Do I need a French visa or residency to buy?

No. Property ownership in France is independent of immigration status. You can own an apartment in Paris while remaining a US resident for tax and visa purposes.

Should I buy in my own name or through an SCI?

For most American buyers, direct ownership is simpler from a US tax perspective. SCIs (Société Civile Immobilière) offer benefits in some inheritance and family-planning scenarios but introduce complexity with the IRS treatment of pass-through foreign entities. We discuss this with each client based on their specific situation, in coordination with their US CPA. A dedicated page on this question is in preparation, pending legal review.

What if I do not speak French?

Most of the documents you will see (compromis, acte authentique) are in French, but a notaire who works regularly with international buyers will explain every section in English, and the signing itself involves a verbal reading where the notaire pauses to verify your understanding. We coordinate with notaires from our network who are fluent in English.

How long does the whole process take?

From first contact to keys in hand, typical timeline for our American clients is 4 to 8 months. The search phase varies (1 to 4 months depending on the specificity of the brief), and the transaction phase from offer to closing is typically 3 to 4 months.

Can I back out after the compromis is signed?

After the 7 to 10 day cooling-off period, you cannot withdraw without losing your 5-10% deposit, unless one of the conditions precedent fails (most commonly: failure to obtain the mortgage you applied for).

What happens if I die owning a French apartment?

French inheritance rules apply to French real estate regardless of the owner's nationality. France has forced heirship rules that may differ from your home state's rules in the United States. We coordinate with French notaires on succession planning and recommend reviewing this with both a French notaire and your US estate attorney before purchase, especially for clients with significant Paris assets or blended family situations.

The Buying Guide · Process

Buying property in France as an American: the complete process

Buying a Paris apartment as an American is legally straightforward and procedurally different from anything you have done in the United States. There is no MLS, no real estate attorney, no escrow agent, no title company in the form you know them. There is a notaire, a public officer who handles the entire transaction. Funds move differently, taxes are reported on both sides of the Atlantic, and the buyer typically arrives at closing without the seller in the room. This page walks through the full process in the order it actually happens, so you know what to expect at each step.

A sunlit Haussmann street in central Paris under a clear sky.

Step one: legal eligibility

There is no legal restriction on American citizens buying property in France. You do not need French citizenship, French residency, a French visa, or any specific declaration to the French government before purchasing. The same rules apply to Americans whether they buy as individuals, as a couple, through a US LLC (uncommon and generally not advised for this purpose), or through a French SCI (a structure we cover separately).

The only requirement at the point of purchase is identification (passport) and source-of-funds documentation, which the French bank and the notaire both need under FATCA and anti-money-laundering rules.

Step two: defining the project

Before searching, we establish a written mandate (mandat de recherche) that specifies your budget, target arrondissements, surface area, must-haves and dealbreakers, financing structure, and timeline. This document is signed but non-binding on price. It commits us to the search, not you to a purchase. We typically refine the mandate after the first one or two property visits, once your preferences become more concrete.

For American clients, we also map the project to your tax and legal context: whether you will hold the property directly or through an SCI, whether the apartment will be your primary or secondary residence, whether you plan to rent it, and how all of this interacts with your US tax situation.

Step three: the search and off-market access

Roughly 75 to 85% of Paris apartments transact through the public listing platforms (SeLoger, Bien'ici, LeBonCoin, agency websites). The remaining 15 to 25%, and a higher proportion in the premium arrondissements where most of our American clients buy, transact off-market, through private networks of agents, notaires, building managers, and family relationships.

We have spent fifteen years building access to this off-market layer. In practice, this means you see properties that never reach the public sites, often before competing buyers have any awareness of them. We pre-screen, visit on your behalf, send you a video walkthrough and a written technical assessment, and you only fly in for the final selection of two or three serious candidates.

Step four: making an offer

In France, offers are made in writing and typically have a 5 to 10 day validity. The standard format is a letter (lettre d'intention d'achat or offre d'achat) addressed to the seller's agent or directly to the seller, specifying the offered price, financing conditions if any, and any conditions precedent.

Once accepted by the seller, the offer creates a moral commitment but not yet a legal one. The legal commitment comes at the next step, when the compromis de vente is signed.

Step five: the compromis de vente (preliminary sale agreement)

The compromis de vente (or sometimes promesse de vente) is signed at the notaire's office, typically 1 to 4 weeks after the offer is accepted. It is the legally binding sale contract, conditional on a few elements:

A 7 to 10 day legal cooling-off period (délai de rétractation), during which you can withdraw without penalty.
The diagnostic reports (energy performance, lead, asbestos, electrical, gas, termites, building condition). Most are produced before signing the compromis, but a few can take additional time.
Financing condition (condition suspensive d'obtention de prêt), if you are buying with a mortgage. You typically have 45 to 60 days from signing to obtain the loan offer.

At the signing of the compromis, you pay a deposit of 5 to 10% of the purchase price into the notaire's escrow account (compte séquestre). If you withdraw after the cooling-off period and the conditions are satisfied, you lose this deposit.

The signing of the compromis can be done in person, but for our American clients it is most often done remotely by power of attorney. The notaire prepares the document, we review it with you over a video call, and a colleague or a clerc de notaire signs in your name based on your written instructions.

Step six: the closing, l'acte authentique

The acte authentique is the final transfer of ownership, signed at the notaire's office typically 60 to 90 days after the compromis. By this date, the funds must be in the notaire's escrow account in full (price plus all fees), the mortgage loan must be finalized if applicable, and any remaining conditions must be lifted.

At the signing, the notaire reads the full sale deed aloud (legally required in France), all parties sign, the keys are handed over, and the property is registered in your name at the service de la publicité foncière (the French equivalent of a land registry). You become the legal owner at the moment of signing.

Like the compromis, the acte authentique can be signed remotely by power of attorney if you cannot be in France. We coordinate the procuration through a notary in the United States (most US notary publics can authenticate the document, with apostille if needed for international use).

Step seven: post-closing administration

After closing, several administrative steps follow:

Connection of utilities (electricity via EDF or alternative provider, gas, water, internet), typically handled by us as part of The Paris Acquisition.
Notification to the building's management (syndic de copropriété) of the change of ownership.
Subscription to building insurance (mandatory in France).
Registration with the local centre des impôts for taxe foncière and taxe d'habitation purposes.
If renting the property: registration of the rental activity, declaration as meublé non professionnel (LMNP) or meublé professionnel (LMP) depending on income volume, and corresponding tax setup.
On the US side: addition of the asset to your annual FBAR and FATCA reporting if applicable, and consultation with your US CPA on cost basis and depreciation if the property generates rental income.