Visas and Residency in France: A Complete Guide After Brexit

Who Needs a Visa and Who Doesn't

The single most important question about visas and residency in France has nothing to do with the property you are buying or the plans you have made. It is your nationality. Before anything else, work out which of two broad groups you fall into, because the entire process differs from there.

If you are a citizen of the European Union, the wider European Economic Area or Switzerland, most of the visa machinery simply does not apply to you. Dutch, Belgian, German, Irish, Swiss and other EU/EEA citizens benefit from freedom of movement. You do not need a visa to move to France, establish your main home here or take employment. France does not require EU/EEA citizens to hold a residence permit, although one can be requested voluntarily. For you, the question is generally not whether you are allowed to live in France, but how to organise the practical side once you arrive: tax position, healthcare, insurance, a French bank account and proof of address when you access local services.

For British citizens and other non-EU nationals, the position changed materially with Brexit. Moving to France after Brexit means following the rules that apply to non-EU nationals, and the correct visa must normally be secured before you relocate. It is entirely manageable — thousands do it every year — but it takes preparation, and it cannot be arranged retrospectively once the removal van has arrived.

Property ownership is not residency

This is worth stating plainly because it trips up so many people. British and other non-EU nationals remain completely free to purchase property in France. You can buy a village house, a farmhouse or a château without being resident. But owning that property does not give you the right to live in it permanently. Property ownership and immigration status are two separate matters, and a French house is not a carte de séjour. Buying does not create an automatic entitlement to remain beyond the time permitted to a non-EU visitor.

There is one important exception among British nationals: those who were already lawfully resident in France before the end of the Brexit transition period may hold rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, with their own residence card and status. If that is you, your position is different from a new arrival's, and you should follow the specific guidance for Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries rather than the new-applicant route described below.

The 90/180-Day Rule for Visitors

If you are a non-EU visitor and you do not hold a long-stay visa, your time in France is governed by the Schengen 90/180-day rule. You may generally spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period within the Schengen area without a long-stay visa. For a holiday home, this can work perfectly well. It allows extended summer stays and regular trips, provided you count your days carefully.

The calculation catches people out because it is not simply "three months in, three months out". It operates over a rolling reference period: every proposed day in France must be checked against the preceding 180 days. Just as importantly, the 90-day allowance applies across the whole Schengen area, not to France alone. Time spent in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium or any other participating country counts towards the same total. Travelling from France to a neighbouring Schengen country does not reset the clock.

For occasional visitors this is entirely liveable. But it becomes restrictive quickly if you want to:

• Live near Duras for most of the year
• Oversee a lengthy renovation on site
• Divide the year between France and other European countries
• Spend more than roughly half your time in France

The moment your plans outgrow 90 days in 180, the 90/180 rule stops being a convenience and becomes the reason you need a long-stay visa. That is the natural point at which most people move from being visitors to becoming residents.

The Long-Stay Visa: Your Main Route to Living in France

For non-EU nationals who want to live in France, the central document is the visa de long séjour — the long-stay visa. The route used by the majority of retirees, financially independent movers and second-home owners wishing to stay for extended periods is the long-stay visitor visa, the VLS-TS "visiteur" (visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour).

The word "visitor" is misleading, and it is worth clearing up. It does not mean a short holiday. In this context it describes someone who intends to live in France without entering the French labour market. Once issued and correctly validated after arrival, the VLS-TS generally acts as both a long-stay visa and an initial residence permit for up to one year.

Who the visitor route suits

The visitor visa is designed for people who can support themselves without taking paid work in France. It commonly suits:

• Retirees supported by pensions
• Financially independent movers living on savings or investments
• Owners who want to spend far longer at their French home than the 90/180 rule allows
• Some people with income generated outside France, subject to advice on whether their activity is compatible with the visa conditions

The assessment is based on your circumstances as a whole. A retired couple with two pensions presents a very different financial profile from someone relying on rental income or investment returns, and consulates weigh the overall picture rather than ticking a single box. Do not assume that owning a mortgage-free house in France will make up for insufficient income or incomplete health cover — it will not.

