Living in France

Coronavirus

You should follow the advice of the French Government and your local authority. You can also read our France travel advice for our latest guidance.

For information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine as a UK national in France, see our coronavirus travel advice.

Stay up to date

You should:

• sign up to email alerts
• follow the British Embassy in France on Facebook and Twitter

Attend a citizenvirtual citizens’ outreach meeting

The British Embassy regularly holds virtual events across France for UK nationals.nationals in France. Attend one of our citizen outreach meetings to keep up to date on working and living in France.

You can also:

• read the French government’s guidance on your rights in France
• sign up for the Embassy’s newsletter, Voisins Voices. Read previous newsletter editions

The Withdrawal Agreement

TheIf Withdrawal Agreement sets out the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and provides for a deal on citizens’ rights. It sets out a transition period which lasts until 31 December 2020. During this time you canwere continuelegally toresident live, work and study in theFrance EU broadly as you did before 311 January 2020.

If2021, you are resident in France at the end of the transition period, you will be covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, and your rights will be protected for as long as you remain resident in France.

Any rights that are not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. willYou bemust theapply subject of future negotiations. Read this guidance page for morea information.

Wenew willresidence updatestatus thisby guidance1 asJuly soon2021 asto moresecure informationyour becomes available.rights.

You should also read our guidance on living in Europe.

Visas and residency

CheckIf theyou entrywere requirementslegally forresident in France.

Residency

If before 1 January 2021, you aremust residentapply inonline Francefor the new residency permit before 1 July 2021, in line with the transitionWithdrawal periodAgreement. endsYou onneed 31to Decemberhave 2020,your younew willresidency bepermit ablebefore to1 stay.October 2021.

All UK nationals resident in France will need to obtainapply afor the new residenceresidency permitpermit. inThis lineincludes withUK the Withdrawal Agreement. This includes:nationals:

• UK nationals with a European carte de séjour (even if it is marked “permanent”, or has no expiry date)
• UK nationals without a European carte de séjour (it iswas currentlypreviously optional to have one)optional)
• UK nationals applying for a second nationality
• UK nationals married to or PACSedin to (in a civil partnership with)with EU(known nationals
• UKas nationalsPACSed) recentlyFR arriving or wellother establishedEU in Francenationals

WhenEach theperson systemmust opens,make youa willseparate application. Children under 18 do not need to applyapply, usingunless thethey onlineneed a residency portal.permit Dueto work or will turn 18 close to the impactapplication ofdeadline.

If COVID-19,you thehave openingbeen ofliving thein website,France initiallyfor plannedover 5 years, you will be eligible for 1permanent Julyresidency 2020,and hasa 10-year renewable residency permit.

If you have been postponedliving toin 1France Octoberfor 2020.fewer than 5 years, you will be eligible for a card with 5 years’ validity. You will haveneed untilto atprovide leastevidence 30of Juneyour 2021personal situation (as a worker, self-sufficient person, student, job seeker, British family member, British spouse of a French national). Read the flowchart on the application website which shows what documents you need to apply.provide.

If you applied for residency onvia the previous ‘no–deal’‘no-deal’ portal,website, you willdo not need to re-applyre-apply. using the new one. Your application will be processed by the appropriate Préfecture before the1 deadline.October 2021. However if you have moved to a different Departement since applying, you must apply again.

ReadYou should:

• read the French government’s guidance for UK nationals (in English),English)
• read andour thedetailed Frenchguidance Interioron Ministry’sthe websiteresidency onregistration howprocess
• download tothis secureinformative yournote residencyabout rightsthe Withdrawal Agreement (inwhich French).

  UKmay Nationalsbe Supporthelpful Fundto present to local authorities

Additional support

TheUK governmentnationals haswho announcedare fundingresident forin organisationsFrance, and need help to providecomplete practicaltheir supportresidence toapplication UKor nationalsregistration, whocan mayget havesupport difficultyfrom completingorganisations theirfunded residencyby applications. the UK Nationals Support Fund.

Most UK nationals in France will be able to complete the simple online application by themselves. SupportThis offeredsupport by the Fund is only available to thosepeople who need additional help.help Thisto secure their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. They may include pensioners, disabled people, people living in remote areas or people who have mobility difficulties.

TheSupport services available for people who need this additional support include:includes:

• answering questions about residencyresidence applications, such as the documents requiredyou need and how the application procedureprocess works
• guiding individualsyou through the process, if necessary
• supportingsupport peopleif facingyou experience language barriers or difficulty accessing technology

Inonline France,information three organisations are providing this support: The International Organisation for Migration in Brittany, Normandy and Paris, The Franco-British Network in the Dordogne, and SSAFA specifically for veterans across France. Information and guides produced by these organisations will be publicly available.

services

If youyou, or someone you knowknow, mayare havehaving difficulty completing theresidence application,paperwork youor canhave contactany themquestions, usingcontact the detailsorganisation belowthat tocovers discussthe howregion theywhere mayyou, beor ablethey, to help you.live.

