Do British Citizens Need a Visa to Move to France After Brexit? Long-Stay Visas, EES and ETIAS (2026)

This guide is for British citizens who want to live in France and who do not hold residence rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. If you were already living in France before the end of the transition period, read our guide on Withdrawal Agreement residence rights instead. For the wider picture of a move, start with moving to France from the UK.

Everything below is described as the official pages state it on 17 October 2026. Rules and dates in this area move, so check the linked page before you act.

Visits: the 90 in 180 days rule

The UK government’s travel advice for France says you can visit the Schengen area, including France, without a visa for “up to 90 days in any 180-day period”. The permitted purposes it lists include tourism, visiting family or friends, business meetings, cultural or sports events, and short-term study or training. Working in France has different requirements.

Days spent in other Schengen countries in the previous 180 days count toward the same 90. The page also says an overstay may lead to a ban on entering Schengen countries of up to 3 years.

Your passport matters too. The same page says it must have been issued less than 10 years before the date you arrive, and must expire at least 3 months after you plan to leave the Schengen area. It adds that you may be asked at the border for travel insurance, proof of funds, proof of accommodation and a return or onward ticket.

Our guide for British readers, how long UK citizens can stay in France without a visa, covers this rule in full, including second homes. Our guide on how long Americans can stay in France without a visa explains the 90/180 count in detail. It is written for Americans. The counting method is the same for you only to the extent the official page above says so for British citizens, and that page sets out the 90 in 180 rule for you directly.

The Entry/Exit System (EES)

The EES replaces the stamping of passports at the Schengen external border. According to the European Commission, the progressive start began on 12 October 2025, and the system “became fully operational on 10 April 2026”. The UK government page agrees that it started on 12 October 2025.

What it records, per the Commission: your name, travel document data, biometric data (fingerprints and facial image), the date and place of entry and exit, and refusals of entry. It applies to non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay each time they cross the external border of the participating countries.

For you as a traveller:

• There is nothing to do before you travel, and the UK government page says there is no cost for registration.
• On your first visit you may have to create a digital record at a dedicated booth, with fingerprints and a photo. You may be asked for a fingerprint or photo again when you leave.
• The digital record is valid for 3 years.
• At Dover, Folkestone (Eurotunnel) and St Pancras (Eurostar), the checks are completed before you leave the UK.
• Some UK nationals are exempt. The travel advice page lists long-term residents of a Schengen country as exempt, and the UK government page sends you to the EU’s Travel Europe website for the full list. Exempt travellers should not register and should show their documents to the border guard.

Expect longer waits at busy times, as the UK government page warns.

ETIAS: not yet in operation

ETIAS is the online travel authorisation for visa-free visitors. It is separate from the EES: the Commission describes the EES as needing no application, and ETIAS as requiring an online authorisation before departure.

As of the pages I read:

• The Commission’s page of 28 April 2026 says ETIAS is “scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026” and that the exact date will be announced later in 2026.
• The UK government page says that “from Autumn 2026” the EU is expected to start operating it, and that the EU will announce the exact date before launch.
• The UK government page says that once it starts, UK passport holders without a visa or residence permit will need authorisation, which costs 20 euros.
• The Commission says an approved authorisation is linked to your passport and lasts three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.
• The UK government page warns that any website selling ETIAS now is doing so fraudulently.

The official ETIAS site (travel-europe.europa.eu, read on 17 October 2026) still says ETIAS is currently not in operation, that no applications are collected, that the EU will announce the start date several months before launch, and that the application fee will be 20 euros. Its news article of 16 April 2026 for UK nationals says the requirement starts “from the last quarter of this year” and that beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement who hold the residence document are exempt. So the date has not been fixed in the official pages I could read, and earlier timelines have moved before. Do not pay anyone for ETIAS until the official EU site opens applications.

Staying longer: when you need a visa

The travel advice page says that to stay beyond 90 days you must meet French government entry requirements, and that a residence permit or long-stay visa does not count toward the 90-day limit. It does not list categories or steps and refers you to the French Embassy in the UK.

