French MP presses ministry over easier visas for second-home owners
Philippe Lottiaux says he regularly hears of problems from British homeowners in his Var constituency
MP Philippe Lottiaux wants ministry to 'take seriously' the difficulties faced by people from the UK
JeanLucIchard_Shutterstock/Assemblée nationale
A French MP is pushing to find a solution to bring in easier visiting visas for British second-home owners and is pushing the Interior Ministry to reply on the topic.
Philippe Lottiaux (Rassemblement National) for Var in the south of France has re-tabled a written question that he put to the government last year before the dissolution of the Barnier government and is again awaiting a response.
He is calling for action to help the homeowners in view of the fact that an article creating an automatic long-stay visa right for UK-resident Britons with French second homes was passed by both houses of parliament last year after winning wide cross-party support from French MPs and senators. It was later removed on a technicality.
Read more: Why France’s second-home visa plan was thrown out at last stage
The ‘automatic visa’ idea aimed to allow these Britons to spend up to half of the year with minimal or no formalities. It originated from an amendment by Senator Martine Berthet (Les Républicains, Savoie), who proposed the Britons should be able to come and go at the border by showing proof of nationality and home ownership, or by obtaining a simple document to show their status, valid for several years or indefinitely.
Many lawmakers were persuaded by arguments, in particular from the France Visa Free campaign on Facebook, with regard to the contributions the homeowners make to the economies and local life of their French communes.
While helping all non-resident second-homeowners was at one stage considered by MPs, a special rule for these British owners was seen as valid in view of their large number – the UK and France being close neighbours – and the fact that most bought their properties pre-Brexit when they did not face visa restrictions. Official statistics body Insee has previously estimated that UK residents owned 86,000 French second homes.
Many told The Connexion they were considering selling up and leaving if rules did not become more flexible.
Read more: Hundreds of Britons have considered selling second homes in France
Under EU ‘third country citizen’ rules that apply to Britons since Brexit, UK-resident second-home owners cannot come to France or the wider Schengen area for more than 90 days in any 180-day period without heavy visa formalities.
To stay for longer than 90 days they must make an online application and book an appointment to visit one of three ‘TLSContact’ offices in the UK (a contractor for the French consulate) to take supporting paperwork.
In his question Mr Lottiaux said many second-home owners “consider [the 90/180 days rule] to be unfair in view of their fiscal and financial contribution to the vitality of the communes in which they temporarily reside”.
However, he states, the problem “remains unresolved” after the striking out of the article from the 2024 immigration law.
“At a time when simplification is the order of the day, the current procedure is unnecessarily cumbersome and complex,” he states, asking if the government intends to abolish the need for these second-home owners to abide by the 90/180 days rule for their visits to France.
We note that, while non-EU citizens must, under EU law, respect the rule in the Schengen area as a whole, individual states such as France have sovereign rights as to rules for visiting their territory.
Mr Lottiaux adds: “If this is not the case, he would like to know, if at the very least, the government is planning improvements and simplifications with regard to the various recurrent technical problems that Britons face.
“It appears that the TLScontact system is beset by a number of problems, from users being attributed one-time passwords [that cannot be re-used], delays in obtaining appointments – sometimes forcing people to restart the process all over again – or the lack of phone help towards the end of the week.
“These do not appear to be isolated incidents, but seem to concern very many Britons faced with online visa procedures, when the IT system should be something that helps towards simplifications and efficiency.”
Mr Lottiaux was one of several French MPs who wrote to the ministry or tabled questions after the automatic visa article was struck out last year.
At the time, France Visa Free was lobbying to ask if any simplifications could be made by ministerial decree (rather than a bill), such as applications being put entirely online, or a simple renewal process for those seeking a temporary long-stay visa each year.
Read more: French MPs still trying to ease visa process for second-home owners
Hopes were also raised last summer that some simplifications could soon be made to the online process.
Meanwhile, Ms Berthet has also been calling on the ministry to create a ‘special status’ for the second-home owners and has said she will consider options for tabling another legal change.
Read more: Long-stay visas in France are not as easy as minister claimed
Mr Lottiaux’s parliamentary assistant at the Assemblée nationale in Paris said: “This is a subject that he regularly brings back to the table because there are a lot of British people in the Var with second homes and who are worried about this and have spoken to him about it.”
He said that, in theory, ministers are meant to reply within two months, but this is not always respected.
“We’re expecting a reply, as an amendment was adopted in the immigration law. But it appears to be a bit politically blocked. It could be a sort of revenge, aiming to make the British pay for the UK leaving the EU.
“It doesn’t concern an enormous amount of people, and isn’t a major political subject, but it would be the least the government could do, to at least take it seriously.”
