From everything I learned becoming French to apps for renting an apartment and 80 years of French social security, this week’s La Belle Vie newsletter offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like a local.
La Belle Vie is our regular look at the real culture of France – from language to cuisine, manners to films. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to your newsletter preferences in “My account”.
Last Wednesday evening, I was sitting at the kitchen table, scrolling on social media and procrastinating on the dinner dishes when I heard a shout from the other room. “What’s going on?” I yelled back, and my boyfriend responded, “T’es Française!” (You’re French!)
I went into the room and saw him holding up his laptop, with France’s Journal Officiel on the screen. He pointed to my last name. Then, I screamed too.
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All in all, my nationality request was pretty speedy by French standards. I applied in January 2024 and was naturalised by October 2025, so a little over a year and a half in total. I learned a lot throughout the process.
Everything I wish I knew before applying for French nationality
Hopefully, some of those tips will save you both time and money. I am overjoyed to now be French. I cannot wait to vote and hold my passport in my hand. That being said, there are some things I wish I had done differently.
I did not realise when applying that I did not need to take the language test, as my French diploma (despite being from an English-language degree programme) counted. I also did not realise how long it would take to request all of the necessary documents from the US (and get them apostilled).
All in all, I spent a decent chunk of change on becoming Française, but most of that was unavoidable.
How much it really costs to become French
I have been reflecting on how privileged my immigrant experience has been in France. I did not move to France to escape persecution or lack of economic opportunity. I was able to be naturalised in just six years because I completed a French master’s degree and am currently employed.
When I went in for my citizenship interview, the man sitting next to me had been undocumented for 20 years. I thought of him when I read my name on the list of newly naturalised citizens, and I wondered whether his was listed too.
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It is entirely possible that his request was rejected as a result of the circulaire (memo) Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau sent out in May, which exhorted préfecture staff to take a stricter approach when reviewing citizenship applications.
France has been part of the global rightward shift on immigration. It is easy for those of us who moved to France with means and education to forget that we are immigrants too, as my editor, Emma Pearson, wrote.
OPINION: Yes, expats – France’s anti-immigrant drift affects you too
There’s another aspect of taking on another nationality that has taken me by surprise: becoming a representative of that country to the rest of the world. I suppose I should’ve expected this, but it became apparent earlier this week when I called friends from home to tell them the good news.
I heard several versions of “great, now can you tell us what’s going on with France’s government?” Luckily, living abroad as an American has given me plenty of practice explaining political crises.
If I had to choose one aspect of French life to be a spokesperson for, it would be the impressive 80-year-old social security system
Sécu: 5 things to know about France’s social security system
I’d rather not be a spokesperson for the painful process of finding an apartment in Paris. In my six years, I have lived in three different apartments. Finding the first apartment was an expensive, time-consuming disaster. The other two were a bit less painful.
While I can’t speak to the experience of house or apartment hunting outside of a big city, there are a few websites and apps that are used across France. My personal favourite was Jinka – it is basically an aggregation tool that brings together listings from all of France’s main property sites.
6 of the best apps to rent a house or apartment in France
And finally, the autumn weather is here. I have officially packed up the summer clothes and pulled out the thick sweaters and turtlenecks.
I used to feel very homesick in October. North American foliage is more red-tinted than the orange and yellow you see in Europe. I still do miss the pumpkin, Halloween madness, but I’ve come to look forward to French autumn events, like the wine harvest.
One of my favourite ways to enjoy autumn in Paris is to attend the Montmartre wine festival, which happens to be this weekend.
13 of the best autumn festivals and events in France