Britons in France could ask for two residency cards

One point on which the Brexit WA deal does not go as far as standard EU rights for long-term “third-country” residents has been noted by Connexion.

Published Modified

It concerns “continuing” free movement (see here).

Non-EU citizens who have lived in an EU country for five years obtain the right to the carte de résident de longue-durée - UE, under certain conditions.

It protects their right to live and work in France, but also to move to another EU country visa-free. Holders must though still apply for a residency card in the new country to stay on.

Britons with a Brexit-deal card will not have such a right.

An EU Commission source said there is nothing stopping Britons applying for one of these cards as well as the Brexit deal card, but we can imagine the confusion this might cause at prefectures....

The WA deal contains nothing on “onward” rights to live or work outside the country where Britons live, though, like other non-EU residents, they could travel as visitors to other Schen­gen states for up to three months.