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What changes for Brits in France in 2022?

Brits living in France have faced big changes since the UK left the EU, and things change again in 2022. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 20 September 2021 15:02 CEST
Updated: 28 December 2021 14:42 CET
What changes for Brits in France in 2022?
Photo: Sebastian Bozon/AFP

January 1st 2022

This is the deadline for all Brits who were resident in France before December 31st 2020 to be in possession of a carte de séjour residency card.

This does not apply to people who moved after that date – they come under the new regime of visas – but does cover all UK nationals who lived in France before then, even those who have been here a long time, are married to a French national or who previously held a European carte de séjour.

Brits in France were given an extension on the deadline to have applied for their new card – it was pushed back from June 30th to September 30th to allow late applications. January 1st 2022 is the deadline to be in possession of the card.

READ ALSO Key documents to prove your post-Brexit rights in France

What happens from January 1st?

This is the date from which certain official functions cannot be performed without providing proof of your legal residency status – which is the rule already in place for all other non-EU citizens.

From this date you can legally be asked for the card in situations including;

  • Employers wanting to verify your right to work in France
  • Landlords of property you are renting
  • CAF offices if you are in receipt of any type of benefits
  • CPAM offices to confirm your right to healthcare in France
  • Police in any situation – French police can legally stop anyone on the street and request ID and, if applicable, proof of legal residency
  • Border officials if you are entering or leaving France

If you are unable to produce your card you can be denied non-emergency healthcare, work, benefits and accommodation and can legally be served with notice to leave France.

READ ALSO What should I do if my carte de séjour is lost or stolen?

How strict is enforcement of this likely to be?

This is technically entering new territory, so no-one really knows how strictly France is likely to enforce the requirement for everyone to have their cards.

Spot checks and deportations of unregistered Brits seem unlikely, but what is very likely is that the next time you need to access any kind of official function you will be asked for the card, in the same way that Americans and Canadians already are for routine administrative tasks.

If you cannot provide the card it is likely that your request – whether it’s for work, benefits, a place to live or healthcare – will not be processed.

You are also likely to encounter difficulties with international travel, and if you cannot prove your right of residence when you enter or leave France, you are likely to be subject to the 90-day rule. 

Are there any exceptions?

This applies to the vast majority of UK nationals who were living in France before December 31st 2020. Those who moved here after that date will need a visa and a carte de séjour. Brits who are visiting for less than 90 days in every 180 do not need either a visa or a residency card.

There are a couple of exceptions however, the main one is people who hold dual nationality with either France or another EU country (eg Ireland). These people do not have to apply for the carte de séjour, although they may if they want to.

Posted workers in certain circumstances and people in certain diplomatic roles are also exempt, while under-18s do not need a carte de séjour.

What else?

It can be hard to keep up with all the changes, so here’s a quick round-up of what else has changed and any actions you may need to take.

Driving – if you’re driving in France on a UK licence, you probably don’t need to swap that for a French one just yet. A deal finally concluded between the British and French governments earlier this year allowed people whose licences had been issued before January 1st 2021 to keep driving on them until either the photocard or the licence expired.

For most people, this means making a note of when the photocard/licence expires, and applying to swap for a French one once you get within six months of the expiry date. If your card has been lost or stolen, or you have a medical condition, or have committed a traffic offence, you may need to swap earlier – find the full details HERE.

Healthcare – most people living in France before 2020 had already registered in the French healthcare system and received their carte vitale. If you have not already done this, here’s how to go about it.

If you previously used an EHIC when travelling abroad, you will need to request the French equivalent CEAM (carte européenne d’assurance maladie) to cover any medical expenses when you are travelling in Europe. You can request this via your online Ameli account.

Taxes – Brits who were resident in France should always have been making an annual tax declaration and Brexit has not changed this. However many people – especially those whose income comes entirely from the UK – were not previously aware of this. You can check HERE whether you need to fill in the annual declaration form.

Travel – If you are travelling between France and the UK you need to be aware of lots of changes covering everything from car stickers to sandwiches for the journey.

