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TOURISM

Travel to France: What has changed since Brexit?

The Brexit transition period ended on January 1st 2021, but Covid-related travel restrictions means that many people have not travelled abroad since then - so here's what you need to know about what has changed.

Published: 14 May 2021 09:19 CEST
Updated: 28 July 2022 10:37 CEST
Travel to France: What has changed since Brexit?
Travel from the UK to France is more complicated since Brexit. Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP

Passports

Your British passport of course remains a valid travel document, even if it no longer makes you a citizen of the EU. However, two things have changed here.

First your passport needs to have at least three months of validity left for travel into the EU (although some travel operators demand six months validity, so check carefully when booking). If your passport runs for longer than 10 years, which some do, the situation is slightly more complicated – it might be easier to say it should be renewed nine and a half years after it was issued.

Second your passport is likely to be stamped as you enter France, so that authorities can see clearly your date of entry.

The passports of Brits who are permanent residents in France should not be stamped but they will need to show proof of residency such as a carte de séjour or visa- here’s what to do if your passport is stamped in error.

Visas

If you are entering France for a short holiday, to visit family or friends or make a short visit to your second home you do not need a visa. However if you are moving to France to live or intending to stay longer than 90 days in a 180-day period you will need either a visa or a residency permit – find out more about the 90-day rule HERE.

If you are coming to France to work you may need both a visa and a work permit depending on the type and duration of your work – full details HERE.

France is thankfully not actually locking up Brits who don’t have the correct paperwork, but there are still checks and you can be turned back at the border if you try to enter France for a longer stay without the correct paperwork.

Extra paperwork

When entering France as a non-EU national you may be asked to provide any of the following at the border.

In practice the level of enforcement on this varies and most people will not be asked, but French border guards are within their rights to ask you for;

  • Proof of accommodation during your stay (booking for hotel, gîte, Airbnb or B&B for tourists, second-home owners may need to provide proof of address such as a utility bill and if you’re staying with friends or family you may need an Attestation d’accueil, see below)
  • A return ticket or the means to acquire one
  • Sufficient financial means to cover basic costs during your stay. The guideline figures for this are; €65 per day if you have a hotel booking, €120 per day if you have no hotel booking, €32.50 per day if you are staying with friends or family
  • Insurance that covers health costs and the cost of repatriation if required (see health cover section below)
  • If you are transiting through France you may be asked for proof of your right to enter your final destination

READ ALSO Health insurance – what are the post-Brexit rules for Brits visiting France

Registering British guests with the Town Hall?

You may have seen reports that anyone who is hosting a British guest in their home has to register in advance with their local Mairie. Here is how this works, and the alternative if obtaining the attestation d’acceuil is not possible. 

90-days

With the ending of freedom of movement comes the 90-day rule, which states that out of every 180 days, Brits can only spend 90 of them within the EU without a visa or residency permit.

You can find a full explanation of the 90-day rule HERE, together with the Schengen calculator that allows you to work out our allowance.

It’s worth pointing out that the 90-day limit applies to the whole EU and Schengen zone, not just France. 

Health cover

In case you need healthcare while in France you will need either an EHIC or a GHIC health insurance card, or private health or travel insurance.

Be aware, that the EHIC/GHIC only covers emergency care and do not include the cost of things like repatriation. If you are travelling without a visa or residency card you may need to show proof that you have cover for repatriation costs, but this can be through either health insurance or travel insurance, there is no requirement for a separate health insurance policy to enter France.

Phones

Remember the olden days when you had to either turn off data roaming on your mobile phone when leaving the UK or face a big bill on your return? Well, they are back for customers of certain providers.

The EU clamped down on excessive roaming charges, but companies operating in the UK are no longer bound by that rule. After initially saying that they would not increase charges, an increasing number of phone companies have announced the return of extra charges for using your phone abroad, so make sure you check with your provider if you don’t want to be hit with a big bill. 

READ ALSO How to avoid big ‘roaming’ bills in France

Driving

While driving licences have been a thorny issue for British residents in France there is better news for visitors – you can continue to drive on your UK or NI licence in France and there is no need for an International Drivers’ Permit.

The European Commission has also announced that it will waive the requirement for British drivers to have a ‘green card’ from their insurance company.

You will, however, need to swap the ‘GB’ sticker on your vehicle for a new UK sticker.

Ham sandwiches and other British delicacies

There are now strict rules on what products you can bring into the EU from the UK, which rule out almost all animal products (meat, fish, dairy etc) as well as flowers and plants.

Find the full list of banned items HERE.

Furniture, DIY and other high-value items

As well as the products that are banned outright, there is also a limit on the total value of goods you can bring in – any loads of more than €430 in value can be liable to import duties.

There is an exemption for people moving to France with all their worldly goods, but not for second-home owners who want to bring over furniture or DIY items for a renovation project. Full details on the rules HERE.

If you are coming to France to work and are bringing equipment other than a laptop with you, you will need a detailed inventory and a carnet.

Pets

And it’s not just people who have stricter travel rules, the European Pet Passport is no longer valid for UK-dwelling pets to travel into France. Instead you will need to see your vet ahead of your trip to get an Animal Health Certificate – full details HERE. Unlike the Pet Passport, a new AHC is required for every trip.

After some initial confusion, French authorities have clarified the rules for pets belonging to second-home owners. 

Delays

All these new rules obviously mean more checks at the border, so check-in times can take longer. Passengers travelling from the port of Dover, the Folkestone Channel Tunnel terminal and the London St Pancras Eurostar terminal have all reported much longer queues, so make sure you arrive in plenty of time.

