Navigating French protests, US bank accounts and where in France the Americans live

Welcome to The Local’s “Americans in France” newsletter for members, featuring all the news and practical information you need as an American resident, visitor or second-home owner in France. You can sign up to receive it directly to your inbox before we publish it online via the link below.

Dear Americans in France,

As you may have seen, the US Embassy in France has issued a security alert due to ongoing protests in France.

The warning specified that visitors should be aware of ongoing protests and rallies, with a note that “recent demonstrations were violent and involved property destruction and looting”.

This has left many Americans wondering if it is safe to visit France right now. Veteran correspondent John Lichfield has been covering France for over 30 years. By his reading, the situation has gotten worse.

“Violence has become so much a part of French politics that no demand – reasonable or unreasonable – is answered unless there is a substantial advance toll of smashed bus-shelters and injured police and demonstrators,” he wrote.

In terms of those demands, I found this analysis by The European Correspondent interesting: out of over 10,000 European news reports about the protests, only eight percent of headlines mentioned protesters’ demands, while one in three mentioned violence.

I don’t want to say that claims of violence are exaggerated, as the issue is real, but I would argue that you can still have a safe, fun time visiting France this autumn.

Be aware of where demonstrations are happening (primarily in downtown areas; The Local publishes key information regarding demo routes ahead of planned protests in our Protests section here), and be flexible about your plans changing (museums or tourist sites could close). 

READ ALSO: Protest violence: Is it safe to come to France this autumn?

What do you think? We’d love to hear from you – feel free to write to us or leave a comment with your thoughts on visiting France this fall.

In other news, Americans are still interested in moving to France. Actually, our numbers are increasing! In 2025, the country tracked a 14.3 percent year-on-year increase in the number of first-time residency cards issued to Americans. 

We still make up a relatively small minority amongst the foreigners living in France, and you’re most likely to run into other Americans in Paris or along the French Riviera.

READ ALSO: How many Americans live in France (and where are they all)

Property market research by international realty website Barnes noted that 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 were marked by a “return of international buyers—most notably Americans—reinforcing Paris’s standing as a global market.”

And if you are looking at moving to France from places like San Diego or Nashville, I have some good news. Air France recently announced that it would be launching new direct flights (3x a week) to Paris CDG from those cities starting in May 2027.

Aside from strikes and protests, there are other considerations for Americans looking to move to France, particularly when it comes to long-term financial planning. Many readers have written to us with concerns about their US-based banks closing their accounts following a new EU directive.

We put your questions, including those about whether international credit unions are a viable alternative, to tax expert Jonathan Hadida and financial advisor Brian Dunhill. Here’s what they had to say.

For many Americans who chose to live abroad, one of the perennial challenges is maintaining tax compliance in both France and the US, thanks to citizenship-based taxation. And for some, the answer is renouncing their US citizenship.

Earlier this year, the United States reduced the fees for renunciation, and in recent months the number of renunciations has increased. The US Treasury Department reported particularly high numbers for renunciations for 2026, with over 4,574 people on the expatriation list for the first three quarters of the year.

Renouncing citizenship is a big decision, though. In a previous article, The Local spoke with international tax law specialist Alexander Marino. He told us: “My advice is always that an individual considering renunciation needs professional counsel competent in both US nationality and tax law to make a good decision.

“Fixing previous failures to file is generally possible through IRS voluntary disclosure programs, but renunciation carries serious immigration and tax consequences that can seldom be undone.”

And on that note, if you have any other tips and questions – perhaps topics you’d like to see us cover in greater depth – please do let us know via our ongoing survey.

I’ll end with a piece of advice from a fellow American in France, Greg Liebergen, in northern France: “Slow down; the French do things on their own time. What you need will get done.”

À la prochaine!