Whenever we tell people that we’re planning to move to France, there is one question that comes up again and again
“But how can you do that now? I thought Brexit meant we couldn’t move to Europe anymore?”
Sometimes it’s phrased slightly differently.
“Can British people still move to France?”
“Don’t you have to be rich?”
“Do you have to have a job there?”
“Can you just buy a house and live in it?”
And, occasionally: “I thought we were only allowed to stay for 90 days?”
The short answer is: Yes, British citizens can absolutely still move to France after Brexit. It is simply no longer an automatic right.
Before Brexit, a British citizen had freedom of movement within the European Union. We could move to France, find somewhere to live and, subject to the usual administrative formalities, establish ourselves there without first having to qualify for an immigration route.
That changed when the UK left the European Union. British citizens who want to establish themselves in France after 1 January 2021 are now generally treated under the immigration rules that apply to non-EU nationals. If you want to live in France for more than 90 days, you will therefore normally need an appropriate long-stay visa.
But that certainly doesn’t mean you can’t move there. It means you need a reason for being there that fits one of France’s immigration routes, and there are actually quite a few of them.
Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to move to France because you are retired or financially self-sufficient, because you are starting a business, because you are self-employed, because you have been offered a job, because you have particular professional skills, because you are studying, or because of your family circumstances.
So, for anyone who has asked us, “How on earth are you actually doing this?”, here is the slightly longer answer.
And an important note before we start: we are not immigration lawyers, and this isn’t legal advice. This is our understanding of the system based on our own research and the official French government guidance available at the time of writing. Visa rules, financial requirements and application procedures can change, so if you are considering making the move yourself, always check your particular circumstances through the official France-Visas website.
First things first: the 90-day rule
This is probably where a lot of the confusion starts.
Since Brexit, British citizens can generally travel to countries in the Schengen Area without applying for a visa for short visits, but those visits are subject to the familiar 90 days in any 180-day period rule. That is fine if you are going on holiday. It is not the same thing as moving to France. If you want to stay in France for more than 90 days, France normally requires you to obtain a long-stay visa before you go. France-Visas describes long-stay visas as applying to stays exceeding 90 days and divides the main reasons for those stays into four broad categories: private or tourist stays, professional activity, study or training, and joining family. That distinction is really important.
Visiting France and living in France are two different things.
You cannot simply spend 90 days in France, pop back across the Channel for the weekend, reset the clock and start another 90 days. Nor does owning a house in France automatically give you the right to live there permanently. You could own the grandest château in the Dordogne, a little cottage in Brittany or a villa overlooking the Mediterranean, but your right to occupy it is still governed by immigration rules. Property ownership and residency are two separate things.
What has changed after Brexit is therefore not that moving to France has become impossible. It is that British citizens now have to ask: “Which visa allows me to do what I want to do in France?” And that is a much more useful question.
So what exactly is a French long-stay visa?
There is another bit of French immigration terminology that initially made my head spin.
You will often see the letters: VLS-TS
This stands for Visa de Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour — essentially, a long-stay visa which also acts as your residence permit for its period of validity. France says that there are two main forms of long-stay visa. One is the VLS-TS, generally used for stays of up to one year and validated after arrival. The other is a long-stay visa which requires the holder to apply for a separate residence permit after arriving in France.
So when people talk about “getting a French visa”, the visa may actually be the first part of a longer residency process. Some visas are valid as your residence status initially. Others effectively allow you into France so that you can then obtain the appropriate carte de séjour — residence permit. The exact process depends on the route you are using.
Which brings us to the interesting bit.
1. The Long-Stay Visitor Visa
This is possibly the visa most people have heard about.
The long-stay visitor visa is designed for someone who wants to live in France for more than three months for private reasons without carrying out professional activity in France. France-Visas states that applicants must demonstrate their socio-economic situation, financial resources, accommodation and medical cover, and formally agree not to engage in professional activity during their stay. A long-stay visitor visa can normally be issued as a VLS-TS and then validated online after arrival.
This route can therefore be particularly relevant to retirees and other people who have sufficient independent financial resources. Imagine, for example, that you have retired, receive a pension and have enough income or savings to support yourself.
You don’t need to find a job.
You don’t want to establish a French business.
You simply want to spend your retirement living in France.
The visitor visa may be the route that fits your circumstances.
