French second-home visa issues raised in House of Lords

France Visa Free Facebook group founder Steven Jolly gave evidence to the House of Lords to raise awareness of problems faced by second-home owners limited by the 90/180-days rule.

The Lords are conducting an enquiry into what the UK’s proposed new ‘reset’ of EU relations should involve. 

Mr Jolly told of how, in his view, the “complex and intertwined relationship” that developed between Britons and the French over the UK’s 47 years in the EU was “not completely recognised by the Brexit agreements, or understood by those charged with negotiating withdrawal”.

Read more: 90/180 days rule: Can visa-free days be used to enter France before start of visa?

Prior to 2021, Mr Jolly and his wife shared their lives between France and the UK and he would guide students around former battlefields in France and Belgium and visit friends and family across the EU. However, post-Brexit rules have made this lifestyle “difficult if not impossible”.

Prior to Brexit, Britons could spend at least half the year in the EU whenever they chose. 

The post-Brexit rules, in agreeing only the standard Schengen visa waiver that applies to many other nationalities, have also left rules unequal between EU citizens, who may visit the UK (under UK visa-waiver rules) for six months consecutively, while Britons may not stay in the Schengen area for more than 90 days in any 180-day period, ie. 90 days’ consecutively [US visa-waiver rules are closer to the EU’s, at 90 days consecutively].

Britons living in France part-year face a “bureaucratic and expensive process” to continue their lifestyle, which is not the case for French people with UK homes. 

Some other countries, such as Spain, do not even offer the possibility of a temporary visa for leisure trips. 

My Jolly said the homeowners are not “part of a wealthy elite”, but “include teachers, nurses, police officers, soldiers and manual workers”.

If Britons do use full 90/180 days entitlements they cannot spend time elsewhere in the EU, harming the travel and industry – and family links.

“A weekend visiting a German Christmas market or time seeing Spanish grandchildren all eats into the allowance,” he said.

Read more: I have overstayed the 90 day rule in France. What is going to happen?

A UK-EU mobility agreement, or bilateral agreements, for example allowing Britons to visit the EU for 180/360 days, or six-month visa waivers for individual EU countries would help. Britons who lived part-year in the EU pre-Brexit could also have full pre-Brexit rights restored, giving equality with those who had moved permanently, he proposed. 

The House of Lords European Affairs Committee will report later this year, advising the UK on what the “reset should aim to deliver in practice”.