How Long Can UK Citizens Stay in France Without a Visa? The 90/180 Rule After Brexit (2026)

British citizens can visit France without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The 90 days are shared with every other Schengen country, and they stop applying the day you are in France on a residence permit or long-stay visa. This guide sets out what the UK and French official pages say, as read on 20 October 2026. For moving to France rather than visiting, start with moving to France from the UK.

The rule in one line

GOV.UK’s France travel advice says you can travel to the Schengen area, which includes France, without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It lists what that covers: travelling as a tourist, visiting family or friends, attending business meetings, cultural or sports events, and short-term studies or training.

France-Visas, the French government’s visa site, says the same in its page on British citizens: no short-stay visa is needed for a stay of 90 days or less in a 180-day period. At the border you may still have to show the documents any non-EU traveller can be asked for, such as proof of resources, accommodation and travel insurance.

How the 180-day window works

The 90 days are not a fresh allowance for each trip. GOV.UK says that visits to Schengen countries in the 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days. So before a trip, look back 180 days from the day you plan to arrive, add up the days you spent in the Schengen area, and what is left of the 90 is your allowance.

Two things follow from the official wording:

• France is not a separate allowance. If you are travelling to other Schengen countries as well, GOV.UK says to make sure your whole visit is within the 90-day limit.
• Ireland and Cyprus are outside it. GOV.UK’s page on the Entry/Exit System names the Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. It adds that the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are not in the Schengen area.

What does not count towards the 90 days

GOV.UK says that if you are in France with a residence permit or long-stay visa, that time does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit. The limit is a rule for visitors. A British citizen who lives in France on a valid permit is not using up days.

How to check how many days you have left

The EU’s Travel Europe site has an online tool inside the Entry/Exit System (EES) pages. You give the country, your passport details and, depending on your question, your arrival date, your departure date or both. It answers “OK” or “not OK” and says how many days you may still stay.

Two limits are stated on that page:

• The remaining stay does not reflect any time spent in the Schengen area that began before 10 April 2026, whether the visit ended before or continued after that date.
• You can also ask the passport control officers at the external border how many days you have left.

If you travel often, keep your own record as well. GOV.UK tells people who travel frequently to the Schengen area to make sure their total stay is no more than 90 days in every 180.

The Entry/Exit System (EES)

GOV.UK says the EU’s EES started on 12 October 2025. When you arrive in the Schengen area for a short stay you may be asked to register your fingerprints and a photo. Registration is free and replaces the manual stamping of passports. GOV.UK adds that:

• you do not need to do anything before you reach the border,
• your digital EES record is valid for 3 years,
• if you travel through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone or Eurostar at St Pancras, the checks are done before you leave the UK,
• you may be asked for a fingerprint or photo when you leave too, and the checks can take extra time.

The EU’s page on who the EES does not apply to lists, among others, holders of residence permits and long-stay visas. GOV.UK’s page on living in France says British nationals do not need to register with the EES if they are legally resident in France and hold a valid 5-year, 10-year or permanent residence permit, and that you should carry your residence document when crossing a Schengen border.

ETIAS

GOV.UK’s page on the EES (last updated 10 April 2026) says the EU is expected to start the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, ETIAS, from autumn 2026, that the EU will announce the start date before launch, and that no action is needed from travellers until then. It says that once ETIAS starts, people using a UK passport and holding no visa or residence permit will need an authorisation, with a 20 euro fee, and that any website selling ETIAS now is fraudulent. The EU’s own ETIAS page, read on 20 October 2026, says ETIAS is currently not in operation, that no applications are collected and that the start date will be announced several months before launch. Check it again before you travel.

Passport and border checks

GOV.UK’s France travel advice says your passport must:

• have been issued less than 10 years before the date you arrive (a passport renewed before 1 October 2018 can have an issue date that is more than 10 years old, which makes it invalid for entry), and
• expire at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen area.

At French border control you may be asked to show travel insurance, proof that you have enough money, proof of accommodation, and a return or onward ticket. If you are staying with friends or family, you may be asked for an attestation d’accueil (a welcome invitation) that your host has obtained from the local mayor’s office.

Second homes

If you own or rent a second home, GOV.UK says you may need to show evidence of ownership or tenancy at the border, such as a tax or utility bill. The same page says that to stay longer than 90 days in a 180-day period you must meet the French government’s entry requirements.

France-Visas is more specific about British second-home owners. Its page says that if you stay in your second home for periods of between 3 and 6 months, you are not treated as having your main residence in France and cannot get a Withdrawal Agreement residence card, so you must apply for a temporary long-stay visa, the VLS-T “visiteur”. For a stay of more than 6 months, it says the second home becomes in practice the main residence, at least for that year, and you must apply for a long-stay visa valid as a residence permit, the VLS-TS “visiteur”. The page carries no date, so check it before you plan around it.

Working during a short stay

GOV.UK says the requirements for working in France are different from those for visiting. France-Visas says that British nationals doing paid work in France during a stay of 90 days or less do not need a short-stay visa, but a work authorisation is required except for certain activities it lists, including sports, cultural and scientific events, business seminars and trade fairs, and some audit and expertise missions. Over 90 days, a long-stay visa is needed.

If you want to stay longer than 90 days

France-Visas states that British citizens who settle in France after 1 January 2021, or who want to settle now, are not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and fall under the ordinary rules for non-EU nationals. They must apply for a long-stay visa, at the French consulate in London if they live in the UK. That applies to every category: employees, students, talent passport, visitors, family and spouses of French citizens.

Our guide to British citizens and French visas after Brexit goes through the routes. If you were already living in France before 1 January 2021, your situation is different: see Withdrawal Agreement residence rights in France.

If you cannot leave before the limit

GOV.UK says that if you cannot return to the UK before your visa-free limit expires, you should contact the nearest prefecture in France. It warns that if you overstay the 90-day limit you may be banned from entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years. The official pages I read do not set out how an overstay is assessed in practice, so do not rely on a margin of a few days.

FAQ

How many days can a British citizen stay in France without a visa?

Up to 90 days in any 180-day period, according to GOV.UK and France-Visas. The allowance is shared with all other Schengen countries.

Does time in Spain or Italy count?

Yes. GOV.UK says that visits to Schengen countries in the 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days, and that if you visit other Schengen countries your whole trip must fit inside the limit.

Does Ireland count towards the 90 days?

No. GOV.UK says the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are not in the Schengen area.

Does time on a long-stay visa or residence permit count?

No. GOV.UK says that time in France with a residence permit or long-stay visa does not count towards the 90-day visa-free limit.

I own a house in France. Can I stay for six months a year?

Not as a visitor. According to France-Visas, stays of 3 to 6 months in a second home need a temporary long-stay visa, and stays over 6 months need a long-stay visa valid as a residence permit.

Do I need to register with the EES?

You may be asked to register biometrics at the border on a short stay, free of charge. British nationals legally resident in France with a valid 5-year, 10-year or permanent residence permit do not need to register, according to GOV.UK.

Do I need an ETIAS to visit France?

Not yet, going by the GOV.UK page read for this guide, which says the EU expected to start ETIAS from autumn 2026 and would announce the date. Check the official sites for the current position before you travel.

What happens if I overstay?

GOV.UK says you may be banned from entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years.