But the crucial word is visitor. It is not designed as a back door to working in France. You normally have to undertake that you will not carry out professional activity under that status. That matters particularly for people who think:
“That’s fine. I’ll get a visitor visa and just carry on running my business from my laptop.” Immigration law is considerably more nuanced than that. If your intention is to work while resident in France, you need to investigate a visa that actually permits the professional activity you intend to carry out.
This is why copying the visa route somebody else used on a Facebook group can be a terrible idea. Two British families might be moving to houses next door to one another in the same village and require completely different visas.
One may be retired.
One may run a business.
One may be employed by a French company.
One may be married to an EU citizen.
Their destination is the same. Their legal reason for living there isn’t.
2. The Entrepreneur / Profession Libérale Visa
This is where things become particularly interesting for people who are self-employed.
France has a long-stay route for people who want to create or participate in a commercial, industrial, craft or agricultural activity, or work in a liberal/self-employed profession. The visa is generally issued as a VLS-TS marked entrepreneur/profession libérale. France-Visas says that somebody creating a new business must demonstrate the economic viability of the project. For an existing or liberal activity, the applicant must be able to demonstrate sufficient financial resources, with the official guidance linking this to the French minimum legal wage for a full-time worker.
This immediately opens up possibilities which people sometimes don’t realise exist.
You don’t necessarily have to arrive in France clutching an employment contract from a French multinational. France has immigration routes specifically designed for entrepreneurship and self-employment. That could potentially include consultants, creatives, tradespeople, service providers and other self-employed professionals, provided the proposed activity meets the relevant requirements. The important point is that France isn’t simply asking: “Do you have some money?” It is also asking: “Does this business make sense?”
If you are proposing a new business, you should expect to have to demonstrate that it is a genuine, viable economic project. That may mean showing things such as your professional background, qualifications where relevant, projected income, market research, business forecasts, anticipated customers, pricing and evidence that the activity has a realistic chance of supporting you. In many ways, I quite like that. Moving country is a huge decision. Starting a business is a huge decision.
Doing both simultaneously probably ought to involve rather more planning than buying a new notebook and announcing on Instagram that you have become an entrepreneur.
And this is also why business planning has become such an important part of the French move for many self-employed British applicants.
3. The Talent Routes
Then there is the category that people sometimes still refer to as the Talent Passport or Passeport Talent.
This isn’t actually one single type of applicant. It is an umbrella containing a variety of routes intended to attract people whose employment, expertise, investment, entrepreneurial project, research, artistic work or other professional circumstances meet particular criteria.
Depending on the specific category, a successful applicant may qualify for a multi-year residence permit lasting up to four years.
This is where French immigration starts to look much broader than the popular idea of: retire, marry a French person or get a French job.
There are Talent routes relating to several kinds of international professional activity
Business creation
One Talent category is aimed at people creating a business in France. Under the current official criteria, the business creation project must be genuine and serious. The applicant must also meet qualification or professional-experience requirements and invest at least €30,000 in the project. The official France-Visas guidance currently says the applicant must hold a qualification equivalent to at least a master’s degree or demonstrate at least five years’ professional experience at a comparable level. That is quite a different proposition from the standard entrepreneur/profession libérale route.
And this illustrates another important point.
“I want to start a business in France” does not automatically lead to one single visa.
Your proposed project, qualifications, investment, experience and circumstances determine which route may be appropriate.
Innovative projects
There is also a Talent category for somebody developing an innovative economic project that has received prior recognition from a public body.
Again, the emphasis is on France attracting projects it considers economically valuable or innovative. Applicants must meet the relevant project and financial requirements.
Direct economic investment
People making substantial qualifying investments in French businesses may also fall within a Talent investor category. This is a specialist route and very different from simply buying a French house. Buying your own home is not the same thing as making a qualifying economic investment for immigration purposes. That’s worth repeating because I suspect somewhere, right now, somebody is looking at a €75,000 farmhouse requiring a new roof and thinking they have discovered a residency loophole. They haven’t.
International or national reputation
There are also provisions for people with recognised national or international reputations in particular fields such as science, literature, arts, academia, education or sport, subject to the required evidence and resources.
Artists and cultural professionals
France’s Talent framework also contains categories for some artists and cultural professionals. The precise criteria depend on the work, contracts, engagements, income and length of stay involved.
Highly qualified and specialist employees
Other Talent routes relate to highly qualified employment, innovative companies and certain specialist professional roles.