Passports – British passports are now only valid for travel within the EU if they have up to six months left before they expire, and that includes the passports of Brits who live in France. If you are travelling to the UK with a French partner, family member or friend, they need to remember that they can no longer travel on an ID card, a passport will be necessary. And it’s not just people, rules on Pet Passports have also changed, although Brits who are resident in France can still secure an EU passport for their dog, cat or ferret from a French vet.

Member comments

  1. I’m surprised that it’s only ‘several hundred people’ who are still waiting for their card. This whole system depended on one’s local préfecture not procrastinating. Because we followed advice to apply early, we waited nearly 3 years for our card to finally turn up – and that only happened finally because the Ministry in Paris came up with a nation-wide scheme that largely clipped the various time-wasting préfectures’ wings.

    Ironically, the autonomy of each department’s préfet was one of the things that first attracted us to France but this whole Residence Card fiasco has demonstrated only too clearly that nation-wide issues should always be dealt with directly from Paris and not left up to the individual whims of local government.

    1. Our experience in Finistere and the prefecture at Quimper was exactly the opposite. The staff were sympathetic, friendly and they got both the original card and its replacement done with no delay at all.

    2. We originally applied using the pre Brexit website and were transferred to the new site almost 2 years ago. Our application was transferred from the Prefecture to the Sous Prefecture in Beziers at the same time. I have regularly emailed and received responses that usually say the same thing which is that the application is in process. In May this year they stopped responding and I am not allowed to go to the SP without an appointment so how to I get one? I have recently sent a registered letter and I am hoping for a response to that. One thing is clear and that is that it will not be sorted out by 1 January.

  3. Prefecture de Police de Paris – marvellous. Application on 6 November, 2020, card issued early February, 2021. Immensely polite (and my French language is notoriously diabolical).
    Generally, us Brits, a large number of whom did not have the right to vote in 2016 (remind anyone of the reason for the American War of Independence, taxation without representation?), have been treated very well.
    Tomorrow I will face “Border Force” (whatever that means) at Gard du Nord. Anything like last time I hope not. Then they emulated Australian and American Immigration Officials; officious. Never had that with the Frogs.

  4. Here is a question that the local could pick up and find out the answer to
    as the portal is now closed, how do under 18 get an article 50 card when they reach 18?
    how do people who only got a short term residency card renew it?

  5. EHIC your information above is not fully correct CPAM still does not supply retired Brits with an EHIC card however the UK Government is duty bound under the BREXIT AGREEMENT to supply an EHIC (GHIC) card (New design features in it to show the difference from the old card) It definitely is valid in the EU for all retired UK people who are officially registered as EU residents. I know this for a fact – I, my wife and friends have such a card we applied and got it in 2021.

  6. I would suggest that organisations like the Local gather a list of all their contributors who have still not received their cards and pass the list to the French Minister for post-brexit Brits and the UK rep – ask them to encourage the Gouvt. to enforce all prefectures to finalise all cards in their process. I know it’s not as simple as that but someone needs to get some pressure on to it as it would seem many of us have had our cards very easily and quickly (Toulouse – no problem, so why Beziers?). Time to kick some rear end or to coin a Boris-ism: “Let’s get this done!” 🙂

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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 things Brits in France need to know about swapping driving licences

Now that the dust has settled from the somewhat chaotic post-Brexit period, the system for swapping a UK driving licence for a French one seems to be running fairly smoothly. There are, however, some things that UK licence holders need to know.

Published: 3 May 2024 17:20 CEST
5 things Brits in France need to know about swapping driving licences

This article is aimed at holders of a UK or Northern Ireland driving licence who are living in France – tourists, visitors and second-home owners can continue to drive in France on a UK licence and do not need an international driving permit.

British students who are studying in France on a student visa can continue to drive on their UK licence during their studies – if however they settle in France afterwards, they need to follow the below process for swapping their licence. 

1 You’re special

Well, maybe special is over-stating it, but the system for holders of UK and NI licence holders is different to that of other non-EU nationals, and also different to the system for EU licence holders.

The reason for this is that a pragmatic post-Brexit agreement was (finally) reached between France and the UK, in order to avoid the chaos that was triggered when thousands of Brits in France all tried to swap their driving licences at once.