The undertaking not to work

A defining feature of the visitor route is that you sign an undertaking not to take paid employment in France. Remote workers should be especially careful here. Working online from a house near Duras may feel very different from taking a job with a French employer, but immigration, employment, social-security and tax rules overlap in ways that are not obvious. This is a genuine grey area. Do not assume that a foreign employer or overseas client automatically makes remote work permissible under a visitor visa. If working forms any part of your plan, take individual immigration and tax advice before you apply, and consider whether a different route fits better.

Working, Self-Employment and Other Visa Routes

If you intend to work or build a business in France, the visitor visa is the wrong document, and applying as a visitor while planning to take local paid employment can create serious difficulties later. Choose the route that reflects what you will actually do after moving.

• A work or employee visa may suit someone with a qualifying French employment contract and any required work authorisation.
• A self-employed, entrepreneur or profession libérale route may suit freelancers, consultants, tradespeople or business founders who can demonstrate a viable activity.
• A family visa may apply to spouses, partners, children or other qualifying relatives.
• Specialist routes exist for particular skills, investment, study or professional circumstances.

Many self-employed newcomers eventually operate through the micro-entreprise regime (still often called auto-entrepreneur), which offers a relatively straightforward way for an individual to register and run a small business — consulting, creative services, property care, gardening or certain tourism services. It has annual turnover ceilings (for 2026, broadly €203,100 for sales of goods and certain accommodation, and €83,600 for services and professions libérales), and social contributions are calculated as a percentage of turnover rather than profit. That last point matters: if your activity carries significant materials or subcontractor costs, a different structure may suit you better. The key immigration point at the visa stage is simply to pick the route that matches your intended activity, and to take advice where a business is involved.

Income and Means: What You Must Show

Whatever route you take, the French authorities want to be satisfied that you can support yourself. For the visitor visa in particular, you will typically be asked to evidence:

• Sufficient and dependable financial resources. The benchmark is broadly the French minimum wage, the SMIC: as a guide, around €1,478 net per month — roughly €17,700 a year for a single person in 2026. This figure is linked to the SMIC and rises each year. Because consulates assess your situation as a whole, treat it as a floor and aim comfortably above it.
• Comprehensive private health insurance covering your initial residence in France.
• Suitable accommodation in France, whether owned, rented or provided by a host.
• An undertaking not to undertake paid employment in France (for the visitor route).
• A valid passport and the relevant civil-status documents.

Income can be evidenced in several ways — pension statements, bank statements, proof of savings, investment or rental income — and the mix that works depends on your circumstances. A couple can generally rely on their combined resources, but be ready to explain the source, reliability and continuity of the money, not just its current balance. Consular officers are looking for income they can trust to continue, not a one-off snapshot.

A note on figures throughout: French immigration thresholds, fees and timeframes change regularly. Where an exact number matters, confirm the current figure on the official France-Visas service or with the French consulate before relying on it.

The Application, Step by Step

A long-stay application must normally be made from your country of legal residence, before travelling to France for the move. The process begins through the official France-Visas service (france-visas.gouv.fr), after which you usually attend an appointment at the designated French consular service or visa application centre.

In outline, expect to:

1. Select the correct visa category — this is the decision that shapes everything else, so get it right.
2. Complete the online application form on France-Visas.
3. Gather the supporting evidence — passport, photographs, proof of income, health insurance wording, accommodation evidence, civil-status documents, and any required translations or certified copies.
4. Attend an appointment and provide biometric information (fingerprints and photograph).
5. Pay the applicable charges. The long-stay visa fee is currently €99, plus a small visa-centre service fee where one applies.
6. Submit your passport and documents for assessment.
7. Wait for a decision — commonly around two to three weeks, though this varies by consulate and season.

Give yourself time

Document requirements vary according to nationality, country of application and personal circumstances. Translations, certified copies, proof of funds, insurance wording and accommodation evidence can all become sticking points, and an incomplete or inconsistent file causes delay. Consular appointments are not always immediately available, so start early. The cardinal mistake is to book a removal date on the assumption that approval will arrive within a fixed window. Apply first, and let the moving logistics follow the visa rather than the other way round.

After You Arrive: OFII Validation

Receiving the visa is not the end of the procedure — and this is a step many people overlook. A VLS-TS must be validated online after you enter France, through the French government's foreign-nationals service linked to the immigration office, the OFII (Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration), within three months of arrival.

