What American Clients Delegate to a Personal Assistant in Paris: Visas, Banking, Schools and the Tables That Matter

Americans arrive in Paris well organised: a spreadsheet, a lawyer for the visa and a strong belief that a good email gets a good answer. The first two survive. The third does not. France answers phone calls, in French, during Paris hours, and then asks for a document you were never told about.

Between the 6-hour gap with New York and the 9-hour gap with Los Angeles, the Paris working day is over before an American one begins. That is the whole problem, and it explains why the best-organised American clients we know delegate the following five files rather than manage them.

US citizens can stay 90 days in the Schengen area without a visa; anything longer means a VLS-TS long-stay visa obtained in the US, then validated online with the OFII within three months of arrival — with a tax stamp, a French address and, for some categories, a medical appointment. Miss the window and the visa is not valid as a residence permit. We track the deadline, prepare the file and book what needs booking.

Many French banks slow down when they see a US passport: FATCA reporting makes an American client more work. The appointment is still obtainable — with the right bank, the right branch and a complete dossier (passport, proof of address, proof of income, US tax identification, and the W-9 they will ask for). One appointment, account opened, card delivered — not four visits.

Employees and long-stay residents register with the CPAM for the carte Vitale; the file takes weeks and asks for a birth certificate with a sworn translation. In the meantime, Americans need a GP, a paediatrician, a dentist and a specialist who speak English and whom they trust. We book them, in French, with the right introduction — and hold the file until the carte Vitale arrives.

Paris has excellent bilingual and international schools, and they fill early. The campaign means a target list, translated records, applications in the right order, interviews scheduled around a New York calendar and follow-ups that do not stop. You attend the interviews; we handle everything around them.

American families in Paris keep their traditions and add French ones. A Thanksgiving table for fourteen in the 8th, a turkey ordered from a butcher who has never been asked, the holiday travel, the opera seats, the restaurants that book out in an afternoon — arranged for the quarter, confirmed in writing, changed when plans change.

One WhatsApp conversation from New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, six to eight weeks before arrival. A written plan within 48 hours. The visa and OFII calendar, the bank appointment, the doctors and the school list are ready before the flight. Once in Paris, a single weekly message keeps the files moving. We are open every day, 8:00 to 20:00 Paris time — and 24/7 for members. You ask. We handle it.