Foreign pensions and retirement savings once you live in France
Moving to France does not change what your foreign pension legally is. It can change how France taxes it and what you must declare. Check each scheme before you start drawing it or move the capital.
France generally taxes residents on worldwide income under article 4 A of its tax code, subject to the applicable treaty. For a foreign pension, start with the type of scheme and payment. A private pension, a government-service pension and a lump sum — a one-off payment of the whole pot — may have different treatment. The bank account receiving the money does not determine that treatment.
Three questions for each pension
These questions organise the review. They do not determine the tax treatment on their own.
- The arrangement
What kind of pension is it?
Identify the scheme and the rights you already hold.
- The payment
How will it be paid?
Distinguish regular payments from a one-off payment of the whole pot.
- The countries
Which rules need to be checked?
Read the relevant treaty alongside the rules for the scheme and your country of residence.
A useful review separates the right to tax, the treatment of the payment and the reporting of the arrangement itself.
- Who may tax the payment. The treaty answers this by category, and the answer for a company pension is often not the answer for a state or civil-service pension. For a pension paid by an international organisation, also review the provisions specific to that organisation. International organisation staff in France: what remains taxable provides a starting point for identifying the documents to obtain.
- How the payment is treated. France has rules for both regular pensions and retirement lump sums. The scheme documents and the treaty determine which rules need to be considered.
- Whether the arrangement itself must be reported. An account or policy may require disclosure even when it produces no income. The legal form of the pension arrangement matters.
The mechanics then differ by scheme, which is why this section is split by country rather than treated as one problem. UK pensions and SIPPs for French tax residents covers defined benefit against defined contribution and the tax-free lump sum question; Swiss pension pillars after moving from Switzerland to France covers the second pillar and pillar 3a; Singapore CPF accounts after becoming resident in France covers who contributes and what a full withdrawal requires; and 401(k), IRA and Roth accounts for US citizens living in France covers the US side, where the United States keeps taxing its citizens wherever they live, a right its treaty with France preserves in the saving clause of article 29, paragraph 2.
Reporting should be addressed from the first French return, even before benefits are drawn. Article 1649 A of the French tax code requires the declaration of accounts opened, held, used or closed outside France, and article 1649 AA does the same for life assurance and capitalisation contracts taken out with a provider established abroad.
Neither obligation depends on the account producing income, and neither waits until you retire. The fine for an unreported bank account under article 1736 IV is €1,500 per account per year. Whether a particular foreign retirement scheme falls inside one of those texts is a question of characterisation, decided on the scheme’s own documents.
Before a withdrawal or transfer
Gather the scheme documents, residence history and payments already received. Compare the proposed withdrawal or transfer with keeping the arrangement, including fees, guarantees and tax. Establish the reporting position for the relevant returns.
References cited
Frequently asked questions
Does my foreign pension become taxable in France as soon as I move?
Once you become French tax resident, the French treatment of pension payments must be considered alongside the relevant treaty. Some qualifying pensions remain taxable only in the paying country; others are taxable in France. Reporting and the effect on the rate applied to other income are separate questions. The plan documents and type of payment determine the analysis.
Do I have to declare a foreign pension account I am not drawing from?
That depends on the legal form of the arrangement. French reporting rules can apply to a foreign account or policy even before any withdrawal, but a pension should not automatically be treated as an ordinary bank account. Review the scheme documents before deciding which disclosures are required.
Should I move my pension to France?
First establish whether an eligible receiving arrangement exists and whether it will accept the transfer. Then compare fees, guarantees, tax and access to the money. Keeping the pension and drawing it from France may be an option. There is no answer that applies to every foreign scheme.
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Also worth reading: the White paper — Private Equity 2026 published by Private Equity Valley — Unlisted assets: selection, risks, access.
Written by Stéphane Molère, President of Éthique et Patrimoine — page last reviewed on 2026-09-15 — reference date for the rules: 2026-09-07.