Hello!
My family currently lives in Lille, France (the northern tip), and we are planning on taking a Sabbatical in Fort Collins, CO, where I am originally from. Our house will be available from mid-November '25 to mid-November '26, but we specifically need a place to stay from Dec '25 or Jan '26 through Aug '26. 8-9 months. Our city is central between London, Brussels, & Paris, and there’s easy train access to do some exploring.
We are open to a home in other surrounding cities: Loveland, Windsor, etc., but we really want to be near Fort Collins. Take a look, and please let me know if you’re interested! Also, you would need to acquire a long-stay French visa, but I would be more than happy to guide you through the process.
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Oh wow what a great opportunity! Just out of interest is it tricky to get a long-stay French visa? Have you tried doing a reverse search on the platform? It’s very handy if you are looking for a specific place and a reciprocal swap.
Obtaining a French visa isn’t necessarily difficult, but someone who is interested would have to travel to the appropriate French consulate. Unless something has changed, a Colorado resident would need to go to the consulate in L.A.
When I applied for one, I made a round trip flight from DIA to LAX in the same day. Then, I received my “visitor” visa in the mail 2 weeks later.
You would need to provide proof of financial means for your stay, and I would provide a proof of lodging. There are application and validation fees which I estimate in the $300 range. As I mentioned, I will gladly guide someone through the process.
I have not yet tried a reverse search, so thank you Melissa for the tip!
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Ahh that’s all really interesting, thanks so much for taking the time to share that! I guess it’s only when people wish to work in another country that it gets a bit more difficult. I am over in the UK and it used to be so easy to travel and work in Europe before Brexit, but not anymore 