To validate, you provide your arrival date, your French address and your visa details, and you pay a validation tax. For the visitor visa this is currently €300, paid by card online — it rose from €200 in May 2026. Depending on your circumstances, further appointments or formalities with the OFII may follow.

Do not treat this as optional housekeeping. Missing the validation step can affect the legality of your continued stay and your ability to renew later. The moment you arrive and have a French address, validating your VLS-TS should be at the top of the list — ahead of most of the pleasant tasks that come with a new home.

Your First Carte de Séjour and Renewals

A VLS-TS is valid for up to a year. If you intend to remain in France, you must begin the renewal process before your initial permission expires — typically a couple of months ahead, not on the day it lapses.

The next stage is to apply, through the relevant online system or your local préfecture, for a carte de séjour (residence permit, also called a titre de séjour). Early permissions are generally renewed annually at first. Then, depending on the category and your circumstances, you may qualify for a multi-year card, the carte de séjour pluriannuelle, which reduces the frequency of renewals and the associated paperwork.

Two habits make this pathway far smoother:

• Renew in good time. Préfectures work to their own timetables, appointments can be scarce, and leaving it late risks a gap in your legal status.
• Keep everything. From the day you arrive, keep copies of every application, receipt, tax document, insurance policy and proof of address. Residency in France is, in large part, a documentary exercise. The person who has kept a tidy file of arrival evidence, tax returns and utility bills renews with far less stress than the person reconstructing their history from memory.

The Carte de Résident and Permanence

The annual carte de séjour is a stage, not the destination. After approximately five years of continuous legal residence, some residents become eligible to apply for a long-term carte de résident, generally valid for ten years and offering far greater security and simplicity.

This is a step up in requirements as well as in status. Under the 2024 immigration law, the carte de résident now generally requires:

• B1-level French (raised from the previous A2 requirement), with an exemption for applicants over 65
• A short civic exam on the principles and values of the Republic
• Stable and sufficient resources
• Health cover
• Evidence of integration into French life

It is important to see this as a pathway, not an automatic progression. Meeting the five-year mark does not by itself entitle you to the card; you must satisfy the language, civic and resource conditions too. This is another reason the language matters from the outset. Even setting the carte de résident aside, French is usually essential for dealing with suppliers, insurers, tax authorities and local administration, and building it steadily from your first year turns a future requirement into an ordinary part of life rather than a last-minute hurdle.

For those who stay longer still and wish to go further, French nationality by naturalisation is a separate process with its own conditions, generally requiring a longer period of residence and a higher level of integration. Most movers focus first on the carte de séjour and, in time, the carte de résident, which together provide a secure basis for a permanent life in France.

Healthcare, PUMA and the Tax-Residency Link

Immigration status does not exist in isolation. It connects directly to two things every new resident must organise: healthcare and tax.

Healthcare and PUMA

The visitor route normally requires private health cover at the outset, which is why comprehensive insurance is part of the visa dossier. Eligibility to join the French healthcare system through PUMA (Protection universelle maladie) generally arises after you establish stable and regular residence — commonly around three months — but it should never be assumed to begin the moment you land. Keep your private cover in place until your PUMA affiliation is confirmed.

Pensioners may have a different route through an S1 form, which lets eligible pensioners obtain healthcare in France while remaining covered through their home country's system. The S1 can also reduce exposure to certain French social charges, which brings us to tax.

Becoming French tax-resident

Tax residency is not decided solely by counting days. France weighs several connecting factors, and meeting any one of them can be enough:

• Where your main home or household — your foyer — is located
• Where you normally spend most of your time (broadly more than half the year)
• Where your principal professional activity takes place
• Where the centre of your economic interests lies

Once you become French tax-resident, you generally need to declare your worldwide income in France — pensions, employment income, investment returns, rental income and income retained abroad. Declaring is not the same as being taxed twice: a double-tax treaty may allocate taxing rights elsewhere or require France to give a credit. Under the UK–France treaty, for example, government-service pensions generally remain taxable in the UK, while UK state and private pensions generally become taxable in France once you are resident.