READ ALSO Will UK-France travel be a nightmare all summer?

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LEARNING FRENCH

Vocab guide for the French property tax declaration

With the deadline to have completed the property tax declaration approaching, here's a look at all the vocabulary you will need to fill out the form.

Published: 19 April 2024 11:37 CEST
Vocab guide for the French property tax declaration

The property tax declaration must be completed by everyone who owns property in France – including second-home owners who live in another country.

You can find our guide to registering and filing your declaration HERE.

The form can be filled in either online or on paper and, naturally, it is in French – in fact it’s in the special kind of bureaucratic French reserved for admin tasks.

Here’s a look at how to translate it;

Personal details

It begins with asking for personal details from the property owner. If the property is owned jointly by two or more people, only one person needs to do the declaration, but you will need to list all the people who use it (more on that later).

Nom de naissance – this is your surname (family name) as it appears on official documents like a passport

Nom d’usage – this is the surname that you are known by. The reason that it’s on the form is that in France women do not officially change their names when they marry and documents like their passport or driving licence remain in their maiden names. However, they may be known in everyday life by their husband’s surname – for example the president’s wife is widely known as Brigitte Macron, but her passport will say Brigitte Trogneux (her maiden name).

For most people; their nom de naissance and nom d’usage will be the same. Correspondence will be addressed to you by your nom d’usage.

Prénom(s) – first names – if you have any middle names, include them.

Date de naissance – date of birth (in the format day/month/year)

Lieu de naissance – place of birth. This should be listed as it appears on your passport

Numéro fiscal – tax number. If you have previously paid property tax bills this number will be on the bill. If you have not yet received a bill and don’t have a tax number for any other tax tasks (eg the annual income tax declaration) the first thing that you need to do is request a numéro fiscal – full details on how to do that HERE.

Votre adresse de domiciliation – the address that you live at. For foreign second-home owners, this will be their address outside France, not the address of the French property.

N° – house number

Voie – street name

Complément d’adresse – any extra lines of the address, if applicable 

Code postal – postcode/ZIP code

Ville – town

Pays – country

Votre téléphone – phone number. If it is a non-French number, remember to include the country code 

Votre adresse courriel – email address

Si vous avez conservé l’usage de votre résidence principale et que vous êtes hébergé(e) dans un
établissement d’hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes (EHPAD), veuillez cocher la case – this probably won’t apply to many people but if you have moved into a care home or nursing home but are keeping your property as a main residence, tick this box.

Property details

The next section is about the French property that you are declaring

Cette déclaration concerne ma résidence principale – this declaration concerns my main residence (tick yes or no). This bit is important because it will determine which property taxes you pay. A property is your ‘main residence’ if you live there most of the time – for other uses (second home, holiday home, rented out property), tick ‘no’.

La nature de votre bien – Maison/Appartement – is your property a house or an apartment

Superficie – size in metres squared (this should be included in your property deeds)

Étage – number of floors

Porte – number of doors

Tick any of these that appy; Cave – cellar, Garage – garage, Parking – dedicated parking space (this doesn’t include a driveway, it’s more for city dwellers whose apartment may have a separate parking area), Piscine – pool 

Si vous possédez d’autres biens à une adresse différente, veuillez remplir une nouvelle déclaration
d’occupation – if you own more than one French property, you do a separate declaration for each one

Précisez l’adresse de votre logement (ou bien) concerné par la déclaration si elle est différente de votre
adresse principale – address of the property being declared, if different from your main residence. For second home owners, this is where you put the address of the French property. The format is as described above.

Property use

The next section is asking you what the property is used for.

Vous avez la jouissance de ce bien – you have the use of this property. You tick this if it is your main home, but also if it is a second home or holiday home. 

Vous occupez personnellement le bien depuis le – you have occupied the property since [date]. This date is the purchase date. This applies to second-home owners too, if you don’t rent out your property then you are the ‘occupier’, even if you are not always there.

Si vous occupez ce logement avec un conjoint ou un des indivisaires, veuillez préciser leur identité (ne pas déclarer les enfants mineurs) – identity of anyone that you share the property with. This would include your spouse or partner for couples who own property together, or any other co-owners or people who live with you as long-term tenants. You only need to include your children on this if they are over the age of 18.

Votre bien est occupé par une ou plusieurs personne(s) autres que vous-même – the property is occupied by someone other than yourself. You tick this if the property is rented out to someone else or someone else uses it as their main residence (even if they don’t pay rent). In this case you will be asked for their details plus the start date of their tenancy.

You will also be asked if the tenant is a personne physique or a personne morale – this has nothing to do with their physical appearance or morals, it’s whether your tenant is a private individual or a business or organisation.

Votre bien fait l’objet d’une location saisonnière ou de courte durée (contrat de location d ’un
meublé inférieur à 6 mois) [ne pas compléter l’identité des occupants] – your property is rented on a short-term or seasonal basis (contracts of less than six months) – this is what you tick if your property is rented out as a holiday home on a regular basis

Votre bien est vacant (il n’est pas occupé et vide de meuble) depuis le [date] – your property is vacant. This doesn’t apply to second homes, even if they are empty for a significant part of the year. In order to be classed as a ‘vacant’ property, it must be unoccupied and empty of all furniture. This usually applies to rental properties that are between tenants.

Je déclare ne pas avoir d’accès à internet – if you’re declaring on paper you will see this as the bottom next to the space for your signature. This is because the paper declaration is supposed to be available only to people who cannot file online, due to a lack of internet access. 

Don’t forget to sign and date your declaration before sending it back, if you are declaring on paper.

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