IOM - The International Organisation for Migration (Brittany, NormandyNormandy, Paris and Paris)Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Pays de la Loire)

VisitContact details:

• visit the IOM website

  Email:

• email: UKnationalsFR@iom.int

  Hotline:

• hotline: 08 09 54 98 32 available during the following hours:

  Mon-Tues Mon - Tues 2pm to 4pm and Wed-ThursWed - Thurs 10.30am to 12.30pm

FBN - The Franco-British Network (Dordogne)(Dordogne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur)

VisitContact details:

• visit the FBN website

  Email:

• email: The Franco-British Network

  Hotline:

• hotline: 05 19 88 01 09 available during the following hours:

  Mon, Tues and Wed, 9am to 1pm; Thurs and Fri 1pm to 5pm

Church of England - Diocese in Europe (Occitanie, Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Centre Val de Loire, Corsica, Grand Est, Nouvelle Aquitaine, not including Dordogne)

Contact details:

• visit the Diocese in Europe Residency Support Project website
• hotline: 05 32 80 00 05 available during the following hours: Mon - Fri 9:30am to 12:00pm and 1:30pm to 4pm; Tues 5.30pm to 8pm; Sat: 9:30am to 12:00pm

SSAFA, The Armed Forces Charity (across France)

VisitContact details:

• visit the SSAFA website

  Email:

• email: ukvie.support@ssafa.org.uk

  Hotline:

• hotline: 08 05 11 96 17
• for UK based enquiries call +44 (0) 800 193 0474

Moving to France

Check the entry requirements for France and read the French government guidance on moving to France (in French).

Passports and travel

TheYou rulesshould oncarry travelyour willresidence staypermit the(EU samepermit untilor theWithdrawal endAgreement ofpermit) theas transitionwell periodas onyour 31valid Decemberpassport 2020.when Duringyou thistravel. timeIf you canhave continueapplied tobut travelnot toyet countriesreceived inyour thepermit, Schengencarry areayour orcertificate elsewhereof inapplication. theYou EUwill withhave yourreceived UKthis passport.as an email.

CheckIf youryou passporthave isnot validyet applied for travela beforeresidence permit, you bookshould yourcarry trip.evidence Yourthat passportyou shouldare beresident validin forFrance. theThis proposedcould durationinclude ofa tenancy agreement, property rental receipts, or gas or electricity bills in your stay.name dating from 2020.

YouMake cansure applyyou forshow your residence permit, or renewother yourresidence Britishproof, any time you are asked to show your passport fromat France.border control.

Passports

If fromyou 1cannot Januaryshow 2021that you are resident in France, you may be asked additional questions at the border to enter the Schengen area, and your passport may be stamped on entry and exit. This will not affect your rights in France.

Passports

Check your passport is valid for travel before you book your trip.

From 1You Januarycan 2021,apply youfor or renew your British passport from France.

You must have at least 6 months left on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland). This requirement does not apply if you are entering or transiting to France, and you are in scope of the Withdrawal Agreement.

If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed.

You will need to renewRenew your passport before travellingbooking your travel if you do not have enough time left on your passport.

As a non-EEA national, different border checks will apply when travelling to other EU or Schengen area countries. You may need to show a return or onward ticket and that you have enough money for your stay. You may also have to use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when queueing. YourYou passport may bealso stampedneed forto visitsshow toa thesereturn countries.or onward ticket.

Entry requirements

FromYou 1can January 2021, you will be able to travel to other Schengen area countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa for purposes such as tourism. This is a rolling 180-day period.

To stay forlonger longer,than 90 days in any 180-day period, to work or study, or for business travel, you willmust need to meet the entry requirements set out by the country to which you are travelling.travelling to. This could mean applying for a visa or work permit. You may also need to get a visa if your visit would take you over the 90 days in 180 days limit.

Periods of staytime authorised underby a visa or permit will not count againsttowards theyour 90-day limit.visa-free Travel to the UK and the Ireland will not change.limit.

Different rules will apply to EU countries that are not part of the Schengen Area.area. Check each country’s travel advice page for information on entry requirements.

Healthcare

ThereTravel will be no changes to yourthe healthcareUK accessand beforeIreland 31has Decembernot 2020. You can also continue to use your EHIC, as you did before, during this time.changed.

