Valley International / international organisations
Council of Europe staff in Strasbourg: cross-border planning
For Council of Europe staff in Strasbourg, a home or investment across the border can create a separate tax and estate-planning question. Proximity does not remove the need to identify the applicable rules.
For a Council of Europe posting in Strasbourg, the family may consider a home in France or Germany while keeping assets elsewhere. Each option needs its own residence, property and benefits review. International organisation staff in France: what remains taxable provides the starting framework; cross-border proximity does not make the legal position identical.
Living on one side and working on the other
Living in Germany while working in France requires a residence analysis using the facts and applicable agreements, including any provisions specific to the organisation’s staff. The payslip’s country or a new address alone does not settle every consequence. Examine the household’s other income and healthcare arrangements alongside the employment status.
Buying across the border
A German property brings German legal and tax questions. It may also need to be considered in the French owner’s tax and succession review, subject to residence, treaty rules and exemptions. Compare the purchase and financing with advisers on both sides before choosing the ownership arrangement.
The end of a Strasbourg career
If you stay in the region after a career here, on one side of the border or the other, take that decision deliberately: the two sides treat an international pension differently, and an estate that includes property in both is governed by rules that have to be coordinated, which is easier a few years before retirement than at the moment it begins.
Frequently asked questions
Can I live in Germany and work at an institution in Strasbourg?
It may be possible, subject to the organisation’s requirements and your residence and work rights. Review the tax and healthcare consequences in both countries, including the rules specific to your staff category. Do not assume that the salary treatment follows you unchanged across the border.
Is it a good idea to buy property in Germany?
Compare the property’s use, price, costs and financing with the family’s plans. Then establish the German and French consequences where relevant. Being exposed to two legal systems is a point to organise, not a financial advantage in itself.
Should I stay in the region after retiring?
Compare where you want to live with net retirement income, healthcare and the assets retained in each country. Review the relevant pension rules rather than assuming France and Germany produce the same result. The work remains useful if retirement has already begun.
ÉTHIQUE ET PATRIMOINE, a French simplified joint-stock company (SAS), registered office at 41 rue Saint-Ferdinand, 75017 Paris, France, Paris Trade Register no. 803 414 796, VAT no. FR 40 803 414 796, registered with ORIAS under number no. 24001817 (www.orias.fr) — Financial investment adviser (CIF) no. 18002418, member of ANACOFI-CIF, a professional association approved by the Autorité des marchés financiers, and Anacofi-Courtage for its brokerage activity. Presence: Paris, Montpellier, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai and Dubai.
Review my cross-border position
Book a callWritten by Stéphane Molère, President of Éthique et Patrimoine — page last reviewed on 2026-09-15 — reference date for the rules: 2026-09-07.