Daily life
Titre de séjour
TEE-truh duh say-ZHOOR
Your residence permit. A long-stay visa only becomes one once you validate it online within three months of arriving.
ANEF
a-NEF
The national online platform where nearly every immigration procedure now happens. Slow, occasionally broken, and unavoidable.
Carte Vitale
kart vee-TAL
The green health insurance card. It takes months to arrive; until then you pay and claim back on paper, so keep every form.
Garant
ga-RAHN
A rent guarantor — the central obstacle to renting in France. Visale is the free state-backed substitute, and almost nobody arrives knowing it exists.
Encadrement des loyers
on-kadr-MON deh lwa-YAY
Rent control. It applies inside the commune of Montpellier and stops at the boundary, so the same flat two streets into Castelnau-le-Lez is uncapped.
Pass Gratuité
pass gra-twee-TAY
The card that makes trams and buses free for residents of the métropole. Free itself, but you must apply for it and renew it every year on your birthday.
La tramontane / le marin
la tra-mon-TAN / luh ma-RAN
The two winds. The tramontane is dry, cold and from the north-west; the marin is humid, warm and off the sea, and usually means rain is coming.
Culture
L'Écusson
lay-koo-SON
'The shield' — the shield-shaped medieval old town inside the ring of boulevards. When a local says the centre, this is what they mean.
Emergency
Épisode cévenol
ay-pee-ZOD say-vuh-NOL
The violent autumn storm system that can drop months of rain on the Hérault in a day. It is the local natural hazard and it is announced in advance.
15 / 17 / 18 / 112
—
15 for medical emergencies (SAMU), 17 for police, 18 for fire. 112 works for all of them and has English-speaking operators.
Social
Les Estivales
lay zes-tee-VAL
The Friday-evening summer wine market on the Esplanade — a glass, a plate and local growers. The default social event of a Montpellier summer.
Tchin, on trinque
chin, on TRANK
'Cheers' — and you must make eye contact as you clink, every time, with everyone. Skipping it is noticed here more than in the north.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.