Carte de séjour: Online residency card system for Brits in France gets new launch date
The website set up to allow British people in France to deal with post-Brexit residency card requests is now set to go live next week after several delays.
The site is now live - find out how it works HERE.
British citizens living in France all need to apply for residency permits after the end of the Brexit transition period, but so far they have been unable to apply for the new type of card.
The French government has created an online portal for residency applications in an attempt to smooth the process for the estimated 150,000 to 300,000 British nationals living in France, but the planned opening of the site in July was delayed because of a backlog of other immigration requests caused by the coronavirus lockdown.
The opening date was reset for October 1st, but on September 24th came the announcement that it was delayed again.
The French Interior Ministry initially said the site will launch on Thursday, October 15th, but then amended that to Monday, October 19th.
The French government is also set to publish a revised decree giving full details of the requirements for residency of Britons who move to France before December 31st 2020 - the end of the Brexit transition period. Among the details expected to be revealed in the decree is the crucial matter of income requirements for those who wish to stay here.
READ ALSO How much money do I need to stay in France after Brexit?
Disruption to the parliamentary timetable due to lockdown and extra Covid-19 legislation was blamed for the delay in publishing the decree, and the two-week delay in the launch of the website.
Kalba Meadows, from citizens' rights grup France Rights, said: "It's an important process to get right and these are difficult times all round, so we understand the issues that the French government faces.
She is hoping that France takes up the option of extending the deadline for applications - currently set June 30th 2021.
"We are hoping that the grace period for applications - currently the standard June 30th 2021 prescribed by the Withdrawal Agreement - may be extended, as the launch date could now be up to four months after the original schedule. Some other EU countries have already done this and we have asked for the same here."
All British people who currently live in France or who move here before December 31st will have to use the online portal to apply for the carte de séjour residency permit.
Those who already hold a carte de séjour permanent can use the site to swap it for a new card, while everyone else will need to make a new application.
The only exception to this is people who used the no-deal online application site which was briefly live in October 2019 - those people should have already received an email telling them their application will be transferred to the new system once it goes live.
British people have until July 2021 to make their application on the new site.
Initial previews of the site have revealed a streamlined process and a lot less paperwork then was previously required by local préfectures for residency applications. The site will be available in English and will have a guide to exactly what paperwork each group (employee, self-employed, student, retired etc) will have to submit.
Although we don't know the full details of how the new site will work, here is a guide to everything we know so far about the system, the requirements for residency and the type of paperwork you will need to supply.
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The site is now live - find out how it works HERE.
British citizens living in France all need to apply for residency permits after the end of the Brexit transition period, but so far they have been unable to apply for the new type of card.
The French government has created an online portal for residency applications in an attempt to smooth the process for the estimated 150,000 to 300,000 British nationals living in France, but the planned opening of the site in July was delayed because of a backlog of other immigration requests caused by the coronavirus lockdown.
The opening date was reset for October 1st, but on September 24th came the announcement that it was delayed again.
The French Interior Ministry initially said the site will launch on Thursday, October 15th, but then amended that to Monday, October 19th.
The French government is also set to publish a revised decree giving full details of the requirements for residency of Britons who move to France before December 31st 2020 - the end of the Brexit transition period. Among the details expected to be revealed in the decree is the crucial matter of income requirements for those who wish to stay here.
READ ALSO How much money do I need to stay in France after Brexit?
Disruption to the parliamentary timetable due to lockdown and extra Covid-19 legislation was blamed for the delay in publishing the decree, and the two-week delay in the launch of the website.
Kalba Meadows, from citizens' rights grup France Rights, said: "It's an important process to get right and these are difficult times all round, so we understand the issues that the French government faces.
She is hoping that France takes up the option of extending the deadline for applications - currently set June 30th 2021.
"We are hoping that the grace period for applications - currently the standard June 30th 2021 prescribed by the Withdrawal Agreement - may be extended, as the launch date could now be up to four months after the original schedule. Some other EU countries have already done this and we have asked for the same here."
All British people who currently live in France or who move here before December 31st will have to use the online portal to apply for the carte de séjour residency permit.
Those who already hold a carte de séjour permanent can use the site to swap it for a new card, while everyone else will need to make a new application.
The only exception to this is people who used the no-deal online application site which was briefly live in October 2019 - those people should have already received an email telling them their application will be transferred to the new system once it goes live.
British people have until July 2021 to make their application on the new site.
Initial previews of the site have revealed a streamlined process and a lot less paperwork then was previously required by local préfectures for residency applications. The site will be available in English and will have a guide to exactly what paperwork each group (employee, self-employed, student, retired etc) will have to submit.
Although we don't know the full details of how the new site will work, here is a guide to everything we know so far about the system, the requirements for residency and the type of paperwork you will need to supply.
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