Brexit cards: what are the rules around passport renewal and residency cards in France?

Reader Question: My UK passport is going to expire soon. I have a 10-year ‘Brexit’ card – do I need to inform the French authorities about my UK passport expiring and will I need to renew my residency permit once I receive my new passport? 

The validity of your passport is not closely related to your residency card in France. 

‘Brexit’ residency cards (Withdrawal Agreement cards) do not contain information about the holder’s passport and the two are not directly linked, except for the fact you need a valid passport when applying for the document.

This means you do not need to inform the French authorities that your UK passport is expiring nor provide new details after you have renewed it.

In addition, you do not need to update any information on your residency card when renewing a passport.

You are only required to update your residency card when it is coming up for expiry or if your address changes.

Read more: How do I change my carte de séjour address when moving in France?

If you need to renew your residency permit – which will soon be the case for holders of the five-year version of the card – you will, however, need a valid UK passport to do so, as stated in the original French decree on the cards.

Short-term visas included inside passports

Note that holders of temporary long-stay visas (eg. to stay at a second home for six months), of course, need a valid passport for the duration of their visa in France, plus some additional time once the visa expires. 

These visas are physically attached to the holder’s passport.

As a reminder, those with valid residency cards and visas are not subject to the 90/180 day rules for staying in the EU and their passports are not used to track days spent in the bloc.

Renewing UK passport is important

Despite not needing to have a valid UK passport for your residency card, it is still recommended to have one for international travel or emergencies (you cannot travel internationally with only your residency card).

Your passport is also a valid form of ID, which can be useful to have (though your residency card is another, within France).

However, Britons who live in France are not subject to the same rules as Britons visiting the EU under 90/180 days visa waiver rules, whose UK passports must not have been issued more than 10 years before and must have at least three months’ validity left starting on the planned date of leaving the Schengen area.

UK passports renewals from France can only be made online, and usually take around three weeks to arrive. 

You should apply to renew your passport a few weeks before your current one expires. 

Read more: French residency permits: Must they be handed back when leaving?