle level of the functional scale: he is verbal, with clear English (occasional grammatical oddities aside) and can interact with people with a little nudging, but has trouble with context and clear communication thanks so sensory processing issues.  He is intelligent, but again getting it out of him can be a task.  He can also be demand avoidant, so ABA hasn&#39;t worked for him in the past -- we have him working with private, FloorTime trained therapists at the moment which are far better at getting him to cooperate as required.  While he is homeschooled currently, this is due to a lack of resources in our state&#39;s school system and have no problem working with the Dutch educational system -- he would very likely need an assisting teacher, and is generally considered to be behind in terms of grade-level equivalent.  We are willing to foot the bill for any additional care that national programs do not provide support.  We&#39;re ready to contribute!</p>

<p>Thank you all in advance for your time.  Seriously, we&#39;re a bit at sea and we would be incredibly grateful for any assistance.</p>
</div>