I’m moving from France to the US and have a €100k French PEA invested in a European UCITS ETF. Since the US doesn't recognize the PEA as tax-advantaged and the ETF might be considered a PFIC, what are my options? Should I keep the ETF and deal with the reporting, sell it and buy individual stocks inside the PEA, keep it in cash, or move the money to a US brokerage?
Your cleanest route is to sell the ETF inside the PEA before U.S. tax residency, then hold the cash briefly or move it after French nonresidency; keeping or transferring the same ETF leaves the PFIC problem unless the fund fails the statutory PFIC tests or qualifies for a workable QEF or mark-to-market election.
You do not have to close the PEA merely because you move to the United States: the United States is not on France’s April 2026 ,[object Object], list. The manageable part is timing—removing the ETF before U.S. residency can prevent years of PFIC calculations while preserving the French wrapper until you decide when to withdraw.
