# French tax on rental income



## Rosiegirl (5 d ago)

Hi people, I am an Australian of retirement age planning on buying a property in France. I am currently in the process of selling my Australian home and would like to buy a property in a medium size village around the South West corner of France.
My question to the forum is this; if I buy a property which has a tenant in part of the building, paying rent, how am I viewed in terms of income and taxes with the French tax system? What visa should I be considering as I have an Australian Aged Pension and will spend part of the year in France and part of the year in Australia? I am very happy to pay whatever taxes I need to, I'm just confused as to which visa is required if my property is generating some income.
Yes, I am really trying to learn French and have been researching properties since early 2019, I have also visited may times over the years and would love to have a base for travelling to other parts of Europe...it's a long and expensive trip from Australia every time you want a decent holiday!
Thank you in advance...


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

If the property is generating income, you normally pay taxes on that income to the country in which the property is located, so in your case, yes you would have to declare and pay taxes on the rental income in France. As far as the visa is concerned, you wind up being considered "tax resident" in France if you have a long-stay (i.e. longer than 90 days) for France. You may want to consider just how you want to split your time between France and Australia, though, because simply staying outside France for a certain period of time may not change the French view of where you are "tax resident."

If you can limit your time in France/Europe to visits of 90 days or less, you may be able to manage on a "Schengen visa" - i.e. the 90 day stamp in the passport visa. And in that case you would declare and pay taxes on a non-resident basis on the property and rental income. If you plan on longer stays in France, you either get a renewable one-year visa (probably a "visiteur" visa, which is the usual path for retirees with a pension) or else you will have to apply for a separate visa each year that you plan on being in France for longer than the 90 day tourist visa allows you. And, if you are considered a long-term resident in France, you'll have to declare your Australian pension on your French taxes (but you should get credit at French rates for taxes paid in Australia - depends a bit on the specifics of the tax treaty between France and Australia).


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## Rosiegirl (5 d ago)

Thank you much for this information, it has been incredibly helpful!!


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