How to get help with French admin from France services
Free advice is available on everything from tax queries to job hunting
Each MFS office can help with a variety of administrative problems
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The next time you are struggling with an administrative procedure, consider getting help from your nearest maison France services.
Its mission is to steer people through the country’s often bewildering bureaucracy and provide advice on everything from tax queries to job hunting.
The initiative came out of a national debate in 2019 about making state services more accessible and understandable for ordinary citizens.
The government realised red tape was alienating for the public and sought ways to make it more transparent.
In place of the former maison public or MSAP (maisons de services au public) network, there are now 2,800 maison France services sites across the country, with over 7,000 advisors.
They are usually based in small offices or information booths and the government states that at least two trained staff members will be on hand at all times.
How do they help?
In essence, MFS advisors can clarify official procedures, help you through applications and guide you towards other contacts where necessary.
If you are at a loss over a long, complex form or do not know which structure to turn to for help on an official matter, maison France services can enlighten you.
They are particularly useful for those living in rural areas far from the standard channels and regional headquarters, and for people who are not comfortable with all the online processes involved in modern bureaucracy.
Each MFS is connected with 12 national partners, covering family allowance, ID cards, passports, national health insurance, pensions, energy and renovation grants, employment, social security, taxes, the post office and even legal issues.
MFS advisors are trained to help individuals with a huge range of challenges, for example:
setting up official online accounts
printing or scanning documents for official procedures
filling in annual tax declarations
completing a request for an ID card or passport
getting a refund on healthcare costs
finding out about entitlement to grants or benefits
dealing with litigation or legal queries
Free – and it works
There are no fees for this service. Nor should they be too hard to find. Wherever you live in France, you should always be within a 20-minute car ride from a maison France services.
Their mission of accessibility means that they can also come to you if you are not mobile.
Despite a major campaign last November, the biggest challenge faced by the network is that most people do not know about them or understand how they can help.
And help they can - according to their own research, 80% of all enquiries they receive are fully resolved in just one visit to a maison France services.
You can find your closest one via the official online website, which includes all France Services posts. Put in your address in the search bar at the top to see a list of the centres closest to you.
Click on your closest France Services point and you will see the opening hours and contact details.
It may be best to make an appointment before visiting, but you can also walk in and organise one.
