Moving House Within France: Who to Tell and When

This guide is for internationals who already live in France and are now moving from one French address to another. After reading it, you will know which organisations the official checklist says to contact before and after the move, the deadlines and documents it sets, and where a local office makes the decision.

• Before you leave: the home and the removal
• Energy, water, internet and post
• The CAF, the tax office and other organisations
• Your car registration and residence papers
• The electoral roll
• FAQ

Before you leave: the home and the removal

The French government’s service-public.fr page on moving house in France starts with the home you are leaving. A tenant gives notice to the landlord or letting agency, and the préavis (notice period) can be one month or three months. That part of the page does not say which period applies in which case.

Next comes the état des lieux (move-out inspection), carried out with the landlord or the agent. This is also when the tenant gives the landlord the new address. If the landlord refuses to carry out the inspection, the tenant can call in a commissaire de justice (court officer, formerly known as a bailiff). If the move-out inspection matches the move-in inspection, the landlord must return the dépôt de garantie (security deposit) within the month after departure. The page also says that papers linked to the old home must be kept for a certain time. It does not give that period there.

Home insurance follows the same pattern. The contract for the old home is cancelled. In the new home, a tenant must take out insurance covering risques locatifs (the tenant’s liability risks). An owner is not required to insure, unless the home is in a copropriété (building owned jointly with other owners), which imposes its own insurance.

For the move itself, a professional removal firm is liable for anything lost or broken in transit. It can also owe compensation for delays, and it can give a free quote. You can check whether the firm is listed in the register of transport companies. If no professional is used, nobody pays for theft or damage in transit, and the person moving is liable for damage to premises or injuries.

Help with costs exists. The town hall or the département (county council) may grant support, notably through the Fonds de solidarité pour le logement (FSL, housing solidarity fund). Households with at least three children, born or expected, can claim a prime de déménagement (moving grant) from the CAF or the MSA. The claim must be made within six months of the move. Employees can check their convention collective (sector-wide collective agreement), which may cover some or all of the removal costs or grant days off for the move.

Energy, water, internet and post

For gas and electricity, the page lists three steps: cancel the contracts for the old home, contact suppliers for the new one, and read the meters on the day you move out and the day you move in. Service-public.fr links to a list of the electricity and gas suppliers operating in each commune.

Water services, phone operators, TV providers and internet providers also need the new details. Internet access differs from one address to another, so the page suggests finding out what is available at the new home. If your current internet operator has no offer at the new address, you can cancel the subscription free of charge on the grounds of a motif légitime (legitimate reason).

La Poste offers a paid mail-forwarding service. The page does not give the price.

The CAF, the tax office and other organisations

An online change-of-address service lets you report a new address to several organisations in one go. The page names the CPAM (local health insurance office), the tax authorities, EDF, France Travail and the CAF. Separately, it says the tax office must be informed.

The page then lists the organisations that manage benefits. These are the Caisse d’allocations familiales (CAF, family benefits office) or the MSA for the agricultural sector, the CPAM, any mutuelle (top-up health insurance) and pension funds. The new address also goes to banks and insurers for cars, motorbikes, bicycles, electric scooters and life insurance. Employees tell their employer, public servants tell their administration, and anyone registered with France Travail updates their file.

The commune you are leaving also has a step. If you pay the redevance d’enlèvement des ordures ménagères (household waste collection charge), you tell the town hall, or the body that runs the service, so that billing stops. The page sets no deadline for any of these notifications.

Your car registration and residence papers

The new address must be recorded on the certificat d’immatriculation (vehicle registration certificate, often called the carte grise). This page gives no deadline or fee for that update. For a car on a lease or location longue durée (long-term rental), the leasing company handles the change. There is no obligation to update the address on a driving licence. That can be done later, for example when applying for a replacement after a loss or theft.

The page states that the titre de séjour (residence permit) must be updated with the new address. EU citizens who hold the optional EU residence card must also have it updated. The page does not describe the procedure or a time limit. The prefecture handles these cases, and anyone with a question about their own residence status can contact the prefecture or a migration advice service.

The electoral roll

You can register on the listes électorales (electoral roll) at any time of year. To vote in a particular election, you must register before that election’s deadline. The page does not say which nationalities may register for which elections. The town hall can confirm eligibility.

Online applications are open only to people aged 18 or over. They need a scanned proof of identity and a proof of address less than three months old. At the town hall, applicants bring the same two documents and form cerfa n°12669, which is also available at the town hall. Applications by post need the same three items. Another person can apply on your behalf if they bring a signed written authorisation, your proof of identity, a proof of address less than three months old and the cerfa form.

FAQ

Do I have to change the address on my driving licence after moving?

No. Service-public.fr says there is no obligation to change it. The address can be updated later, for example when applying for a new licence after a loss or theft. The vehicle registration certificate is different: it must show the new address.

How long does a landlord have to return the security deposit?

If the move-out inspection matches the move-in inspection, the landlord must return the deposit within the month after the tenant leaves. If the landlord refuses to carry out the inspection, the tenant can call in a court officer.

Does a move inside France affect my residence permit?

Service-public.fr states that the residence permit must be updated with the new address. It does not set out the procedure or a time limit on that page. The prefecture handles the update, and questions about an individual situation can go to the prefecture or a migration advice service.

What documents are needed to join the electoral roll at a new address?

A proof of identity and a proof of address less than three months old. Applications made in person or by post also need form cerfa n°12669. Online applications are open to people aged 18 or over. The town hall can confirm whether your nationality makes you eligible.

Sources: service-public.fr

Last verified: 3 November 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the prefecture of your département, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (avocat).