France vs United Kingdom

Companies in France (commonly a SARL or SAS) are registered through the single online business-formalities portal, which files with the national business register (RNE) and issues a SIREN number. Steps include drafting statutes, depositing capital and publishing a legal notice.

Companies in the UK register with Companies House, usually as a private limited company (Ltd). Registration is quick and online; you then register for Corporation Tax with HMRC and, where applicable, VAT and PAYE.

France's banking includes large retail banks and growing online banks. Opening an account usually needs ID, proof of address and a residence status; a French account is often required for rent and utilities. The Banque de France oversees the system.

The UK has established high-street banks and a strong digital-bank sector (Monzo, Starling, Revolut). Newcomers can open accounts, though proof of a UK address can be a hurdle; digital banks are often easier initially. The FCA and PRA regulate banks.

France courts foreign investment through Business France and the 'Choose France' initiative, with free movement of capital. Investments in sensitive sectors need prior authorization under the foreign-investment control regime (run by the Treasury); incentives include the research tax credit (CIR) and regional aid.

The UK is open to foreign investment, promoted by the Office for Investment (Department for Business and Trade). Most sectors need no approval, but the National Security and Investment Act lets the government screen deals in sensitive areas. There are no exchange controls, so profits repatriate freely; incentives include R&D reliefs and freeports.

France taxes personal income progressively with pay-as-you-earn withholding, adds social levies, and applies VAT (TVA) to most goods and services; corporate tax applies to companies. Tax residents are taxed on worldwide income.

The UK taxes income (Income Tax and National Insurance) and levies VAT on most goods and services, administered by HMRC. UK tax residents are generally taxed on worldwide income; the tax year runs 6 April to 5 April.

Non-EU nationals generally need a work authorisation and a long-stay visa or residence permit to work in France; the 'Talent Passport' covers skilled workers, founders and researchers. EU/EEA citizens work freely. The process involves the employer, labour authorities and French consulates.

Most workers use the Skilled Worker visa, which requires a job offer from a Home Office-licensed sponsor, a role at the required skill level, and a salary at or above the applicable threshold. The visa is points-based and administered by UK Visas and Immigration.

Non-EU students staying longer than three months need a long-stay study visa, usually the VLS-TS "étudiant". Its defining feature: once you validate it online within three months of arrival, it doubles as your residence permit — no separate permit application. In many countries the process runs through Campus France's "Études en France" procedure before the consular step. It allows part-time work and Schengen travel.

The UK Student visa (formerly Tier 4) lets you study at a licensed student sponsor. Once you accept an unconditional offer your university issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), valid for six months from issue. You apply online on GOV.UK with financial evidence and usually an approved English test, and pay the visa fee plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, which gives NHS access. You can apply up to six months before the course starts.

France is in the Schengen Area, so short tourist or business visits follow Schengen rules: up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole area. Visa-exempt nationals can visit without a visa; everyone else applies for a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa through the official France-Visas portal. A new ETIAS authorisation is being introduced for visa-exempt travellers — check the current requirement.

Most short visits to the UK use the Standard Visitor route, usually up to 6 months. Visa-exempt nationals must hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling; visa nationals apply for a Standard Visitor visa online in advance. Visitors cannot work or claim public funds.

France's long-term residence is the carte de résident, typically a 10-year renewable card available after several years of legal residence (or immediately for some family of French citizens). The multi-year Talent Passport is a common step toward it.

The UK equivalent of permanent residence is Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), usually available after five years on a qualifying visa (e.g. Skilled Worker), meeting residence, English and Life in the UK test requirements. ILR allows living and working without time limit.

French citizenship by naturalization generally requires five years' residence (reduced in some cases), integration, French language ability and stable resources. France allows dual citizenship, and marriage to a French citizen is a separate route.

British citizenship by naturalization usually requires holding ILR (settlement) for at least 12 months, five years' lawful UK residence, good character, and passing the Life in the UK test and English requirement. The UK allows dual citizenship.

French employment is highly regulated by the Code du travail: a 35-hour legal working week, the SMIC minimum wage, five weeks' paid leave, and structured dismissal rules. Most jobs are permanent (CDI); employee representatives (CSE) and collective agreements apply, and disputes go to the labour court (conseil de prud'hommes).

UK employment gives workers and employees statutory rights — the National Minimum/Living Wage, 5.6 weeks' paid holiday, and protection from unfair dismissal after two years — enforced via employment tribunals, with Acas providing guidance. You should get a written statement of terms from day one.

French trade with non-EU countries goes through French customs (la Douane) with an EU EORI number. You classify goods in TARIC to find duty, and import VAT (20%) is now self-assessed on your VAT return. Declarations are electronic via DELTA; intra-EU flows need statistical (EMEBI/DEB) reporting and dual-use exports need a licence.

UK traders move goods using an EORI number and declare them to HMRC. You classify goods by commodity code to find the duty and VAT, check any licences or controls, and submit customs declarations (often via an agent) through the Customs Declaration Service. Since Brexit, EU trade also needs declarations; binding tariff rulings come from HMRC.

