THE French government, as promised, has launched a website for British residents to apply online for the cards they will be obliged to obtain in the case of a no-deal Brexit.
The site can be found at invite.contacts-demarches.interieur.gouv.fr. Click the Brexit option, then the link in French.
There is an English option at the bottom of the page.
Jeremy Morgan QC, deputy chairman of the British in Europe coalition, said the sense of urgency is due to the fact that France is the only EU country – apart from the UK – where EU citizens are not required to undertake official registration.
Speaking to the House of Lords, he said France had to act quickly “to get the ball rolling”.
Readers who have used the site report few problems, saying it takes about 10 minutes to complete the online form.
The site is nationwide and not a trial but the Interior Ministry said dossiers would only be forwarded to local prefectures for processing if a no-deal happens.
Prefectures would then contact applicants to arrange for them to visit and pay a €119 fee – applicable to all, even those swapping cards, but half the usual fee of non-EU cards – give photos and have fingerprints taken.
In the case of Brexit with a deal, the ministry has not said if dossiers would be converted into applications for the new cards that Britons would need.
Requirements would vary from those for no-deal cards but are expected to be even simpler, said the ministry. The card in this case would be free.
Connexion understands that the site will continue to operate as now in the event of a short extension, of just weeks, being granted but may be “paused” if the delay is longer.
In the event of no-deal, Britons will have six months to apply for a non-EU citizen’s card and a further six months to obtain the card – during which their residency and working rights would be as now. Mr Morgan said all EU countries have planned for grace periods, ranging from three months in Austria to three years in Hungary.
It is important to note that the new website is only for applications for non-EU citizens’ cards – there are different types dependent on people’s circumstances – which Britons would be required to have in the case of a no-deal Brexit. It is not for applying for an EU citizen card.
The site can, however, also be used to apply to swap an existing carte de séjour – séjour permanent as an EU citizen (also referred to as a 10-year card) for a non-EU card.
A later prefecture visit would still be required.
In the case of those with short-term EU citizen cards, the application is similar to those without a card but they are asked to scan in the card as proof
of when they moved to France instead of attaching, for example, a rental contract or utility bill.
The issue date on an existing residency card is not taken as the date you moved to France but officials can use the card to trace the date you originally gave.
A ministry spokesman said: “We can’t issue a third-country carte in the name of someone from a country which is still in the EU, so nothing will be done unless there is a no-deal.”
The aim of the site is to centralise and simplify the application process.
The spokesman added: “We want to reassure British citizens that we’re ready and we’re going to do all we can so they can maintain their rights and we have services ready for them.”
Britons should note that when leaving France, and the wider Schengen zone, after a no-deal Brexit, they are advised to carry evidence of residency in France to avoid being treated at the border as a non-EU visitor.
This is because so-called third-country visitors’ passports are stamped on entering and leaving to ensure the holder does not spend more than
90 days in the zone in any 180-day period.
A residency card would be ideal to prove this.
Otherwise, a receipt showing you have applied for one – the new website can generate one – is expected to suffice.
Obtaining a certificat de résidence from your mairie is another option.
The British government recently stated in an update on its Living in France web page that “the French authorities are preparing to streamline border crossings for UK nationals resident in France who will not have residence permits until the end of the one-year grace period”.
Neither the ministry nor embassy could clarify what this “streamlining” would involve.