So when you see the word Talent, don’t assume it is some sort of golden visa handed out to celebrities. It is a collection of specific immigration categories. And, as with every French visa route, the detail matters.
4. Moving to France With a French Job
Another fairly obvious route is employment. If you obtain a job in France, you may be able to move under an employee visa. But Brexit means British citizens don’t now have the automatic right to simply arrive, take a job and stay. For many employment situations, the employer has to obtain the appropriate work authorisation before the visa application can proceed. The type of visa then depends on the job and contract.
France-Visas distinguishes, among other categories, between permanent employees, temporary workers, posted workers, intra-company transfers and seasonal employment. A permanent French employment contract may lead to a visa marked salarié, while certain fixed-term employment arrangements may use travailleur temporaire status. There are separate rules for things such as international company transfers.
So yes: Getting a job in France can be a route to living there.
But, again, the paperwork now matters in a way that it didn’t when British citizens benefited from EU freedom of movement.
Your French employer may therefore have immigration responsibilities as part of recruiting you. That doesn’t make international recruitment impossible — French companies employ non-EU nationals all the time — but it does mean that “I’ll move over and find a job once I’m there” is not necessarily a workable immigration plan. Your right to be in France and your right to work need to line up.
5. The Intra-Company Transfer Route
This one won’t apply to everyone, but it’s worth knowing about. Imagine you work for an international company in Britain that also has operations in France. Rather than leaving your employer and finding a completely new French job, you may be transferred into its French operation.
France has specific arrangements for certain intra-corporate transfers, commonly referred to as ICT routes. There are conditions around things such as how long you have been employed by the overseas company and the type of role you will carry out in France. For certain senior-management or specialist assignments lasting more than 12 months, France-Visas describes a multi-year ICT residence process. There are also arrangements for shorter assignments and trainees. It’s specialist, but it’s another good example of why the phrase: “You can’t move to France after Brexit”
is simply too broad. You can. You just have to qualify.
6. Studying in France
France also offers long-stay visas to international students.
If you have been accepted onto an eligible course of study lasting more than three months, a student visa can allow you to live in France for your studies. Applicants need to provide evidence including acceptance or enrolment at the relevant educational institution and meet the other requirements for the visa. Interestingly, the UK is one of the countries covered by the Études en France procedure.
As of applications submitted from 1 August 2026, France-Visas states that the minimum income evidence for long-stay student visa applications has increased to €877.50 per month.
Student immigration has its own rules about study, employment and what happens after graduation, so it isn’t simply an alternative residence visa for someone who fancies doing an evening pottery course in Provence. But for somebody genuinely wanting to study in France, it can be a route to spending a significant period living there. There are also visas associated with certain internships and training programmes.
7. Family Visas
Family circumstances can completely change the immigration picture.
For example, if you are British but married to a French citizen, your position is very different from that of two British citizens moving together. France has specific long-stay arrangements for spouses of French nationals, as well as qualifying children, parents and other defined family situations. There are also separate rules for joining an EU/EEA national living in France. And there is a particularly useful Brexit-related point here.
France-Visas currently states that a British citizen married to an EU national who wishes to settle in France with or join that EU-national spouse does not require a settlement visa under the applicable EU free-movement rules. That’s a perfect illustration of why you should never assume that your neighbour’s visa advice applies to you.
Consider these two couples:
Couple A: two British citizens.
Couple B: one British citizen and one Irish citizen.
They may both currently live in Manchester. They may both want to move to the same village in Charente. They may both have the same income and buy identical houses. But their immigration position may be completely different because an Irish citizen remains an EU citizen. Family relationships matter enormously. There are also routes for family members joining non-EU nationals already legally resident in France, although the rules vary according to the resident person’s status.
Under the standard family reunification procedure, for example, France-Visas says the person in France may need to have been regularly resident for at least 18 months and demonstrate sufficient resources and appropriate accommodation.
However, some immigration categories — including certain Talent and ICT situations — have different arrangements for accompanying family members.
Again: There isn’t one “family visa”. There are different family immigration routes depending on who is joining whom and on what legal basis the person in France is resident.
8. What About Retiring to France?
This is another question that comes up regularly.
Can you still retire to France after Brexit?
Potentially, yes. For somebody who does not intend to work and who can demonstrate sufficient resources, accommodation and appropriate medical cover, the long-stay visitor visa is often the route worth investigating. You don’t necessarily need to be extraordinarily wealthy. But France will want evidence that you can support yourself rather than moving without sufficient means.
