The upcoming year is set to see several major changes in France. This is despite there not currently being a budget in place for 2025 which could bring more.
The Connexion has listed several changes over the upcoming year in the field of travel, home ownership, and daily life in recent weeks.
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Below, we detail changes set to take place in the first month of the new year.
Vehicle registration increases
The cost of registering a vehicle (certificat d’immatriculation, commonly called carte grise) will increase in a number of regions.
This includes a rise of up to €60 in Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire and Normandy.
Read more: Car registration fees in France: Normandy rise highlights national variations
Rental ban on energy-inefficient homes
The least energy-efficient properties – those rated a ‘G’ on the diagnostic de performance énergétique (DPE) scale – will be banned from the rental market from January 1.
Ex-prime minister Michel Barnier said he wanted to extend the timeline on DPE-related rules however his government was toppled before having the chance.
It is unknown whether new prime minister François Bayrou will seek to delay the implementation.
New garden clearance rules
New homeowners or renters of a property affected by garden undergrowth clearance rules (débroussaillage) must now be informed of their responsibilities by the current owners/tenants or estate agents.
Rules on clearances have not changed, however an information campaign to reduce the risk of forest fires from undergrowth was launched last year.
Read more: Obligatory garden clearance in France: New campaign clarifies who is impacted
Price increases for letters and parcels
The price of sending a letter or parcel will increase on average by 6.8%, including for both domestic and international destinations.
Lettre verte stamps will increase to €1.39 (+7.8%), while the Service Plus letter stamp will rise to €3.15 (+5.4%).
Colissimo rates will rise by an average of 5.2%.
Read more: Cost of sending letters and parcels to rise in France: see new rates
Low-emission zone changes
Restrictions on petrol and diesel vehicles of Crit’Air 3 level will come into force in four cities across France from January 1.
Grenoble and Montpellier are introducing the restrictions voluntarily, whereas in Paris and Lyon they must be brought in due to air quality levels.
In theory all urban areas with a population of 150,000 or more should introduce a low-emission zone (zones à faibles émissions, ZFE) on January 1, however this seems unlikely.
Read more: New pollution bans from January: Which cars and which cities in France?
Ticket-restaurant limitations
The use of tickets-restaurant/titres-restaurant meal vouchers or meal cards for workers at supermarkets will be temporarily limited.
An expansion of the products that could be purchased with the vouchers took place during the Covid pandemic to include basic ingredients, covering the cost of making food at home.
Scheduled to end on December 31, 2024, the Senate passed a bill to extend the use of the vouchers at supermarkets into 2025 however it was attached to the now-scrapped 2025 budget and was not passed.
It means only already-prepared foods (such as sandwiches, salads, etc) can be purchased, and not ingredients such as pasta, rice, flour, butter, etc.
The change should only be temporary, however – the Senate has listed a new version of the bill on its agenda for January 15, which is thought likely to pass and cover the later months of 2025.
Pension increase
One result of the government’s collapse is the automatic increase of pension indexing.
Former prime minister Michel Barnier wanted to suspend the indexing of pensions to July 2025, to avoid higher increases tied to historic inflation levels, including such a measure in his 2025 budget.
However, as this budget was thrown out when the government fell, pensions will be indexed as usual rising by 2.2% from January 1.
Read more: Law passed to allow France to continue to collect taxes despite lack of 2025 budget
VAT increase on boilers, gas price benchmark rise
The VAT on high-performance boilers (très haute performance énergétique, THPE) will increase from 5.5% to 10% from January 1.
A scheduled increase to 20% was included in the budget – and passed by the Senate – but thrown out when the government of Michel Barnier fell.
This increase to 10% has been passed by decree, however, but may increase to 20% in the upcoming budget of 2025 by new prime minister François Bayrou.
The benchmark gas price set by the Commission de régulation de l'énergie for gas for both cooking/hot water and electricity will rise.
This increase is not guaranteed to be passed onto customers, but may be as gas tariffs are no longer at fixed rates.
End of motorbike interfiling trial
A multi-year trial on ‘interfiling’ for motorcyclists – allowing them to drive between lanes on motorways and dual carriageways during heavy traffic – will end on January 1.
It has been taking place in 21 departments since 2016.
A report on the trial is expected in 2025 by the road safety authorities (Sécurité Routière) which may see the manoeuvre become legal across France.
Read more: What fines do motorcyclists risk after trial for ‘inter-filing’ on French roads ends?
Changes to jobseeker and caregiver benefits
Recipients of the Revenu de solidarité active (RSA) jobseeker’s benefit will be automatically signed up to the France Travail (formerly Pôle Emploi) employment aid service to continue receiving the benefit.
Currently only around 40% of people who receive RSA are inscribed.
They will also need to sign a commitment contract outlining their intentions to find work, and provide monthly updates regarding their search for work.
Provisional rules on how long people can receive unemployment benefits have changed but will not apply fully until April 1, 2025.
In addition, caregivers who receive the Ajpa benefit can now receive it multiple times if they provide care to multiple people in their lifetime.
They will be entitled to 66 days of compensation per person cared for, up to a maximum of 264 days.
Read more: French benefit: Ajpa the caregiver or compassionate leave allowance
New ticketing structure for Paris public transport
Tickets for public transport services in Paris and the Île-de-France capital region will be simplified from January 1.
Prices across the entire region will be set at the same level – €2.50 for a single journey.
This is an increase of 35 cents for metro tickets but a reduction for many regional overground rail services.
The monthly price of a Navigo pass in the capital will rise to €88.80, from a current price of €86.40.
Read more: Single €2.50 ticket price to be introduced across Paris region for metros and trains
Children’s health card updated
The Carnet de santé for children in France which details their medical examinations and vaccines will be updated to include new information on screen time for young children and specific advice for teenagers (including in areas such as mental health).
New cards will also include information on 20 tests for neurodivergencies compulsory for children.
Two new vaccines will be mandatory for infants, for the meningococcal ACWY and B infections.
Read more: Child health booklets in France will be updated to include risks of screen time
Interest cut on home saving account
The rate of interest on the savings account for home purchases (plan d'épargne logement, PEL) will drop to 1.75%, down from 2.25% currently.
PEL accounts keep their interest rates from the date of opening regardless of market changes, but have not seen a decrease since August 2016, when the rate was 1%. Interest rates had been increasing gradually since then.
Read more: How to change bank account in France - and points to consider
Tobacco price hike
Tobacco prices will increase by up to €1 per packet in some cases, as decreed by law.
You can find a list of the full increases here.
Eco-friendly change in schools
A ban on plastic food containers in schools, crèches and other services catering for children will come into force from January 1.