New residents also meet prélèvements sociaux (social charges), currently 17.2% on rental income and property capital gains. A reduced rate of 7.5% applies to people covered by another EU/EEA/UK health system rather than the French one — for instance S1 holders — because they are exempt from the CSG and CRDS elements. This is one of the most common surprises for international residents, and it is a good illustration of why immigration, healthcare and tax should be planned together rather than in separate silos. Cross-border tax is genuinely a case where paying for professional advice early is worth it.

Bringing Your Family

For most people, moving to France is a family decision, and family members are a normal part of the residency picture rather than an afterthought. A family visa route exists for spouses, partners, children and other qualifying relatives, and the exact requirements depend on the relationship, the sponsor's status and each person's circumstances.

A few practical points are worth planning for early:

• Each person generally needs their own status. A spouse or partner will typically have their own visa and, later, their own carte de séjour, even where the application is made together.
• Resources are assessed for the household. The income you evidence needs to support everyone who is moving, not just the main applicant, so factor dependants into your means calculation.
• Children and schooling. Where school enrolment depends on establishing residence, plan the timing so that paperwork and the academic calendar line up rather than clash.
• Civil-status documents matter. Marriage certificates, birth certificates and similar documents — often translated or certified — are frequently required, so gather them well ahead of any appointment.

Families should plan earlier than single movers, simply because there are more people, more documents and more dependencies (school, healthcare, sometimes employment) to line up. Starting early is the theme of every successful family move.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

After all of the above, a handful of avoidable errors account for most of the difficulty people experience with visas and residency in France:

• Assuming the house is the permission. Buying a French property and earning the right to live in France are separate questions. Owning does not grant residency.
• Misreading the 90/180 rule. It is a rolling calculation across the whole Schengen area, not a simple three-months-on, three-months-off arrangement.
• Choosing the wrong visa category. Applying as a "visitor" while intending to work locally stores up serious problems. Match the route to what you will actually do.
• Treating remote work as automatically fine. Working online from France for a foreign employer overlaps with immigration, tax and social-security rules. Take advice.
• Under-evidencing income. The SMIC-linked benchmark is a floor, not a target. Show reliable, continuing resources and aim comfortably above the minimum.
• Forgetting OFII validation. A VLS-TS must be validated online within three months of arrival, with the validation tax paid. Skipping it undermines your legal stay.
• Renewing too late. Begin the carte de séjour renewal before your current permission expires, not after.
• Not keeping records. From day one, keep every receipt, tax document, insurance policy and proof of address. The residency and carte de résident pathway rewards a tidy file.
• Booking the move before the visa. Apply first; let the removal date follow the decision.
• Planning immigration, tax and healthcare separately. They are connected. The S1, PUMA, social charges and tax residence all interact, and joined-up advice saves money and stress.

None of these is difficult to avoid once you know it is coming. The people who find the process smooth are simply the ones who prepared for each step in the right order.

Settling In Around Duras Once Residency Is Sorted

Paperwork first, then the life you came for. The honest truth is that French immigration administration can be fiddly: requirements change, appointments take time, and communication with government departments is usually conducted in French. But the process ends, and what it opens onto is the reason you started.

The Duras area is a genuinely reassuring place to arrive as a new resident. It sits where Lot-et-Garonne, the Dordogne and the Gironde meet, and it already has a deep, established international community — British, Dutch, Belgian and others — who have navigated exactly the same visas, carte de séjour renewals, healthcare forms and préfecture appointments before you. New arrivals here are not pioneers. That experience has built a valuable local network of neighbours, bilingual advisers and notaires who are accustomed to helping foreign residents, which can make an unfamiliar system feel far less isolating.

Once your status is settled, the day-to-day rewards are the ones this whole guide keeps circling back to. There is space here — physical space, but also room to live at a different pace. The Château de Duras above the vineyards, markets full of local produce, long Sunday lunches, a bottle from the grower down the lane. Belonging rarely arrives with the keys; it grows gradually, until one evening the move no longer feels new and the life you once researched from another country has become wonderfully ordinary.

Getting there is far easier with someone local who knows the villages, the properties and the people, and who can point you towards reliable help with the practical side. Tina lives in the area and offers honest, friendly guidance in your language — an introduction to the bilingual professionals who handle visa dossiers, tax and healthcare, and a steady hand as you turn a broad plan into a properly prepared move. When you are ready to find out whether Duras could genuinely feel like home, talk to Tina — and take the first step towards seeing it for yourself.