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SECOND HOMES

Attestation d’accueil: What to do if you cannot get the post-Brexit certificate for a visit to France

You may have read recently of the post-Brexit requirement to register with the mairie for a €30 certificate for British house guests - but there is another option for people for whom this is difficult to get.

Published: 26 May 2021 18:09 CEST
Attestation d'accueil: What to do if you cannot get the post-Brexit certificate for a visit to France
Brexit has made travel into France more complicated, with extra paperwork that may be required. Photo: Christophe Archambault/AFP

As Brits adapt to life post-Brexit there are all sorts of extra restrictions and requirements for those who want to visit France. These are not new, they have always applied to non-EU citizens like Americans and Australians, but they are now applying to British visitors as well since the UK left the EU.

We have outlined HERE the main changes for travellers, but one that has been getting a lot of attention is the attestation d’accueil – which is the certificate that visitors may need if they are staying in private accommodation (ie with family or friends rather than in a hotel, gîte, Airbnb or B&B or at a second home).

We outline exactly what this is and how to get one HERE, but the basic principle is that if you are staying in a private home then your host needs to visit their local mairie in advance and pay €30 for the certificate, known as an attestation d’accueil.

However, there are plenty of people for whom this is not possible – for example second-home owners who are bringing guests with them or people lucky enough to have a friend who has lent them their second home for a short break. The certificate can only be obtained in person from the mairie, so if your host is not in France before your trip, the certificate is not possible to obtain.

If you are a second home owner and travelling to stay in your own property, you can show proof of property ownership such as property deeds or utility bills.

We posed these questions on behalf of readers of The Local to the French Interior Ministry.

Firstly the ministry confirmed that the attestation requirement definitely now applies to Brits as well as other third country nationals like Americans, Canadians and Australians, saying: “British tourists, who are now third-country nationals, are subject to compliance with the conditions for entry into the Schengen area under Article 6 of the CFS [Code des Frontières Schengen or the rules that concern entry into the Schengen space from outside the EU/Schengen zone].

“Since January 1st 2021, they must have proof of sufficient means of subsistence both for the duration of their intended stay and for their return to the UK.”

They went on to clarify the things that Brits may be asked to provide at the border.

“To enter France, British tourists must therefore present
– an attestation d’accueil issued by the town hall (if they are staying in private accommodation) or a hotel reservation (which can be replaced by a sum of €120 per person per day)
– proof of means of subsistence (€65 per day in the case of hotel accommodation or €32.50 in the case of an attestation d’accueil)
– a certificate of insurance for repatriation on medical grounds.”

You can find full details here.

The proof of means is a standard demand for all non-EU nationals entering France – basically you need to prove that you can support yourself while you are staying here and will not become a burden on the French state.

The standard rates are based on the French SMIC (minimum wage) and are presently €65 for every day of your stay if you are staying in a hotel or €32.50 if you are staying with friends or family.

However, if you cannot provide either an attestation d’accueil or proof of a booking at a hotel or similar (gîte, Airbnb, B&B) you have the option to provide proof of means at above the standard rate – namely €120 for every day of your stay in France.

The higher rate of financial proof will also be accepted for people who do not have accommodation booked for the duration of their stay – for example if you’re coming in a camper van or you’re just planning to see where you end up before booking accommodation.

If you have hotels or similar booked for part of your stay you will need to show proof of €65 a day for every day that you have a hotel booking and €120 a day for every day without a booking.

The EU states that proof of means that will be accepted are; cash, travellers cheques, bank statements for the last three months showing the balance of your account at the required level or credit cards (debit cards are not accepted).

The other uncertainty about this is exactly how strict border checks will be. As mentioned, this has always been the policy for other non-EU nationals like Americans and Canadians, yet few of them report having to show proof of accommodation or means at the border.

However, just because it is rare doesn’t mean that it will never happen and if you cannot provide the correct paperwork, border guards are within their rights to refuse you entry. 

Member comments

  1. There won’t be many Australians and Americans who would want to routinely fly over to France on a couple of days notice to visit mum and dad for the weekend. And how many of them have second homes here compared with the Brits. A few things are going to have to change if France wants to keep these markets. It’s certainly not the same in all other EU countries.

    1. Most other EU countries with significant tourist sectors have the same rules – there’s nothing special about this requirement.

  2. Pettifogging measures that will do very significant harm to the French tourism and hospitality sector if enacted. The UK has always been one of France’s key and most lucrative source markets. Hard to believe that they won’t be relaxed or conveniently ignored once the effects begin to become apparent.

    1. These are measure that France applied to all non-EU (and non-EEA) countries for decades. Some countries negotiated different rules and hopefully British government will wake up and do the same.

      1. OK thanks. I’ll keep my eye on it. One can’t help feeling that when the Border “Force” calms down a bit, the French will too.

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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