For the first year, most people receive a long-stay visa that serves as a residence permit, known as a VLS-TS. Service-public.gouv.fr says it is valid for 4 to 12 months, and that you must validate it online within 3 months of arriving in France and pay a tax. You do not then need to apply for a residence card on arrival. If you want to stay once the visa ends, you apply for a residence card, either at your prefecture or through the ANEF website depending on the type of card.

The France-Visas “Long-stay visa” page says a stay of more than 90 days needs a long-stay visa applied for in advance, whatever your nationality, and that the visa lasts between three months and one year. There are two main types. The first is the long-stay visa valid as a residence permit (VLS-TS), for a stay of up to one year: its holder must validate it within 3 months of arriving, on the ANEF portal (the online service for foreigners in France). The second carries the mention “residence card to be applied for within 2 months of arrival”: its holder must go to the prefecture within 2 months to obtain a residence permit. A temporary long-stay visa (VLS-T) can also be issued to people who are certain not to extend their stay beyond the visa. The France-Visas “Visa application” page says to have your passport, originals and photocopies of the supporting documents that fit your situation, and 2 photos to ICAO standards, and the visa wizard tells you which documents apply to your country of residence and your nationality. The pages I read do not give the visa fee or the visa centre for UK residents, so check the wizard and the French Embassy in London for those.

The main categories

Service-public.gouv.fr lists four main long-stay categories. Each has its own page, and the figures below are the ones those pages give.

Visitor

For a stay of more than 3 months without working. You need sufficient resources for the whole stay (for a single person the page gives a minimum of 1,477.93 euros net per month), health insurance covering the whole stay, and you must not work in France. You sign a sworn statement that you will not. The card is valid for 1 year at most and can be renewed. The page gives the cost as 350 euros in tax stamps.

If you are weighing this route as a retiree, see retiring to France from the UK. For how health cover works under the American version of this route, see the visitor visa and PUMA guide. It is written for Americans, and the health-cover rules for British applicants should be checked on an official page.

Employee

For a non-EU national with a job in France, you need a work authorisation. For a first admission to France you need a VLS-TS marked “salarié” for a permanent contract. The page says your employer applies online for the work authorisation before you arrive, and that you then apply for the VLS-TS. Within 3 months of arrival you validate the VLS-TS online and pay a tax of 300 euros. The first card is valid for 1 year and is renewable. See also the work visa guide, written for Americans.

Talent

A multi-year permit for non-EU nationals who want to work in France for more than 3 months. The page lists several categories, with thresholds such as an annual gross salary of at least 39,582 euros for a qualified salaried worker with a master’s-level diploma, and at least 59,373 euros for the EU Blue Card. It lists others too, such as researchers, business project holders and company officers. For shorter stays, a VLS-TS with the “talent” mention is enough.

Student

For higher education. You must be enrolled or pre-enrolled, and show at least 877.50 euros per month in resources unless you passed the entrance competition of an institution with a State agreement. The first year is a VLS-TS “étudiant” valid 4 months to 1 year, validated online within 3 months of arrival with a fee of 100 euros. The page does not cover student work rights.

After arrival: validation and the card

The sequence on the official pages is: arrive on your VLS-TS, validate it online and pay the tax inside 3 months, then apply for the residence card before the visa runs out. The employee page says to file at least 2 months before the VLS-TS expires, and the visitor and student pages say to apply online through ANEF 4 to 2 months before your document expires.

The employee page also mentions a medical certificate from the OFII (the French immigration office) to be provided when collecting the card. I could not read a page describing the OFII’s current role in validation, so I do not describe it further.

A late application adds a 180 euro regularisation fee unless force majeure applies or you hold a valid visa, according to the visitor, employee and student pages.

Common questions

Do I need a visa for a holiday in France? No, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for the purposes the UK government travel advice lists. Check your passport dates first.

Do I register in the EES if I move to France? Some UK nationals are exempt, and the travel advice page lists long-term residents of a Schengen country. The UK government page says a record created in error should be deleted, and that this can happen automatically if a residence permit is granted after entry. Show your documents to the border guard and ask.

Do I need ETIAS now? No. The Commission says it is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026 and that the date will be announced. The UK government says it will cost 20 euros once open.

Does time on a long-stay visa count toward the 90 days? No. The travel advice page says a residence permit or long-stay visa does not count toward the 90-day limit.

Who decides my application? The French authorities. This guide describes the published rules and is not legal advice.