Why do we consider moving to France?
We are a retired American couple (one of Philippine descent) living in Portugal the last two years. We are fairly well-situated in Portugal at the moment but we feel like France may be a better choice going forward because it is a larger, more diverse (in every way) country. We are particularly attracted by the idea what we will find more cultural arts, better cuisine, better support for a walking and hiking lifestyle, and better housing condition than our 7-story apartment building in Lisbon. Portugal is on the edge of western Europe economically, culturally, and linguistically (!!!) and it shows in many ways.
Our life works for us at this point, but we feel that we might do better in France. Are we wrong?
We feel that the Portuguese people, while externally extremely nice, are a “closed group” and we feel - maybe wrongly, maybe rightly - that we will always be living as expats with virtually no Portuguese friends. We experience the Portuguese as a very conservative set of people - they do not go out of their lane. The independence of thought and action that is so highly prized in the US is nowhere to be found in Portugal. We have met a number of French people over the years that we felt very friendly with, and in fact we do have a couple friends in France despite having never lived there and not speaking French. It just seems like a more diverse and open culture.
We like to walk daily and do a bit of hiking. In Portugal, walking is not at all valued as an activity. The sidewalks are in fact terrible, they are made of small cobblestones that are quite slippery when wet - even a little wet - and walking paths are few and far between. Tree cover is very low, almost regardless of which city you are in.
What are building codes like in France? OK, silly question, it obviously depends, but these are the things that concern us in Portugal: (1) no smoke detectors, fire alarms, or fire extinguishers; (2) poor electrical workmanship (kitchen appliances connected via extension cords behind the cabinets) - in fact extensions cords are common and electrical junction boxes are often non-existent; (3) no central heating nor air conditioning; (4) no P-traps in drain lines (this may be common throughout Europe).
One of the aspects of French culture that I enjoyed in my past visits is that the French are sociable, enjoy conversation, and have strong opinions. Portuguese culture emphasizes harmony so that disagreement makes Portuguese uncomfortable.
We have Googled around a but and our mouths are watering with the idea of living an hour’s train ride from Paris and at the same time being near a forest such as Rambouillet or Senart. Maybe even with a house and a yard? That seems like heaven. Of course the grass is always greener, and there would be winters! I suppose we would have to get a car? Are Uber or taxis readily available in the outer suburbs?
From what I have read here, we would have to be quite good in French to get along, level A2 at the minimum being required. (It can’t be more difficult that Portuguese! And much more transportable outside the country.)
If we get the VLS-TS visa, can we get it renewed annually? We are retired so no working. Can we ever get French citizenship?
If we remain in Portugal, we would be able to get Permanent Residency in another three years (which would allow us to travel 50% of the time, e.g. maybe to France) and presumably citizenship five years from now. If we were in our 40’s we would probably just do this, but since we’re gettin’ up there in years we want to make the best of our time.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
We are a retired American couple (one of Philippine descent) living in Portugal the last two years. We are fairly well-situated in Portugal at the moment but we feel like France may be a better choice going forward because it is a larger, more diverse (in every way) country. We are particularly attracted by the idea what we will find more cultural arts, better cuisine, better support for a walking and hiking lifestyle, and better housing condition than our 7-story apartment building in Lisbon. Portugal is on the edge of western Europe economically, culturally, and linguistically (!!!) and it shows in many ways.
Our life works for us at this point, but we feel that we might do better in France. Are we wrong?
We feel that the Portuguese people, while externally extremely nice, are a “closed group” and we feel - maybe wrongly, maybe rightly - that we will always be living as expats with virtually no Portuguese friends. We experience the Portuguese as a very conservative set of people - they do not go out of their lane. The independence of thought and action that is so highly prized in the US is nowhere to be found in Portugal. We have met a number of French people over the years that we felt very friendly with, and in fact we do have a couple friends in France despite having never lived there and not speaking French. It just seems like a more diverse and open culture.
We like to walk daily and do a bit of hiking. In Portugal, walking is not at all valued as an activity. The sidewalks are in fact terrible, they are made of small cobblestones that are quite slippery when wet - even a little wet - and walking paths are few and far between. Tree cover is very low, almost regardless of which city you are in.
What are building codes like in France? OK, silly question, it obviously depends, but these are the things that concern us in Portugal: (1) no smoke detectors, fire alarms, or fire extinguishers; (2) poor electrical workmanship (kitchen appliances connected via extension cords behind the cabinets) - in fact extensions cords are common and electrical junction boxes are often non-existent; (3) no central heating nor air conditioning; (4) no P-traps in drain lines (this may be common throughout Europe).
One of the aspects of French culture that I enjoyed in my past visits is that the French are sociable, enjoy conversation, and have strong opinions. Portuguese culture emphasizes harmony so that disagreement makes Portuguese uncomfortable.
We have Googled around a but and our mouths are watering with the idea of living an hour’s train ride from Paris and at the same time being near a forest such as Rambouillet or Senart. Maybe even with a house and a yard? That seems like heaven. Of course the grass is always greener, and there would be winters! I suppose we would have to get a car? Are Uber or taxis readily available in the outer suburbs?
From what I have read here, we would have to be quite good in French to get along, level A2 at the minimum being required. (It can’t be more difficult that Portuguese! And much more transportable outside the country.)
If we get the VLS-TS visa, can we get it renewed annually? We are retired so no working. Can we ever get French citizenship?
If we remain in Portugal, we would be able to get Permanent Residency in another three years (which would allow us to travel 50% of the time, e.g. maybe to France) and presumably citizenship five years from now. If we were in our 40’s we would probably just do this, but since we’re gettin’ up there in years we want to make the best of our time.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