Healthcare

You must register for healthcare as a resident in France, and in addition, you can sign up for top-up health insurance (mutuelle).

If you are legally resident in France, you can get a French social security card for healthcare (carte vitale). To get a French social security card, you will need to register with your local Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM). They can tell you which documents they need for your registration. Top-up insurance cover (mutuelle) also exists to cover the cost of healthcare not covered by a Carte Vitale.

If you have been resident in France for more than 3 months you can apply to be covered by the French healthcare system (PUMA).

Read our guidance on whoaccessing can access healthcare in France and howmake tosure register.you

are correctly registered. Read the French government guidance on access to healthcare.

You can also read guidance on:

• how to register for healthcare if you are a student.

  State

• how to access healthcare -as a posted worker if your UK employed has sent you to France temporarily

State healthcare: S1

If you livehave ina Franceregistered S1 form and receivewere anliving exportablein UKFrance pension,before contribution-based1 EmploymentJanuary Support2021, Allowanceyour orrights anotherto exportableaccess benefit,healthcare youwill maystay currentlythe besame entitledif toyou stateare healthcareeither:

• receiving paida forUK byState thePension
• receiving UK.some Youother will‘exportable needbenefits’
• a tofrontier applyworker forwho alives certificatein ofFrance entitlementand knowncommutes asto anwork S1in certificate.
  the UK

Read our guidance on howusing to get an S1 form in France. to ensure you are correctly registered for healthcare.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

If you are resident in France, you must not use anyour UK-issued EHIC from the UK for healthcare in France.

WhenIf you travellive fromand Francework forin aFrance, temporaryyou staymay inbe anotherable Europeanto Economicget Areaa (EEA)French countryEHIC orto Switzerland,get healthcare when you cantravel useto another EHICEU tocountries.

If accessyou state-providedwere healthcareliving in thatFrance country.before During1 thatJanuary short2021, stay:

• EHICyou coversmay treatmentbe thateligible isfor medicallya necessarynew untilUK-issued yourEHIC plannedif return home
you’re:
• ana EHICUK isstudent notin France
• a replacementUK forState comprehensivePensioner travelwith insurancea registered S1
• fora morefrontier informationworker readwith oura travelregistered adviceS1

Apply pagenow andfor advicea onnew foreignUK travel insuranceEHIC.

IfAn you’reEHIC livingis innot Francea orreplacement movefor therecomprehensive permanentlytravel beforeinsurance.

For 31more Decemberinformation 2020,read you’llour haveguidance life-longon healthcare rightswhen travelling in FranceEurope and asadvice youon doforeign now,travel provided you remain resident.insurance. 

You should also read guidance on:

• healthcare and studying abroad
• checking your prescriptions are legal in France
• mental health in France

Working and studying in France

If you arewere legally resident in France on or before 311 DecemberJanuary 2020,2021, you willhave maintainthe your right to work, as long as you remain residentlegally in France.resident.

Read the French government’s guidance on workingEU inexit France and our guidance on working in an EU country.France.

To apply for a job you may need to provide a:

• UK police certificate
• UK equivalent of a casier judiciare
• International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC) criminal records check from the ACRO Criminal Records Office to work with children

Studying

If you are planning to come to France to work, you may need a visa. Read the French government’s guidance on working in France as a third country national and how to get a visa.

Frontier workers

If you arelive residentin France and were regularly commuting to work in Franceanother onEU or EFTA country, before 311 DecemberJanuary 2020,2021 you yourmay rightneed a permit to studyshow you are a frontier worker. You must also apply for a residency permit in France.   

If you live in the UK or another EU of EFTA country and commuted to work in France before 1 January 2021 you need a permit. You must apply for this permit from the Prefecture where you work before 1 July 2021.

To apply, you need a valid passport, a recent facial photograph; a certificate of employment or proof of self-employed activity on French territory. See more detail in the Ministerial Order. We will stayupdate this page once more information on the same,application process is available.

Studying in France

You will be eligible for broadly the same support as French nationals, as long as you remainwere resident.legally resident in France before 1 January 2021. You willmust maintainapply equalfor accessa residency permit in France.

Read our guidance on:

• continuing your studies in the EU
• healthcare for students in France

Moving to education,France includingto higherstudy

If education,you onare planning to study in France, make sure you meet all visa requirements before you arrive. Contact the samerelevant termsHigher asEducation domesticprovider students.in France to check what fees you may have to pay.

University tuition fees for UK nationals coming to France to study from 1 January 2021 may be higher due to the French government’s reforms to public university tuition fees.