The exact evidence required depends on your circumstances and should always be checked through the France-Visas visa wizard. This is particularly relevant for people receiving pensions, investment income or other independent resources. And, importantly, retirement itself doesn’t magically create a right of residence. You still need an immigration status that allows you to live in France.
9. What About Moving With an Elderly Parent?
This is where things can become considerably more complicated.
A multigenerational family cannot necessarily submit one giant application saying: “Hello France, there are six of us and a Labrador.” Every individual’s immigration position has to be considered. An older parent may qualify under their own immigration route — for example, potentially as a financially self-sufficient visitor — while another family member qualifies through employment or self-employment.
Alternatively, particular family-dependency rules may apply in some circumstances. France also has provisions for dependent older relatives of French citizens or their spouses, but those are specific categories with their own conditions.
The key point is that moving as a family doesn’t always mean every adult has exactly the same visa. Children, spouses and dependent relatives can have different legal statuses depending on the principal applicant’s route and the family’s circumstances.
This is one area where professional immigration advice may be particularly worthwhile.
10. Can You Move to France and Work Remotely for a UK Company?
Now we reach one of the great modern immigration questions.
“But I work from home. Can’t I just take my laptop to France?”
Physically? Of course you can carry a laptop across the Channel. Legally and administratively? That can be considerably more complicated. France does not currently have a general-purpose “digital nomad visa” comparable to the schemes offered by some other countries. And a long-stay visitor visa is explicitly intended for people who are not carrying out professional activity during their stay.
This means remote workers need to look carefully at their employment, business, tax, social-security and immigration arrangements rather than assuming that because their customers or employer are in Britain their work somehow doesn’t count.
Where are you actually carrying out the work?
Where are you resident?
Does your employer have obligations in France?
Are you effectively self-employed?
Do you need a professional visa?
Where will social contributions be due?
Those questions go beyond simply obtaining permission to enter the country. This is one of those areas where a specialist adviser can save an enormous amount of grief later.
11. Can You Move to France as a Freelancer or Consultant?
Potentially, yes.
And this is another reason I wanted to write this article. There is a persistent idea that moving abroad is only available to: retirees, people with huge amounts of money, people marrying a French citizen, or somebody with a traditional salaried job waiting for them. That simply isn’t the whole picture.
France specifically recognises self-employed and liberal professional activity within its immigration system. The more important question is whether your particular business and circumstances satisfy the requirements of the visa for which you are applying. For freelancers and consultants, that means thinking like a business rather than simply saying: “I already have a few clients, so I’ll probably be fine.”
Can you demonstrate your professional experience?
Can you demonstrate demand?
What are you selling?
Who are your customers?
What will you charge?
What does your projected income look like?
How does your activity operate legally in France?
Is your profession regulated?
Are qualifications required?
Does your financial forecast make sense?
Will the business genuinely support you?
Depending on the route, these questions can become central to the application. So while Brexit has undoubtedly created more paperwork for self-employed British people moving to France, it hasn’t made the idea impossible.
12. What If Your Profession Is Regulated?
This deserves its own mention.
Immigration permission and professional permission are not always the same thing. You may have the legal right to live and work in France under a particular visa but still need to comply with French rules governing your profession. Some professions are regulated. That can mean qualifications need to be recognised, registrations completed or professional bodies satisfied before you can practise.
This is particularly important in sectors such as healthcare and certain professional, technical and regulated occupations. So if your plan is: “I’ll move to France and carry on doing exactly the same job I do in Britain,” check two things independently as they are not necessarily the same question.
- What immigration status permits me to do this?
- Am I legally permitted to practise this profession in France?
13. Can I Just Buy a French Business?
Buying or taking control of a genuine French business may potentially form part of an entrepreneur or Talent immigration application, depending on exactly what is being acquired and how the project is structured. But, once again, owning something doesn’t automatically create residence rights.
A business purchase still needs to fit the relevant immigration category. The French authorities may want to see evidence of the viability, nature and seriousness of the project and, for some Talent routes, minimum investment and experience criteria apply. So purchasing a gîte business, restaurant, campsite, shop or other French enterprise may potentially be part of a move. It isn’t itself a visa.
14. Does Buying a House Give You a Visa?
No.
