Simplify Your Move with Assist – Your French Concierge

If you’re in the process of looking for your dream home in France and planning to settle here permanently or you are buying a holiday home, Assist are here to help. You’re in safe hands!

How can we help?

Our friendly team of experienced and knowledgeable Virtual Assistants and Associates have a range of skills to ensure you get the specialist support you need. We are also connected with a wide range of other professionals that complement our services such as insurance brokers, estate agents, and reliable tradespeople – you name it, we have the connections.

Our full downloadable PDF Concierge Booklet can be found here:

ASSIST VIRTUAL SUPPORT SOLUTIONS CONCIERGE SERVICE BOOKLET and we have detailed our pricing and services below

Concierge Service

Bonjour, we are Claudia and Natalie, partners at Assist and together, we have enjoyed living in France for a combined total of 25 years and have happily settled here with our families.

Having personally experienced the journey from the UK to France, we understand the challenges of enrolling our children in schools, navigating French bureaucracy, establishing successful businesses, and forming meaningful connections within our French communities.

Over the past three years, our French hand-holding services have expanded rapidly as more individuals seek our support to make their transition to France smoother.

We have dedicated ourselves to building a team of bilingual specialists who can help turn your dreams into reality, and we are excited to present our range of support packages.

Relocation Packages

If you’re from the UK or a non-EU country, you’ll need a visa for stays over 90 days.

The long-stay visa (VLS-TS) allows you to stay for a year and must be validated within three months of arrival.

After your first year, you must apply for a carte de séjour at the prefecture.

Different permits exist for retirees, employees, self-employed individuals, and business owners.

Some visas require proof of basic French (A1 level).

We can support you for each of these steps with our experienced Bilingual team.

*Please note that visa and residency requirements, including language proficiency rules, can be subject to change. We recommend checking official government sources: https://etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/

Practical Support

We can help you deal with the essentials when setting up a home in France.

Whilst these tasks might seem easy to manage in your home country, they can be a little trickier when language is a barrier.

We can help with:

Insurance quotes (health, home, school and business)
Setting up utilities
Education and Family Life
Registering for French Healthcare
And much more…

Driving and Vehicles

As of January 1, 2021, following Brexit, UK driving licences are recognised in France for short visits. However, if you become a resident in France, you are required to exchange your UK licence for a French one.

The process involves submitting an online application to the French authorities and providing necessary documentation, such as proof of identity, residency, and your current UK licence.

We assist with all aspects of vehicle ownership in France including:

Buying a car & registration
Selling a car
Registering a purchased vehicle
Change of address on Carte Grise
UK to France driving licence exchange
Importing a car from the UK

French Language Requirements (OFII Assessments)

Arrival in France post Brexit can be challenging, but we can support you all the way.

Speaking French is now a requirement for residency and the OFII assessments can be a challenge for new arrivals seeking to achieve A1, A2 or B1 levels in French.

We offer an intensive 1-week programme led by our associate who has already navigated the OFII assessments herself to prepare you for your interview and level assessments.

Please get in touch via the contact form or email info@assistvirtualsupportsolutions.com to find out more.

You can also read our BLOG on the importance of “Learning the Lingo” : HERE

Appointments, General Admin, Translations, and Interpretation Services

Day-to-day Support

If French is not your first language or you find it difficult to make appointments on the phone or in person, we can assist.

If you haven’t found a doctor, dentist, or bank, then let us help you find an English-speaking service, where available, in your area that you can feel confident accessing.

For local appointments, our bilingual associate can be there to help interpret to ensure important information is understood.

Visa and Carte de Sejour Support Services

We have a dedicated specialist providing visa support to guide you every step of the way.

Starting visa to validating visa on arrival in France. Service covers up to 3 hours of support in total. Support consists of checking health cover, visa document requirements and validating the visa on arrival including any odd queries regarding the visa.

Our packages include a range of services and are dependant on the service you require:

Retired | No right to work in France

Visa application (support with TLS Contact)
Carte Vitale
Bank account
Visa validation
30-minute French taster lesson

Right to work Visa – Individuals, Couples & Families

Carte Vitale
Bank account
Visa validation (support with TLS Contact)
Tax Consultation (Max 45-minutes)
30-minute French taster lesson
Locating nearest school / email introduction template provided

6-month Tourist Visa and 1-year Long Stay Visa Support (information available on request)

For more information on our Relocation Packages and Visa support, please contact info@assistvirtualsupportsolutions.com or via our contact form and we will be happy to send you our detailed Concierge Booklet.

(PLEASE NOTE: the hand-holder does not get the visa for clients, that is the job of TLS Contact in the UK).

Business Registration and Support

The auto-entrepreneur (now also known as micro-entrepreneur) regime is a simplified system for starting a business in France. Taxes are based on turnover, and social contributions are paid either monthly or quarterly.

If you would like help setting up a business in France, let us simplify the process for you.

We can assist you in registering your business as a Micro-entreprise (ME) and obtaining your SIRET number, allowing you to focus on growing your business.

Individual Business Registration (ME only) includes:

Registering your business according to the activity you have chosen
Assisting you with the necessary documents you need to provide
Making an appointment for you with the relevant business formality centre, if required

For business activities outside of ME registration, please enquire about pricing.

Additional business support

Assistance with registration with URSSAF/Impôts/Médiation de la consommation
Formatting your invoices and estimates with legal notices
Initial CFE (Cotisation foncières des entreprises) declaration
Turnover declaration
Daily help with your invoicing/quotes

Planning Permission

If you’re planning renovations or construction in France, you’ll almost certainly need planning permission for the work you intend to do.

Planning permission is required for projects such as installing a Velux window in the roof, replacing old windows with double-glazed ones, adding a kitchen extension, transforming a barn into a living space, or even installing a swimming pool in your garden.

The zoning plan for your property (PLU) will indicate what is permitted and what is not. Restrictions may apply if your house is located in a historic area (e.g., near a church) or in an agricultural zone.

Depending on the work you intend to carry out, you will need either a DP (Déclaration Préalable) or a PC (Permis de Construire).

Additionally, if your home has more than 150 m² of habitable space, you will need to submit the plans to a French-registered architect.

Our English-speaking planning consultants and architects can help you achieve your dream project.

Geraldine is an interior architect and technical drafter who can assist with small renovation projects up to 150 m².

Tom is an English architect registered in France who can provide full design and planning services for any size project anywhere in France.

Small Business Marketing Service

Business Marketing and Publicity – Gîtes, Chambres d’hôtes and much more!

If your move to France also includes setting up a small business we can help you stand out with our tailored marketing solutions, whether you are an online coach, setting up a restaurant or bar, or converting your home to Gîtes and Chambres d’hôtes we can help you with:

Website design and web shop creation
Social media marketing kits
Branded invoices, brochures, and letter templates
Business launch strategy and content writing

Contact us for a personalised quote! info@assistvirtualsupportsolutions.com

Our Fees

Please note that some of the services are fixed package prices and others are charged by the hour.

Please contact us on info@assistvirtualsupportsolutions.com for a full price list of these services or you can download our PDF Concierge Booklet:

ASSIST VIRTUAL SUPPORT SOLUTIONS CONCIERGE SERVICE BOOKLET

NB* Our service packages and pricing may evolve over time as we continue to expand and improve our offerings. While we strive to keep all information up to date, prices are subject to change based on the development of new services, market conditions, or client-specific needs. For the most accurate and tailored quote, please contact us directly.