Unlike almost all other post-Brexit agreements, this one applies both to people who moved to France before the end of Brexit transition period in 2021 and those who have moved here since. 

The below terms apply to everyone who has a UK or NI licence, regardless of their nationality or when they moved to France. 

2 But you still have to swap

It was technically always the case that Brits who were living in France should have swapped their licence for a French one, just as other EU licence holders do now, but in reality many people lived here for years or decades without ever exchanging their licence and there was little or no enforcement of the rule.

That has now changed and you must swap according to the following timetable;

If your UK licence was issued after January 1st, 2021 – you must swap within one year of moving to France.

If your UK licence was issued before January 1st 2021 – you only swap when you meet one of the following conditions;

  • The licence itself or the photocard is within six months of its expiry date. For more people the photocard expiry will come around first, but UK licences also require renewal when the holder reaches the age of 70
  • Your licence has been lost or stolen
  • You have been ordered to exchange your licence by a gendarme after committing a driving offence

For people who are exchanging because the licence is about to expire, it is important that you don’t start the process until your licence is within six months of the expiry date – early applications will simply be rejected.

3 It might not be as much of a nightmare as you think 

Unlike the old days when licence swaps were done by préfectures, the whole process has now moved online and is run through a single, central system.

The online portal for requesting a swap is known as ANTS and you can find it HERE.

If you haven’t used it before you will need to create an online account, or if you already have online accounts for French government services such as Ameli or tax declarations you can login by clicking on the France Connect button.

Once logged in, select Je demande l’échange ou l’enregistrement de mon permis de conduire étranger (I request the exchange or registration of a foreign driving licence) and fill in the details requested on the form such as name, address etc.

You might be pleasantly surprised by the fact the form itself is relatively straightforward (as French admin forms go), asking basic questions such as your personal details and the details of your driving licence.

You will have to upload supporting documents, but these are likely to be things that you already have to hand including

  • Proof of ID (passport or carte de séjour)
  • Proof of address (a recent utility bill or attestation from your utility provider)
  • If your driver’s licence is in a different name to your passport, you will need to supply your full birth certificate

You will also need to supply a photo – you can either use the internet-enabled Photomaton booths – find your nearest here – to create a digital photo with the required security code, or you can use the normal photo booths to print out a physical photo and send it by post after you have made your application. 

Once completed, you can use the ANTS site to track the progress of your application and upload any other documents that are requested.

4 But don’t leave it too late 

If you’re applying because your licence is about to expire then you cannot apply until you are within six months of the expiry date.

But it’s a good idea not to leave it until the last minute as the whole process does take time – things have improved massively since the dark days of 2020 and 2021 when people were waiting for years and their licences expired while they waited.

But it still takes time – the current average for a straightforward application with no extra documents required seems to be between four and five months, although processing times can vary, especially over holiday periods.

It’s therefore a good idea to make the application fairly soon after you enter that magic six-month window.

Once you make the application you should get an automated response acknowledging receipt – this is usually sent by SMS and/or email, it’s a good idea to check your spam folder if you don’t get the email.

Don’t panic if you don’t then hear anything for the next few weeks or even months, this appears to be normal. If your application is complete and there are no outstanding queries or other documents required, the next step will be a request to send in your old UK licence.

You send this by post (recorded delivery with a signature is strongly recommended) and at the same time you can download an Attestation de Depot de Permis de Conduire (certificate of deposit of driving licence) – you can use this to prove your continued entitled to drive in the period between sending in your old licence and receiving your new one.

Your French licence is then sent by registered post, and the window between posting the old licence and receiving the new one is usually not more than a month, you 

5 Help is out there 

If your application runs into problems or you have an untypical situation or find the ANTS website hard to use, don’t panic – help is available.

The Facebook group Driving in France – French Licence Applications is a good place to start with comprehensive guides and knowledgeable admins who are quick to respond to questions.

You can also chat to others in your situation and get updates on how long processing times seem to be.

If you have problems using the online system, your local France Services office may be able to help.

You can also head to The Local’s reader questions section, or email us at [email protected] if you have questions.

Digital licences

You might have heard about France’s new digital driving licence – unfortunately this is only available to people who have French citizenship (including dual nationals).

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