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READER QUESTIONS

Reader question: How does France have 12 different time zones?

Unlikely but true, France does indeed have 12 different time zones. But there is no need to change your watch if you're travelling from Paris to Toulouse.

Published: 25 March 2022 11:37 CET
Reader question: How does France have 12 different time zones?
Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP

Question: I read that France has 12 different time zones – how is this possible?

It’s true, France does have 12 different time zones. In fact (pub quiz fact alert) France has the largest number of time zones of any country in the world, beating the USA and Russia which have 11 each. 

But we’re not talking Metropolitan France – aka l’Hexagone – here. There is no time difference between Paris and Marseille, although time does seem to go a little slower once you get to the south coast. Maybe that’s the pastis.

No, the reason that France has so many time zones is because of its overseas territories.

Like many former colonial powers, France has territories outside of Europe, but the difference with France is that some of these territories are classed as départements d’outre-mer (overseas départements) and are counted as part of France. They have exactly the same government structure as the rest of France and therefore the Caribbean island of Martinique is as much a part of France as Brest, Bordeaux or Brive.

There are also collectivites d’outre-mer which have more autonomy and can pass their own laws, although certain areas such as defence are decided by Paris.

READ ALSO ‘Confetti of an empire’ – a look at French overseas territories

France’s overseas territories are very scattered, taking in the Caribbean, South America, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and the Antarctic.

This gives France a lot of different time zones, as well as – further pub quiz fact alert – a land border with Brazil (via French Guiana) and a presence on all five continents.

So what are all these time zones?

L’Hexagone – mainland France (and Corsica) are on Central European Time (GMT +1)

French Polynesia – the more than 100 islands that make up French Polynesia cover two time zones in the South Pacific – GMT -10 and GMT -9 

Clipperton Island – the tiny (6 sq km) island in the eastern Pacific is on GMT -8. It’s probably not that important what the time is, however, since the island is uninhabited. 

Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin – the four Caribbean islands are on GMT -4

French Guiana – perched in the top right of South America, French Guiana borders Brazil and Suriname is on GMT -3

Saint Pierre and Miquelon – France used to be a major power in Canada, as evidenced by the Francophone regions, but now its territory in the area is limited to these two islands, which are just off the coast of Newfoundland. They are on GMT -2 

Mayotte – in the Indian Ocean, situated between Mozambique and the much larger island of Madagascar, is Mayotte. It’s on GMT +3

Réunion – also in the Indian Ocean but the other side of side of Madagascar is the island of La Réunion, on GMT +4

French Southern Territories – these islands in the Antarctic function primarily as a research station and do not have any permanent residents. They are on GMT +5

New Caledonia – the south Pacific island could have caused France to have only 11 time zones, but in a recent referendum it narrowly rejected independence. It’s on GMT +11

Wallis and Fortuna – situated between Fiji and Samoa in the south Pacific are the islands of Wallis and Fortuna on GMT +12 

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TRAVEL NEWS

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

As European travellers prepare for the introduction of enhanced passport checks known as the Entry & Exit System (EES), many readers have asked us what this means for the '90-day rule' for non-EU citizens.

Published: 1 May 2024 07:18 CEST
How do the EU's new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

From the start date to the situation for dual nationals and non-EU residents living in the EU, it’s fair to say that readers of The Local have a lot of questions about the EU’s new biometric passport check system known as EES.

You can find our full Q&A on how the new system will work HERE, or leave us your questions HERE.

And one of the most commonly-asked questions was what the new system changes with regards to the 90-day rule – the rule that allows citizens of certain non-EU countries (including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) to spend up to 90 days in every 180 in the EU without needing a visa.

And the short answer is – nothing. The key thing to remember about EES is that it doesn’t actually change any rules on immigration, visas etc.

Therefore the 90-day rule continues as it is – but what EES does change is the enforcement of the rule.

90 days 

The 90-day rule applies to citizens of a select group of non-EU countries;

Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Macau, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela.

Citizens of these countries can spend up to 90 days in every 180 within the EU or Schengen zone without needing a visa or residency permit.

People who are citizens of neither the EU/Schengen zone nor the above listed countries need a visa even for short trips into the EU – eg an Indian or Chinese tourist coming for a two-week holiday would require a visa. 

In total, beneficiaries of the 90-day rule can spend up to six months in the EU, but not all in one go. They must limit their visits so that in any 180-day (six month) period they have spent less than 90 days (three months) in the Bloc.

READ ALSO How does the 90-day rule work?

The 90 days are calculated according to a rolling calendar so that at any point in the year you must be able to count backwards to the last 180 days, and show that you have spent less than 90 of them in the EU/Schengen zone.

You can find full details on how to count your days HERE.

If you wish to spend more than 90 days at a time you will have to leave the EU and apply for a visa for a longer stay. Applications must be done from your home country, or via the consulate of your home country if you are living abroad.

Under EES 90-day rule beneficiaries will still be able to travel visa free (although ETIAS will introduce extra changes, more on that below).

EES does not change either the rule or how the days are calculated, but what it does change is the enforcement.

Enforcement

One of the stated aims of the new system is to tighten up enforcement of ‘over-stayers’ – that is people who have either overstayed the time allowed on their visa or over-stayed their visa-free 90 day period.

At present border officials keep track of your time within the Bloc via manually stamping passports with the date of each entry and exit to the Bloc. These stamps can then be examined and the days counted up to ensure that you have not over-stayed.

The system works up to a point – stamps are frequently not checked, sometimes border guards incorrectly stamp a passport or forget to stamp it as you leave the EU, and the stamps themselves are not always easy to read.

What EES does is computerise this, so that each time your passport is scanned as you enter or leave the EU/Schengen zone, the number of days you have spent in the Bloc is automatically tallied – and over-stayers will be flagged.

For people who stick to the limits the system should – if it works correctly – actually be better, as it will replace the sometimes haphazard manual stamping system.

But it will make it virtually impossible to over-stay your 90-day limit without being detected.

The penalties for overstaying remain as they are now – a fine, a warning or a ban on re-entering the EU for a specified period. The penalties are at the discretion of each EU member state and will vary depending on your personal circumstances (eg how long you over-stayed for and whether you were working or claiming benefits during that time).

ETIAS 

It’s worth mentioning ETIAS at this point, even though it is a completely separate system to EES, because it will have a bigger impact on travel for many people.

ETIAS is a different EU rule change, due to be introduced some time after EES has gone live (probably in 2025, but the timetable for ETIAS is still somewhat unclear).

It will have a big impact on beneficiaries of the 90-day rule, effectively ending the days of paperwork-free travel for them.

Under ETIAS, beneficiaries of the 90-rule will need to apply online for a visa waiver before they travel. Technically this is a visa waiver rather than a visa, but it still spells the end of an era when 90-day beneficiaries can travel without doing any kind of immigration paperwork.

If you have travelled to the US in recent years you will find the ETIAS system very similar to the ESTA visa waiver – you apply online in advance, fill in a form and answer some questions and are sent your visa waiver within a couple of days.

ETIAS will cost €7 (with an exemption for under 18s and over 70s) and will last for three years.

Find full details HERE. 

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