Why some Americans in France return to the US 

For many American families, the prospect of moving to France seems like nothing short of a dream – affordable healthcare, quality education, immense culture and history and, of course, delicious cuisine.

Severing ties with the US, however, is not always simple. As some families navigate the logistical and administrative realities of making a transatlantic move, the fantasy of French living starts to look more like an ongoing exercise in navigating the system.

For Cecile Weiland, a French-American realtor and referral agent, the complexities of shifting from the US to France are all too familiar.

Ms Weiland and her family have moved between New York and France twice in the past two years. Despite a “fantastic life” in France, her family ultimately decided it made more sense to live in the US for the time being, though they plan to come back to France for retirement.

“It was absolutely gut-wrenching,” Ms Weiland told The Connexion about her decision earlier this year to return to the US.

The experience has given her valuable insights on the differences in living between the two countries – something she now uses to advise clients on buying or selling property in France or the US.

More Americans making the leap

Her story comes at a time when more Americans are moving to France – 15,000 first-time residency cards were issued to Americans in 2025, a 14.3% increase from the last year, according to Interior Ministry data. At the same time, not every American who comes to France decides to set up camp permanently.

One couple who had planned to retire in France described their experience as “too much grief and no joy,” CNN reported in 2024. 

Besides culture shocks, another reason Americans may decide to abandon the move is for family reasons. For example, an American professor living in Paris decided to leave France after five years to be closer to her 18-year-old daughter, according to weekly financial magazine Barron.

Adrian Leeds, a French property consultant and owner of the Adrian Leeds Group, said many of the problems Americans encounter when moving to France can be solved by working with a professional.

There is a lot of misinformation online about systems in France, Ms Leeds added. On top of that, moving alone could mean you end up with a bad landlord, an agency overcharging you or – in the case of one of her clients – the wrong visa entirely.

Ms Leeds attributed many of the frustrations Americans face to the “diametrically opposed” legal systems of the two countries, which leads to an administrative system in France that is hard to manoeuvre for Americans.

For Ms Weiland, her journey to and from France is perhaps a little different from CNN and Barron’s examples.

Weiland family's French experience

She first moved to Maisons-Laffitte, a Paris suburb, in 2024 with her husband and then 13-year-old son. A few months later, they were back in the US, where Ms Weiland founded Best Places to Live in France, a Facebook group, and became a licensed real estate agent.

Then, in the summer of 2025 came a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said. Her son was accepted into the prestigious Lycée International de Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Still, after about a year, she realised moving back to the US might be the best option for her family at that time.

While she described their initial move to France in 2024 as “a honeymoon period,” after they came back in 2025 for her son’s school program, “we were working really hard,” she said.

There was also the money aspect. 

“There are a lot of financial implications when you sever ties with the United States,” she said.

Americans who move their finances to France do not escape the US tax system – US citizens generally must keep filing US tax returns and declare foreign bank accounts above certain thresholds, wherever they live. 

French banks can also be reluctant to open accounts for US citizens because of the FATCA law. This law requires foreign financial institutions to report accounts held by Americans, creating a costly administrative burden for European banks. Finally, French taxes on inheritance and assets are much higher than in the US, and the country does not look favorably on American trusts. 

As a business owner, Ms Weiland also added that a part of her missed the entrepreneurial spirit of the US.

However, the decision to move back to the US has not deterred the Weiland’s from aiming to retire in France. Today, as she helps Americans navigate French property purchases through Paris Buyers Agents, her four moves across two years have left her with advice for other expats.

Fact from fiction

First, it is important to separate fantasies around living in France from reality.

“You need to look at the practical side of your life in the US,” Ms Weiland said.

That is especially true when moving to rural areas, Ms Leeds said. While some Americans move with the idyllic dream of a stone village house and countryside living, if they do not have a car or accessible healthcare, they could end up bored and isolated.

“Anyone over the age of 60 shouldn’t be in a health desert, period,” Ms Leeds said.

Ms Weiland also suggested that you “look at your life one year at a time” – this makes everything more manageable and means you can test out life in another country. She also recommended connecting with English-speaking groups in France and taking part in cultural immersion activities.

Moving to France may not be the fantasy some Americans expect, but it can still be magical.

While in France, Ms Weiland said she enjoyed more family time, easier travelling, “an amazing education” for her son, and an “extremely international and very welcoming” community in Maisons-Laffitte.

The key is to not lose sight of the practical side of things.

“When deciding to move to France as an American, you really need to take a good look at your current life,” Ms Weiland said. “Everything that you love about it.”