The American dream

La belle vie awaits...

For Americans wanting to make positive lifestyle changes on a large scale, moving across the water to France checks many of the boxes.

The attractive prospects of a better quality of life, emphasis on life’s pleasures, good state healthcare, a social fabric rich in cultural heritage, and a sense of local ‘belonging’, have consistently drawn US citizens to make France their new home.

Recent figures confirm this, with interior ministry immigration statistics for 2024 revealing that Americans were in third-equal place for the most visas issued, along with Chinese people and Algerians.

US citizens planning to stay in France for longer than 90 days need to apply in advance for a long-stay visa, which, in most cases, serves as a first residence permit once ‘validated’ online after arrival.

In due course, once settled in France, a carte de séjour (residency card) must be applied for, in most cases online.

The statistics for 2024 (the last year for which data is available) showed an increase of 5.8% in Americans applying for a first-time carte de séjour – 13,062 in 2024, compared to 12,341 in 2023.

This made them the fifth most populous nationality of newcomers settling in France, after three North African countries and China.

While some Americans have long settled in the country, there is a significant recent trend: residency card figures were around 3,000/year in the early 2010s, rising to 9,214 in 2021. The Covid pandemic saw a slump, but numbers have since picked up and are rising again.

The most common long-stay visa for Americans is those issued to students studying in France (46%), with the next largest category being ‘miscellaneous’ at 33%, which includes retirees and other people self-sufficient from non-work income as well as second-home owners coming for part of the year. Those coming for work reasons (13%) are the next largest category.

Among workers, Americans are one of the top nationalities receiving ‘talent’ visas, given to certain highly-qualified professionals as well as people investing substantially in business creation, and artists and sportspeople etc.

From the US, France is easier to get to than ever before

Pleasingly, these statistics are reflected in France becoming more accessible when it comes to American air transport.

Increased interest has led to more direct flight routes opening up, notably in the south of France.

A new United Airlines route between Nice, on the French Riviera, and Washington DC opened in May 2025. It runs four times a week. This is in addition to existing Nice-New York/Newark services, as well as daily Paris-US flights.

The new route in turn provides easier access to more than 130 American destinations, due to the transport infrastructure provided from Washington DC (e.g. towards the airline and transport hubs of New York and Newark).

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines will operate three flights per week between Boston and Nice, from May 17, 2026.

The last few years have seen a steady increase in the number of flights between France and North America, with more companies opening up routes. Lufthansa, for example, offers routes from several major US cities to French airports.

Air France currently serves 18 destinations in the US, having added, amended or extended 2024/5 schedules to destinations including Phoenix, Minneapolis, Ra leigh-Durham, Denver, Orlando, New York JFK, and Los Angeles.

Paris and Riviera still loved

Traditionally, many Americans settle in Paris – the link is longstanding, dating back at least to the 1920s when Ernest Hemmingway, Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald made homes there. This is still the case, with around a quarter of US residents of France estimated to live in the capital.

The Riviera is also very popular and increasingly so, with Nice, in particular, seen as offering a more relaxed lifestyle while still having plenty of convenience.

Among aspects Americans report appreciating are the fact that it is possible to live without a car, with many services accessible on foot, good public transport and an international airport close at hand. The presence of an existing strong expat community is also cited, as well as high-quality medical facilities, healthy Mediterranean cuisine and easy access to the countryside. However, France’s regions offer many other beautiful options for Americans willing to go further from the beaten track, with significant numbers settling also in areas such as Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie.

One American told us how she has settled happily in Uzès, a small town in the Gard, west of Avignon, after asking an AI chatbot where to go to recover from burnout in her high-pressure job.

“I really feel like myself again, which is such a huge relief,” she said.