What are France Services points and how can they help you?

France Services is a network of information points that people can go to in order to get advice on administrative procedures in France, such as paying taxes or renewing a driving licence.

The network used to be called Maison de Services Au Public (MSAP), but the name was changed in 2019.

There are over 2,000 France Services points around the country. They are usually small offices or information booths and the government states that at least two trained staff members will be on hand at all times.

You can find your closest one via this link. Scroll down until you see the map, where you can search using your address. Click on your closest France Services point and you will see the opening hours and contact details.

It may be best to make an appointment before going but you can also walk in and organise one.

The government claims that no matter where you live in France, there will be a France Services point reachable within 30 minutes. It is not clear if this is accurate as there are only just over 2,000 points in France.

Administrative processes that you can seek help for at a France Services point:

• Declaring taxes

• Getting or renewing a driving licence

• Getting or renewing a car’s registration document (commonly called a carte grise)

• Applying for social aid (allocation logement, RSA, etc.)

• Looking for a job

• Getting reimbursement for healthcare expenses

• Seeking advice on preparing for retirement (what rights do you have, how much are you entitled to, etc.)

• Seeking advice on preparing to have a child

• Free legal advice (via a partner network called Point Justice, see more information in our article here)

In addition to help with administrative procedures, the service points offer access to computers. Staff at the centres can help you set up an email address, print or scan documents, take you through different online login steps – for example setting up a FranceConnect account.

FranceConnect is a way of accessing different online government services using just one account, meaning you do not need to have several different logins.

Read more: FranceConnect: why you may not have access to it

If you have a complicated administrative issue, the staff at the France Services centres also have contacts with various different partners who can assist. For example, the interior ministry, ministry of justice, Finances publiques, Pôle emploi, Assurance retraite, Assurance maladie, CAF, MSA and La Poste.

If you have used a France Services point and would like to share your experience with us, please get in touch at news@connexionfrance.com and write in the subject line ‘France Services experience’. Thank you!

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