French trademarks are registered with the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). You search the register, file an application classifying goods/services under Nice, and it publishes in the BOPI for a two-month opposition period before registration. A French trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; an EU-wide alternative is the EU trademark via EUIPO.

UK trademarks are registered with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). You search the register, file an application specifying classes, and it publishes for a two-month opposition period before registration. A UK trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; the IPO also handles patents and registered designs, with copyright arising automatically.

France Travail is the public employment service and official job board — it was formerly Pôle emploi, so guidance still using the old name is dated. Non-EU workers generally need a work authorisation tied to a residence permit, such as salarié or passeport talent, which means the permit and the job are linked rather than separate matters. Certain shortage occupations, the métiers en tension, can have streamlined hiring, and Service-Public sets out the rules.

The UK's official job-search service is Find a job, run by the DWP, though much hiring happens on commercial boards and company sites. For non-UK/Irish nationals the real gate is not the job board but the sponsor: most roles require a work visa with a licensed sponsor issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship, so an employer without a licence cannot hire you however good the fit. Employers must also check your right to work, and you may need to provide a share code.

France has a single national minimum wage, the SMIC, which applies across the country. Its distinguishing feature is the revaluation rule: it is revalued at least once a year and can rise mid-year if inflation triggers it — so unlike floors that move on a fixed annual date, a French figure can go out of date between scheduled updates. INSEE is authoritative for SMIC and average-wage statistics, while Service-Public explains the rules. Pay is quoted brut, with social contributions and income tax reducing net.

The UK's wage floor is age-tiered, not a single rate: the National Living Wage applies from age 21, while the National Minimum Wage covers younger workers and apprentices — so your entitlement depends on age and apprenticeship status. Rates are updated each April, which makes the timing predictable. For official earnings data the Office for National Statistics publishes two series worth knowing apart: Average Weekly Earnings and the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

France's flagship scholarship for international students is the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship (France Excellence Eiffel), funded by the Foreign Ministry for master's and PhD, alongside university and regional awards. Campus France is the official portal to explore funding and apply to study in France. Apply by each scheme's deadline, which is often well before the course starts.

The UK's flagship international scholarships are Chevening (funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, for one-year master's) and the Commonwealth Scholarships (for Commonwealth-country students), alongside GREAT Scholarships and many university awards. Explore options on the Study UK / British Council site and apply by each scheme's deadline.

To study in France, students from many countries apply through the 'Études en France' procedure (via Campus France), then, once admitted, apply for a VLS-TS long-stay student visa, which you validate online within three months of arrival. Public university fees are low, though some are higher for non-EU students. Explore options on Campus France and apply by the deadline.

To study in the UK you apply through UCAS for undergraduate courses or directly to universities for postgraduate study. Once you accept an offer, the university issues a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies), which you use to apply for the Student visa (paying the Immigration Health Surcharge and showing funds). Explore courses on Study UK and apply by each deadline.

France places no restriction on foreigners buying property. Renting is tenant-protective (the 1989 law): the deposit (dépôt de garantie) is capped at one month's rent for unfurnished homes (two for furnished), and agency fees are regulated. Buying goes through a notaire, is registered at the land registry (publicité foncière), and carries 'frais de notaire' of roughly 7–8% (mostly transfer duties).

The UK places no restriction on foreigners buying property. In England, tenancies are open-ended assured periodic tenancies since 1 May 2026 — assured shorthold tenancies and section 21 “no-fault” eviction are abolished. Agents must run a Right to Rent check, and the tenancy deposit is capped at five weeks' rent and protected in a government scheme. Buyers use a solicitor/conveyancer, register at HM Land Registry and pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, with a 2% surcharge for non-UK residents.

France's Assurance Maladie covers anyone working or residing in France on a stable, regular basis through the Protection Universelle Maladie (PUMa). The model is reimbursement rather than free-at-point-of-use: the scheme repays a large share of costs and most people take a complementary "mutuelle" to cover the remainder. You manage cover, reimbursements and your carte Vitale through an Ameli account.

The UK's National Health Service is mostly free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident. Most visa holders staying six months or more pay the Immigration Health Surcharge with their visa application, which then lets them use the NHS on the same basis as residents. Some services still carry charges — prescriptions, dental and eye tests in England. Note that holding private insurance does not exempt you from the IHS.

France's Sécurité sociale provides social insurance covering health, family, pensions and work accidents, with contributions collected largely through URSSAF. The detail that catches renters out is that France has two compulsory private insurances, not one: motor third-party liability, and home insurance for tenants. A complementary health mutuelle is widely held to top up Assurance Maladie, and insurers are supervised by the ACPR, part of the Banque de France.

In the UK, National Insurance contributions are deducted from your pay and fund the State Pension and certain benefits — so your NI record matters for what you can claim later, not just as a tax line. Private insurance (motor, home, life, travel) comes from firms regulated by the FCA for conduct and the PRA for prudential soundness. Two policies are compulsory: motor third-party insurance and employers' liability insurance. Check any firm is authorised on the FCA Register before buying.