Reports confirm the numbers of people moving across the English Channel seem on par with pre-Brexit statistics: In 2016, 1,500 Britons applied for French residence. In 2019 the number rose to 4,000. The reasons are the same: retirement, job offers, or the dream of a life lived abroad. The dream is alive and the process is still possible.
Here we answer the key questions about making a post -Brexit move to France. Get your paperwork sorted and you’ll soon be dipping croissants into cafe au lait in your new home in France.
Brexit Rules for established expats - what has changed?
The Brexit Withdrawal Agreement included a transition period and future conditions for British expats already living in France as at the end of 2020. This has not staved off some worry by existing expats about losing healthcare, bank accounts and job eligibility.
The French Minister of Interior’s website helped to clarify this with this information included on the Withdrawal Agreement: “No minimum duration of residence is required for those who’ve been resident before 1 January 2021.” (“Aucune durée minimale de séjour préalable n'est exigée pour l'appréciation de la condition de résidence antérieure au 1er janvier 2021.”).
In addition, if you relocated to France before the end of 2020, family members can later join you and benefit from the WA. ( Proof that you were living in France prior to 31 December 2020 can include utility bills from your French address, proof of purchase of your property from a notaire, rental statements, telephone bills or French tax statements, including taxe foncières, or taxe d’habitation.) Under the Withdrawal Agreement, British nationals living in France could continue to live and work in France without a residence permit until 1 January 2022. Now, they must obtain a “Withdrawal Agreement Residence Permit.”
What is the 180-day rule?
Post-Brexit, UK nationals can stay in the Schengen area countries, like other non-EU nationals, without a visa for 90 days (within 180 days), whatever the purpose of the stay; anything from work to visiting French family. Remember, this means 90 days for all of the Schengen countries, so you can’t spend ninety days in France and then pop over to Spain right after, or even the next month.
What visa do I need to make a post-Brexit move to France?
For those planning to move to France post-Brexit you will require some paperasse (paperwork). Despite the horror stories about French red tape that you might have heard, the process for applying for a post-Brexit visa is actually fairly straightforward, and the French government visa website is surprisingly user-friendly.
If you want to stay in France for longer than 180 days per year, you'll need a Long Stay visitor visa (visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour VLS-TS). This applies even to those with a second home in France. The French Ministry of the Interior website states that the duration of your long-stay visa must be between three months and one year.
If you want to stay beyond the period of validity or are seeking permanent residency you need to apply for a Carte de Séjour or make a French Residency application, which entitles you, among other things, to salaried employment. You’ll need to meet 4 main criteria to start the Carte de Séjour application. These are:
- a copy of a British passport and passport photos
- proof of address
- proof of health coverage
- proof of sufficient financial resources
How to apply for a French visa
- Apply for a visa through any French consular office in the UK or online through the French Interior Ministry’s visa website.
- Complete your application and upload it. An email with a registration number should arrive immediately after. This confirms the application has been properly received.
- You can then expect a response from anywhere between a few weeks to a few months. In the meantime, if anything is missing they’ll advise you by email.
- Your response will typically be in the form of a date and time to attend an interview.
- At the interview you’ll be asked for the required documents, including possibly bank statements, to sign the application form, and they will likely take a set of fingerprints.
- If you’ve satisfied all requirements (and impressed them with your knowledge of French- it helps!), you should receive your Carte de Séjour within four weeks of your interview.
What are the income requirements for a French visa?
To qualify for a Long Stay Visa in France or Post Brexit French Residency you must satisfy France’s minimum monthly income requirements which is based on French RSA (Revenu de Solidarité Active) guidelines.
Each individual person currently requires a minimum of €1,554.60/month or savings of at least €18,665.20/year. A family of 4 persons would require a minimum monthly income of €6,218.40 or at least €74,620.80 in annual savings per year.
Can I work in France post-Brexit?
British nationals living in France who once enjoyed the freedom to work in France now must hold a Carte de Séjour or a special work permit (permis de travail). Depending on the work situation in question, different visas are appropriate: these can include visas for seasonal or temporary workers, business working visas and talent passports. It’s also possible for the self-employed -travailleurs independents- to set up shop in France.
This requires setting yourself up in various caisses, (departments, such as health department, tax department - it helps to get into the French mindset which is that everything is compartmentalised and there’s a caisse for almost everything!) and having a business plan providing viability. Certainly, professional advice is appropriate if you are hoping to start your own business in France.
Once you are considered a ‘French resident’ you will also be considered a ’tax resident' in France.
Can I access health services in France after Brexit?
Retirees moving to France will need to have a health insurance policy in place. Those working must pay into the French health and social security system. If you are working as a salaried employee, your health should be covered. You can also sign up for top-up health insurance (called your ‘mutuelle’). If self-employed, you must register with the healthcare caisse as a resident in France.
Driving in France after Brexit
If you plan to live in France for more than one year, you’ll need to exchange your UK driving licence for a French one. To find out more about driving in France, read our full guide here.
Sure there are a couple more steps involved in moving to France, but it’s still very possible to move to France after Brexit. Lots of country homes, charming towns and the French art de vivre still await you.
