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BREXIT

Brexit: Share your experiences of the online residency portal

Citizens'rights group Remain in France Togther (RIFT) is asking at Brits living in France to share their experiences with the new residency process.

Brexit: Share your experiences of the online residency portal
Photo: AFP

This year all British nationals living in France – even if they have been here a long time or are married to a French person – will need to have applied for a new post-Brexit residency card.

In order to facilitate this, the French government has set up an online portal for applications that went live in October 2020.

Brits have until June 2021 to make their applications, and by October 1st 2021 possession of a carte de séjour residency card will be compulsory for UK nationals living in France.

You can find out more about the process and how to use the online portal HERE.

Now, three months after the site opened, citizens rights' group RIFT is conducting a survey of user experiences to find out how many people are using it, whether any problems are emerging and – a crucial question – how long applications are taking to process.

You can help by filling in the short, anonymous survey HERE.

 

All Brits living in France are asked to fill it in, whether they have made their residency applications yet or not.

The data will be used to flag up any recurring issues with French authorities, and also gain an idea of timescales across different areas.

Although all applications are made on a central website, they are then passed to the préfecture where you live for processing, it is is likely that there could be quite wide disparities in processing time depending on each préfecture's workload and staffing levels.

READ ALSO Carte de séjour: How long does it take to get post-Brexit residency?

 

Member comments

  1. Prior to the referendum in 2016, I applied for my Irish Passport, as my parents are Irish, and therefore became a Irish citizen.I was born in the UK, and came to France as UK citizen, but have left my UK passport expire.My question, is, do I need to apply for residency in France under the new regulations.

  2. I believe I applied for carte de sejour in November but cannot find any paperwork on my computer.Does this mean I have done something wrong or is this normal.
    Trevor Gibbon

  3. We applied for our cartes de S in January 2020 before the old site folded, having been assured that our applications would be dealt with along with applicants using the withdrawal agreement updated site which opened later in the year. Looks like we weren’t bumped to the front of queue. 12 months now since being receipted for applying and still no call-in for prints etc by local prefecture. (Mayenne)

  4. I applied for the Carte de sejour on 30th December, got confirmation 30 minutes later then received message 15th Jan for an appointment 27th Jan, I was in and out of the prefecture in 15 mins, they advised my card will arrive at my home in 3-4 weeks,, I’m married to a French man and have worked here for more than 5 years so that helped push my application through, I advised them I was changing my passport from UK to Irish (parents Irish and easier for me to travel around europe for my work) they said they didn’t need to be notified but would be easier for me, so guess that is due to movement for EU citizens, hope this helps but if you need any further info let me know and I’ll try to answer,

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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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