This is probably worth giving its own very short section. Buying residential property in France does not, by itself, give a British citizen the right to live permanently in France. You can own property there without being resident there. Your immigration status is determined separately.
So the order in which people approach a French move matters. Finding your dream house is exciting. Understanding whether you can legally live there is rather more fundamental.
15. What About a Second Home?
You can still own a French second home as a British citizen. But unless you hold a visa or residence status allowing longer stays, your time in France remains subject to the rules applying to short visits. This is one of the biggest changes Brexit made for British second-home owners.
Before Brexit, spending long stretches at a French property was relatively straightforward for British EU citizens. Now, if somebody wants to live there for extended periods, they need to look at whether a long-stay visa is appropriate. That is different from actually emigrating permanently, but the same basic principle applies: ownership of a house and permission to stay in France are not the same thing.
16. Does France Have a Golden Visa?
Not in the simple sense people sometimes mean. There are immigration provisions for qualifying economic investors within the Talent system, but this is not a case of: “Buy a €500,000 house in Provence and France gives you residency.”
The investment route relates to qualifying economic investment and carries its own detailed requirements. If your only investment is the property you intend to live in, don’t assume that makes you an “investor” for visa purposes.
17. Can Young British People Get a Working Holiday Visa for France?
This is an interesting one because France does operate a working-holiday programme — but the United Kingdom is not currently on the France-Visas list of countries with a French working-holiday agreement. The current programme lists 16 participating countries or territories, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, but not the UK.
So this isn’t currently a general route available simply because you are a young British citizen. There may, of course, be other study, employment or training routes depending on someone’s circumstances.
18. What About People Who Lived in France Before Brexit?
They are a separate group.
The Brexit Withdrawal Agreement protected qualifying UK nationals who were already lawfully resident in France before the end of the transition period. That is why you may know British people living in France whose residence arrangements seem completely different from those of somebody moving now. They aren’t necessarily using a clever visa route that newcomers can copy. They may have rights protected under the Withdrawal Agreement.
For a British citizen establishing residence in France after 1 January 2021, the normal third-country immigration rules generally apply. So beware of advice that begins: “Well, my friend lives near Limoges and she didn’t have to do any of that…” The first question should be: “When did she move?” Because if the answer is 2017, you may be comparing two completely different legal situations.
19. Do Children Need Visas Too?
Children are part of the immigration process, although their exact documentation and status will depend on the family’s circumstances. This is another reason moving as a family requires more planning than simply looking at the visa requirements of one adult.
The principal applicant’s visa category can affect the residence arrangements available to a spouse and children. Under some Talent and ICT categories, for example, accompanying family members can benefit from specific residence arrangements. For families, it is therefore worth looking at the proposed visa route as a whole. The “best” visa for one person in isolation may not necessarily be the most practical route for the family.
20. And What Happens After You Get the Visa?
Getting the sticker in your passport isn’t necessarily the end of the story.
Depending on your visa, you may need to validate it after arrival or apply for a residence permit. For a VLS-TS, France says the visa normally needs to be validated online after arrival. Other long-stay visas require the holder to apply for the appropriate residence permit within the prescribed period. If you intend to stay beyond the initial visa period, you may then need to renew or move onto the appropriate residence card.
In other words: visa → arrival formalities → residence status → renewal may all be different stages. And yes, there is paperwork. Quite a lot of paperwork. If you are allergic to paperwork, France may be an unusual lifestyle choice.
21. Where Do British Citizens Apply?
For UK residents, French visa applications are processed by the French Consulate General in London. Applications are submitted through designated TLScontact centres in London, Manchester or Edinburgh. France-Visas currently says applications can be submitted up to 180 days before the planned travel date and recommends allowing at least 20 working days for the process, although once applications reach the Consulate they are generally processed within a shorter stated range.
The starting point should always be the official France-Visas Visa Wizard. You enter your nationality, country of residence, proposed length of stay and reason for travelling, and it helps identify the route and documents applicable to your circumstances.
Given the amount of outdated information floating around online, I would always start there rather than with a Facebook group. Facebook groups are excellent for questions such as: “Where can I buy decent cheddar near Bordeaux?” They are possibly less ideal for determining your legal right to reside in another country.
