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Second home owners in France: What are your rights after Brexit?

While British nationals who are permanent residents in France have been grappling for some time with what Brexit means for them, second home owners will also be affected by the changes after December 31st - here's a reminder of what Brexit means for them.

Second home owners in France: What are your rights after Brexit?
British second home owners in France are facing some hard choices. Photo: AFP

For many people who own property in France, the country is more than just a holiday destination. Second home owners frequently spend long periods here, get to know their neighbours, learn the language and often have long-term plans to move to France permanently.

But whatever their plans for their second home in France, Brexit is likely to have an impact. Many people assume that owning property in France gives them extra rights, but this is not always the case.

Here's the current situation for second home owners on some of the most commonly-raised issues – length of stay, residency, healthcare and making the move to France permanently at a later date – after December 31st, 2020.

Length of stay

This is the biggest question for second home owners – how long can they stay in France after Brexit? While some people use their French property purely for short breaks others, especially retirees, often spend long periods at a time in France or divide their year completely, spending the summer in France and the winter in the UK or vice versa.

Under European freedom of movement there is no limit to how long you can stay and no need to plan in advance – if you're having a great time and haven't yet sampled all the wines of the Bordeaux area then just extend your stay by another couple of months, no problem.

However this will almost certainly change after December 31st, 2020, which is when the Brexit transition period ends.

Exactly what the rules will be for second home owners after this date we don't know, it's one of the (many) things that still need to be agreed between the UK, the EU and member states like France.

At this stage, however, it seems likely that British citizens will be subject to the 90 day rule that already governs the visits of non-European citizens such as Americans and Australians.

The 90 day rule states that people can spend 90 days out of every 180 in the EU without requiring a visa. So in total you can spend 180 days (six months) in France but crucially you cannot spend more than 90 days at a time – ruling out extended summers in the French countryside or five months skiing in the French Alps.

The 90 rule also covers your time anywhere in the Schengen zone, so if you plan to visit another country as well this will limit your time in France even further.

Read more on the 90 day rule and how it works here.

For longer stays, non-Europeans are required to get a visa, a process that is expensive and complicated and for people who are not working requires you to demonstrate that you have sufficient resources never to be a burden on the French state. Find out more about visa rules here.

Residency

For people who want to spend longer than 90 days at a time in France there is the option to move here full time and apply for residency.

You can benefit from the more generous provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement if you are legally resident in France before December 31st, 2020.

READ ALSO What is the Withdrawal Agreement and does it cover me?

However to gain French residency you must establish the country as your main residence, which means registering with the health system and filing an annual tax return (even if all your income comes from the UK you still need to file a tax return in France if you are a resident here).

There are also conditions attached to being 'legally resident' and they are more onerous than simply owning property or being on French soil – find out what legal residency means here.

Healthcare

This is not something that British people in France have previously had to worry about, as the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) has entitled British people to treatment in France should they fall ill or get injured while they are here.

However as a European scheme this will not be available to British people after Brexit.

An agreement on healthcare has been reached for people who are full time residents in France, but at this stage there has been no deal for visitors or non-resident second-home owners. This means that British visitors to France will need to make sure they have comprehensive travel or health insurance in order for their costs to be covered, in the same way as you would for trips to America or other non EU countries.

Moving to France at a later date 

For many second home owners the ultimate dream is to make the move to France permanent, often after retiring. But while this has been a comparatively simple process, after the end of the Brexit transition period it is set to get a lot more complicated.

Exactly what the rules will be for Brits moving to France after December 31st we again don't know – it's on the long list of things yet to be negotiated (along with the little matter of a trade deal) – but they will not be as straightforward as under freedom of movement.

It is likely that the rules will be similar to those now in place for other third country nationals such as Americans, Australians or Canadians. Third country nationals can and do move to France of course, but the process is considerably more complicated, not to mention expensive, and requires visas and – for people not working such as pensioners – extensive proof of your financial situation.

READ ALSO Can British people move to France after the end of the Brexit transition period?

 

People who have a European spouse or partner – or a British spouse or partner who is legally resident in France by December 31st – can claim spousal rights, which is slightly easier but not exactly hassle free. Find out more here

There's also the issue of healthcare for pensioners – at present the UK government still pays healthcare costs for British pensioners living in France, but while that will continue for people already living here, early indications are that the UK is not seeking the same deal for people who move after December 31st. 

In conclusion then, owning property in France and even paying the French taxes such as the taxe d'habitation that come with it does not entitle you to much in the way of extra rights after Brexit and for many second home owners, life after December 31st is going to be considerably curtailed.

 

 

 

 

 

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TRAVEL NEWS

EES: Eurostar could limit services over new biometric passport checks

Eurostar could be forced to cut the number of trains when the EU's new biometric border checks (EES) are rolled out in October, the owner of London's St Pancras International Station has warned.

EES: Eurostar could limit services over new biometric passport checks

HS1, the owner of the station and operator of the high-speed line between London and the Channel tunnel, is the latest body to raise concerns over the impact on travel of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) checks that are set to come into force in October 2024.

The new system which requires citizens from outside the EU or Schengen area to register before entering the zone would lead to long delays and potential capping of services and passenger numbers, HS1 warned.

The company said it needed nearly 50 new EES kiosks to process passengers but the French government had only proposed 24.

In evidence to the European scrutiny select committee, HS1 wrote: “We are told that the proposed kiosks are ‘optional’ as the process can be delivered at the border, but without about 49 additional kiosks located before the current international zone [at St Pancras] there would be unacceptable passenger delays of many hours and potential capping of services.”

With just 24 kiosks, Eurostar would be unable to process all passengers, particularly at the morning peak, and this could “lead to services having to be capped in terms of passenger numbers”, HS1 warned, adding that simple space restrictions at St Pancras station would make the EES difficult to implement.

The EES will register non-EU travellers who do not require a visa (those with residency permits in EU countries do not need to register but will be affected by delays) each time they cross a border in or out of the Schengen area. It will replace the old system of manual passport-stamping.

It will mean facial scans and fingerprints will have to be taken in front of border guards at the first entry into the Schengen area.

Travel bosses have repeatedly raised the alarm about the possible delays this would cause, especially at the UK-France border, which is used by 11 million passengers each year who head to France and other countries across Europe.

Last week The Local reported warnings by officials that the new checks could lead to 14-hour queues for travellers heading to France.

Sir William Cash, Chair of the European Scrutiny Committee, said: “Queues of more than 14 hours; vehicles backed up along major roads; businesses starved of footfall: this evidence paints an alarming picture of the possible risks surrounding the Entry-Exit System’s implementation.

“Clearly, this policy could have a very serious impact, not only for tourists and travel operators but also for local businesses. I implore decision makers on both sides of the Channel to take note of this evidence.”

READ ALSO: What affect will the EES border system have on travel to France?

The Port of Dover has already been struggling with the increased checks required since Brexit and there are fears the situation could be even worse once the EES starts to operate.

Given the possible impacts, the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee last year launched an inquiry calling for views by affected entities with deadline for replies on January 12th 2024.

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