Between the referendum result in 2016 and Britain officially leaving the EU on 31 January 2020, there has been a great deal of confusion and worry both for UK citizens currently living in France and for those thousands of UK citizens who are thinking of making the move over to begin their new lives in France.
The passing of the Withdrawal Agreement alleviated the worst fears of many and has enshrined into law the protection of UK citizens’ rights in Europe. It has also brought into force the standstill implementation period which is due to last until the end of December 2020.
This extension of the freedom of movement rules importantly means that any UK citizen currently thinking of moving permanently to France can still do so until the end of the year with the same freedom as they could during the UK’s membership of the EU.
It is almost certainly for this reason that estate agencies across France, such as my own, have seen such an increase in enquiries and viewing requests from British buyers.
WHAT HAS CHANGED
Brexit has, however, changed the way that UK citizens will have to officialise their residence in France in the future. Going forward, all UK citizens living in France will need permission to stay.
There are two principle ways of gaining this permission :
Firstly (and most commonly) you can apply for a ‘titre de séjour’ which is a residency card confirming your right to live in France.
The second option is to apply for French citizenship if you have lived in France for over five years.
This story is from the May 2020 edition of French Property News.
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This story is from the May 2020 edition of French Property News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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