22. What Evidence Might You Need?
The answer depends completely on your visa. But broadly, applicants may need evidence relating to things such as:
identity and nationality; accommodation; financial resources; medical cover; family relationships; employment; qualifications; professional experience; business plans; business viability; investment; university enrolment; work authorisation; or other documents specific to the immigration category. This is why there is no useful universal checklist entitled: “Everything you need to move to France.” The checklist comes after you establish why France should grant you residence.
Someone applying as a retired visitor might need substantial evidence about pensions, resources, accommodation and medical insurance. Somebody applying to establish a business may need detailed financial forecasts and evidence of experience. An employee may need documentation involving their French employer and work authorisation. A student needs university-related evidence. A spouse joining a French citizen needs evidence of the relationship and their spouse’s nationality. Different reason. Different evidence.
23. Is It Expensive?
Potentially.
But not necessarily for the reason people think. Visa fees themselves are only one element. Moving country can also involve: translations; certified documents; medical insurance; professional advice; company formation; accountants; tax advice; property costs; travel to visa appointments; residency formalities; and the wonderfully glamorous purchase of approximately four thousand lever-arch files. Professional immigration support can also be expensive, particularly for a family with multiple applications.
Whether you need it depends partly on the complexity of your circumstances and your confidence in handling the process yourself. For a straightforward application, some people navigate the system themselves using the official guidance. For a family combining businesses, children, elderly dependants, regulated professions or complicated finances, paying for specialist help may be money very well spent.
24. What Is the “Easiest” French Visa?
This is another question that doesn’t really have an answer.
The easiest visa is probably: the one for which your actual circumstances clearly qualify. If you are retired with a reliable pension and no intention of working, trying to invent an entrepreneurial project simply because somebody online said a business visa was “better” would be madness. Equally, if you intend to work full-time as a self-employed consultant, promising not to work in order to obtain visitor status is obviously not an appropriate solution.
The objective shouldn’t be to find a loophole. It should be to find the visa category that accurately reflects the life you genuinely intend to live in France.
25. Brexit Changed the Route — Not the Destination
And perhaps that’s really the point of this entire article. Brexit absolutely changed things. I don’t want to pretend otherwise. British citizens lost freedom of movement within the European Union. We can no longer simply decide that we’d rather like to live in France and treat the move almost as we would moving from Cornwall to Yorkshire.
There are applications.
There are eligibility requirements.
There are documents.
There are financial tests.
There are rules about work.
There are residence permits.
And there will undoubtedly be moments when we stare at a French government website and question every life choice that has brought us to that point. But the idea that “British people can’t move to France anymore” simply isn’t true. What Brexit took away was the automatic right. It didn’t remove every possible immigration route.
People still move to France to retire.
People move to France to establish businesses.
People move because they have jobs.
People move as professionals and entrepreneurs.
People move to study.
People move to join partners and family.
People move under specialist Talent categories.
The question isn’t: “Are British people allowed to move to France?” The better question is: “On what basis are you moving?” Once you start looking at it that way, the whole system begins to make considerably more sense.
So, how are we able to move to France?
This is usually the point in the conversation where our friends stop asking about French immigration policy in general and say: “Yes, yes, but how are you doing it?” And that is where our own French adventure becomes rather more complicated — because we aren’t simply packing a suitcase and declaring ourselves French residents.
Our move involves establishing how each member of our family can legally live in France, how our work and businesses fit into the French system, what evidence needs to be provided, how our finances are structured and how all of those moving parts work together. It is a process, and we are learning an enormous amount as we go.
We’ll share much more about our particular visa applications, the paperwork, business plans, appointments, costs and inevitable administrative dramas as we work through them. Because if Oui, the Sargeants is going to document our move to France properly, I don’t particularly want to show only the photogenic bits.
There will hopefully be beautiful French houses, markets, beaches, boulangeries and glasses of wine in the sunshine. But before all of that comes an impressive quantity of paperwork. And perhaps that is the real post-Brexit answer. Can British people still move to France? Yes. Can we just turn up and decide to live there? No. Is there only one way of doing it? Absolutely not. Brexit hasn’t put a giant CLOSED sign across the Channel. It has simply put a desk in front of it. And, unfortunately for us, the desk would like to see our paperwork.
This article reflects our understanding of the French immigration system and official France-Visas information available on 1 September 2026. It is intended to share our own research and experience and should not be treated as legal, immigration, financial or tax advice. Visa rules and eligibility criteria can change, and individual circumstances vary. Always check the current requirements using the official France-Visas website and seek qualified professional advice where appropriate.
