Navigating Bureaucracy: Our Ongoing Learning Curve

When Jon and I decided to spend more time in France, we were excited about enjoying its beautiful landscapes, exploring its rich history, and taking extended road trips to the surrounding countries. However, we quickly discovered that moving to a new country, especially one with a reputation for arduous paperwork, comes with its own set of challenges.

One of our early challenges has been managing our finances. We set up WISE accounts before leaving the US to handle day-to-day expenses, which has been incredibly useful. However, transferring larger sums from our American banks to WISE has presented its own set of difficulties. Many French companies don’t accept international wire transfers from outside the EU, so we’ve had to route our funds through WISE, an online international bank, to complete larger transactions. This situation has tested our patience and led to considerable frustration with the American banking system, who, despite a two-hour phone call, couldn’t identify the wire-transfer problem and hung up.

Volvo XC60 we purchased

Next on our list was the task of buying a car before embarking on our two-month road trip. Even paying for the car "in cash" wasn’t as straightforward as it sounded; many dealerships require a paper check from a French bank account. Despite these challenges, we managed to, at least in theory, purchase a car a week ago. However, as is common here, the paperwork still hasn’t been processed, and we can’t take ownership of the vehicle until everything is finalized. Adding to our frustration, we received no communication from the dealership for six days after the purchase, leaving us uncertain about when we could finally take possession. French car dealerships often operate on a limited schedule—routinely closed on weekends, many Mondays and Fridays, and taking long lunch breaks from noon to 2 p.m. We remain in limbo twelve days later.

Volvo XC60 we purchased

Transferring the funds and buying the car were only the first two bureaucracy challenges—insuring the vehicle turned out to be a whole other nightmare. Most vehicle insurance companies require a French driver’s license, which seems reasonable until you realize that you can’t even apply for one until you’ve been a resident of France for six months. This created a catch-22: we needed insurance to drive, but couldn’t get insurance without a French license, which we couldn’t apply for yet. After reaching out to multiple insurance companies, we’ve been left hanging—no one has called us back to provide coverage. We think we've found a loophole that might allow us to get provisional insurance to cover us until we’re eligible to apply for our French licenses, offering a temporary solution to our predicament, but in the meantime, we wait for their call.

Through these experiences, Jon and I have learned that settling into France is more of a marathon than a sprint. Each small step forward feels like a win, even if it's followed by two steps back. We’ve found that the key is to take it all in stride. We are slowly getting the hang of the intricacies of life here, and although it can be challenging at times, we continue to reassure ourselves (even if through clenched teeth) that this is all part of the adventure.

EDIT: We picked up the Volvo seventeen days after purchasing it.