We use cookies to keep the site reliable, remember basic choices, and understand which pages are useful. You can accept, reject, or review the settings before continuing.
Legal Rights Guides for Foreign Residents
Justice en France explains everyday legal procedures in plain English — tenant rights, employment contracts, family law basics, consumer protections, and administrative paperwork. Each guide includes checklists, scenario examples, and referral notes to licensed local professionals.
Start with the free orientation guide and build your confidence navigating French civic life.
Guide Library
Browse our structured guides covering the everyday legal situations expatriates face. Each guide uses plain language, checklists, and scenario examples so you understand your position before you act.
A concrete product with a clear subject and real-world context.
This page frames a concrete subject instead of using a generic heading. It explains what is being considered, why it matters in the site's context, and what detail a reader can expect next. The copy is intentionally plain and specific, so it reads like a real content item.
A focused product built around practical decisions and constraints.
This item focuses on practical use, tradeoffs, and decisions that a reader may recognize. It avoids broad promotional claims and keeps the topic tied to a clear situation. The description gives enough substance for a real page rather than a placeholder card.
A grounded product that adds a different angle without repeating the others.
This page gives the third item its own reason to exist. It covers a separate angle, includes concrete context, and avoids repeating the same promise in different words. The result should feel like a planned article, project, review, or offer.
Your first step
Before you sign a lease, accept a job offer, or deal with French paperwork, understand what the law expects from you. The orientation guide explains the essentials in plain language — no jargon, no guesswork.
A 20-minute read that covers tenant rights, employment basics, and administrative procedures.
Why Justice en France
Each guide is built around the situations you actually face as a foreign resident, with plain-language explanations and clear next steps.
Understand lease clauses, deposit limits, and repair obligations so you can spot unfair terms and act before problems escalate.
Learn the difference between CDI and CDD, what probation periods really mean, and which protections apply to your situation.
Know your 14-day withdrawal right, warranty rules, and how mediation works so you can push back when a purchase goes wrong.
From residence permit renewals to social security forms, follow checklists that show exactly which documents to prepare and where to submit them.
Get clear answers about marriage contracts, parental authority, and child-related procedures so you know your obligations and options.
Each guide includes referral notes that help you identify which situations require a lawyer, notary, or mediator and how to prepare for that first meeting.
Common Questions
Straightforward explanations of the legal questions expats ask most often, without the jargon.
Yes, in practice. Landlords and property managers almost always require a French bank account (RIB) for setting up monthly rent payments and utility direct debits. You can open one with a passport, proof of address, and a residence permit or visa. Some banks offer accounts for non-residents, but expect to provide additional documentation.
A CDI (contrat à durée indéterminée) is a permanent contract with no set end date, while a CDD (contrat à durée déterminée) is a fixed-term contract used for temporary needs. Your rights to paid leave, sick days, and notice periods differ between the two. A CDD must state its end date and the reason for its use, and it cannot be renewed indefinitely.
Yes, French consumer law grants a 14-day cooling-off period for most online purchases. You can cancel without giving a reason, and the seller must refund you within 14 days of receiving the returned item. Exceptions apply to personalized goods, sealed items, and digital content that has been accessed.
You will need a valid passport, proof of residence, a birth certificate issued within the last three months, and a certificate of celibacy or divorce decree if applicable. Documents in English must be translated by a certified translator. The local town hall (mairie) handles the process, and you should book an appointment well in advance.
Start by sending a registered letter (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception) describing the issue and requesting a repair deadline. If there is no response, contact the departmental housing authority or a consumer mediation service. For urgent hazards like heating failure, you can have the work done and seek reimbursement through a tribunal if necessary.
The orientation guide covers the essentials: residence permits, health insurance, opening a bank account, and registering with the local town hall. It is a solid starting point, but each situation has its own details. The topic guides provide deeper checklists and scenario examples for specific areas like renting or employment.