Increased fees will not apply to:

• UK students already enrolled on a course of study when the reforms were announced (September 2019) for the duration of that course
• UK students starting a course during the transition period, for the duration of that course

Check with your grant provider for any continued eligibility for student support (in French) and read the Campus France guidance on tuition fee reforms. (in English)

For more information read studying in the European Union.

Money and tax

The UK has a double taxation agreement with France to ensure you do not pay tax on the same income in both countries. Ask the relevant tax authority your questions about double taxation relief.

Existing double taxation arrangements for UK nationals living in France have not changed.

Read the guidance about:

• tax if you leave the UK to live abroad
• tax on your UK income if you live abroad
• paying income tax in France by the European Union

You should get professional advice on paying tax in France. Find an English-speaking lawyer in France.

Declaration

National of assetsInsurance

AllFind residentsout mustif declareyou anyneed assetsto heldpay outsideNational France,Insurance includingin bankthe accounts,UK securities,or rights,social insurance,security annuitiescontributions andin property.France.

Banking

Whether ThisUK declarationbanks iscan separateprovide services to customers living in the annualEEA taxis return.

Nationala Insurance

Findmatter outof local law and regulation. Your bank or finance provider should contact you if they need to make any changes to your product or the way they provide it. If you canhave payany Nationalconcerns Insuranceabout whilewhether abroadyou inmight orderbe toaffected, protectcontact your Stateprovider Pensionor seek independent financial advice.

Read the Money and entitlementPension toService otherguidance benefitson banking, insurance and allowances.financial services changes for more information on cross-border banking.

Declaration of assets

IfAll youresidents aremust employeddeclare orany self-employedassets inheld theoutside EUFrance, orincluding EEAbank accounts, securities, rights, insurance, annuities and youproperty. haveThis adeclaration UK-issuedis A1/E101separate form,to youthe willannual remaintax subjectreturn.

Pensions

Read our guidance on entitlement to UK legislationbenefits untiland thepensions endwhile dateyou onare theliving form.in France.

Pensions

You will need to tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad.

If you retire in France, you can claim:

• your UK State Pension or new UK State Pension. Please contact the International Pension Centre to claim
• your French pension if you worked in France, by contacting your local pensions office (Caisse d’Assurance Retraite et Santé au Travail or CARSAT) ��– see CLEISS and Sécurité Sociale (in French)
• pensions from abroad, if you’ve worked in other EU countries

You can read the French government’s guidance on French social security including pensions.

Read the Money and Pension Service guidance on pension and retirement changes for more information on cross-border pensions.

Life certificates for UK State Pensions

If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service, you need to respond as soon as possible - your payments may be suspended if you don’t. Or you can ask your local town hall (mairie) to fill in a French life certificate (certificat de vie) (in French) instead.

Pensions after 31 December 2020

Benefits

ThereRead willour beguidance no changes before 31 December 2020 to the rules on claimingentitlement the UK State Pension in the EU, EEA or Switzerland as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

If you are living in the EU, EEA or Switzerland by 31 December 2020 you will get your UK State Pension uprated every year for as long as you continue to live there. This will happen even if you start claiming your pension on or after 1 January 2021, as long as you meet the qualifying conditions explained in the new State Pension guidance.

If you are living in France by 31 December 2020, you will be able to count future social security contributions towards meeting the qualifying conditions for your UK State Pension.

If you work and pay social security contributions in France, you will still be able to add your UK social security contributions towards your French pension. This will happen even if you claim your pension after 31 December 2020.

If you are considering moving to France on or after 1 January 2021 and you are not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, the rules depend on negotiations with the EU and may change. Check our guidance on benefits and pensions in the EU.

You canwhile continue to receive your UK State Pension if you liveare living in the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you can still claim your UK State Pension.France

Benefits

You will need to tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad.

YouCheck maywhich still be able to claim some UK benefits like child and disability benefits if you live in France. You can:

• read our guidance on which benefits you can claim if you live, move or travel abroad
• use our tool to check which benefits you can claim while abroad and how to claim them

them.

Many income-related benefits such as Pension Credit and Housing Benefit cannot be paid if you’re abroad for more than 4 weeks.

You can request proof of the time you’ve worked in the UK from HMRC, if you are asked for this.

French unemployment benefit

For French unemployment benefits, you should:

• check if you’re eligible on the French government’s website
• contact Pôle Emploi (in French) to claim

French disability benefit

Contact the Maison Départementale des Personnes Handicapées (MDPH) (in French) about disability allowance – there are several disability allowances so it’s best to seek advice from them before applying.

French family allowance

To apply for child allowance, family income support, single-parent allowance or housing allowance, contact the CAF (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales) (in French) if you need help applying, request an appointment with the social worker at your local town hall (mairie).

Benefits

Driving afterin 31 December 2020

France

There will be no changes before 31 December 2020 to the rules on claiming UK benefitsdriving inlicences the EU, EEA or Switzerland as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

If you are living in the EU, EEA or Switzerland by 31 December 2020, you will continue to receivebe anyrecognised UK benefits you already receive. This will continue for as long as you live there and meet all other eligibility requirements.

If you work and pay social security contributions in France,France youruntil UK social security contributions will be taken into account when applying for French contributions-based benefits. This will happen even if you claim contributions-based benefits after 31 December 2020.2021.

IfThe yourules arefor consideringexchanging movingyour tolicence Francehave onnot orbeen afterconfirmed. 1We Januarywill 2021update andthis youpage arewhen notmore coveredinformation byis theavailable. WithdrawalRead Agreement, the rulesFrench dependgovernment’s on negotiations with the EU and may change. Check our guidance on benefitsdriving andlicences pensions(in in the EUFrench)..

Driving in France

DrivingFor licenceinformation ruleson willdriving remain unchanged until 31 December 2020.

To exchange your UK licence for a French one, you can apply to the Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés using their online platform (in French). You must be able to prove that you have been living in FranceFrance, forread 185 days.

You must apply to exchange your UK or other EU licence for a French one in the followingguidance cases:on:

• itwhat needsyou toneed be amended to includedrive a/several new driving categoriesabroad
• it needs to be exchanged because you committed a driving offencerules under the French Highway Code resulting in penalty points or a driving banFrance

If

Driving you are in the process of exchanging your UK licencewith for a French licence,licence

You docan notuse try to renew in parallel with DVLA because this will invalidate your application.French Applicationslicence in the UK withfor ashort Frenchvisits, addressor cannotexchange beit processed.

Forfor informationa onUK drivinglicence inwithout France,taking reada thetest. guidanceWe on:

• drivingwill licenceupdate exchangesthese andpages renewalsif (inthere French)
• whatare youany needchanges to drivethe abroad
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as information is available.

Bringing a UK-registered vehicle to France

Read our guidance on taking a vehicle out of the UK.

Read the European Union’s guidance on car registration and taxes in France. You may be exempt from some of these taxes. If so, you will need certificates of exemption.

Please contact your local prefecture or read the French government’s guidance on driving in France with a foreign licence (in French).

Voting

You cannot vote in elections in France or European Parliament elections.

You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:

• check if you are able to vote
• register as an overseas voter to vote

Births, deaths and getting married

If your child is born in France, you will need to register the birth abroad.

If someone dies in France you can:

• read our guidance on what to do after someone dies abroad
• read our guidance on deaths in France

Find out how you can get married abroad.

Find out about notarial and documentary services in France

You may also need:

• an English-speaking lawyer in France
• an English-speaking translator in France

Accommodation and buying property

Read our guidance on:

• what to consider when buying a property abroad
• legal requirements and advice on buying a property in France

Pets

CurrentIf you have a pet passport issued by France or another EU member state, you can use it to travel ruleswith willyour staypet theto sameGreat untilBritain 31and Decemberelsewhere 2020.in the EU.

IfA you’reGB-issued travellingEU withpet yourpassport petis not valid for travel to the firstEU timeor youNorthern mustIreland. visitYou should speak to your vet before you travel to get athe necessary pet passport.travel documents and ensure you’re compliant with the EU Pet Travel Regulations.

Read guidance on on:

• bringing your pet to GB
• travelling with your pet in the UK.EU
• travelling to Northern Ireland with your pet

Check the rules of the country you’re travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements before you travel.

Emergencies

You can dial the European emergency number 112 in France, or dial:

• 17 for police
• 18 for fire brigade
• 15 for medical

Find the full list of emergency number in France.

If you have been the victim of a rape or sexual assault, you can find guidance on rape and sexual assault in France.

If you’re the victim of a crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis abroad, contact the British embassy in Paris.

Returning to the UK

You should tell the French and UK authorities if you are returning to the UK permanently.

You should tell your local French tax office (in French) that you are changing address and the date you will leave.

You’ll need to tell your local social security office (in French) and benefit office you’re leaving if you’ve been getting unemployment benefit (in French) or child and housing benefit (in French).

If you get a UK State Pension, you must tell the International Pension Centre. If you get a French pension, contact your pension provider.

Read the guidance on returning to the UK permanently which includes information on, amongst other things, tax, access to services and bringing family members.

If you return to the UK permanently and meet the ordinarily resident test, you’ll be able to access NHS care without charge.

Disclaimer

This information is provided as a guide only. Definitive information should be obtained from the French authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is not liable for any inaccuracies in this information.