After You Arrive in France: OFII Validation and Residence Permits

Your Arrival in France

The requirements for entering France depend on your nationality and the purpose and duration of your visit. British nationals currently do not need a visa for short stays of up to 90 days, though this could change when the ETIAS travel authorisation system launches.

All other entry formalities apply. So you must have a valid passport, and depending on your circumstances, you may be asked to show proof of accommodation, a return ticket, and evidence of funds.

If you are arriving on a long-stay visa (VLS-TS or VLS-T), your visa documentation will be checked at the border. Make sure your passport and visa are consistent and that the visa has not expired. Long-stay visa holders are not registered in the EES system at the border in the same way as short-stay visitors.

France has no vaccine requirements for entry. The COVID-19 travel restrictions and vaccination certificate requirements have been lifted, and there are currently no health documentation requirements at the border. 

The UK government’s foreign travel advice for France at gov.uk recommends standard travel vaccinations for your own protection, including hepatitis A, typhoid, and tetanus but these are not conditions of entry.

If you are flying into a major French airport such as Paris Charles de Gaulle, Orly, or Lyon Saint-Exupery, public transport links to the city are well developed. From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B train runs directly to central Paris in around 35 minutes. Taxis and ride-hailing apps, including Uber, operate from all major airports, and there are fixed-price official taxi fares between airports and the city limits of Paris.

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements vary by nationality. EU and EEA citizens, as well as Swiss nationals, have the right to enter France freely. British nationals can enter for short stays without a visa. Nationals of countries that require a Schengen visa must obtain it before travelling.

For all travellers, your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay. For short-stay visitors, it should also be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned date of departure from France and must have been issued within the last 10 years. These are the Schengen Area rules, not uniquely French ones.

At the border, officers have discretion to ask any visitor to demonstrate their reasons for travel. Documents you should have readily accessible include your return or onward ticket, a hotel booking or letter of invitation from a host, and evidence of sufficient funds for your stay. The French government’s informal guideline is around 32.50 euros per day as a benchmark for financial sufficiency. 

If you are staying with family or friends rather than in a hotel, your host may have completed an attestation d’accueil, a formal hosting certificate validated at the local mairie. This is particularly relevant if your host applied for a Schengen visa invitation on your behalf. At the border, be prepared to confirm who you are staying with and to provide their address.

Passport Validity Requirements

Your passport must be valid for the full duration of your planned stay in France. For short-stay visitors under the 90-day Schengen rules, your passport should also be valid for at least 3 months beyond the date you intend to leave France and must have been issued within the last 10 years.

For long-stay visa holders, your passport must remain valid for the full duration of your visa and, ideally, well beyond it. If your passport expires during your stay, you will need to renew it and update your immigration documents to reflect the new passport details.

Check your passport before booking any travel. If it is within 6 months of expiry or was issued more than 9.5 years ago, renewing it before you travel is the safest option. Keep digital scans of your passport’s identity page and visa in a secure cloud storage account as backups in case of loss or theft.

Dual Nationals

If you hold both British and French nationality, enter France on your French passport. This confirms your right to be in France under French law and means no immigration formalities apply. Using your British passport to enter when you hold French nationality can create confusion at the border and is unnecessary.

If you hold British nationality alongside another EU member state’s nationality, enter on your EU passport. EU nationals have free movement rights in France and are not subject to the 90-day rule or Schengen visa requirements.

If you hold dual British and non-EU nationality and have a Schengen visa or French residence permit tied to your non-EU passport, use the passport that carries the relevant document to enter. If you have a French residence permit, you should generally carry both passports and present them together at the border. The permit is linked to a specific passport, and the border officer will need to verify both.

Visa Requirements

Whether you need a visa for France depends entirely on your nationality and the purpose and length of your stay. British nationals do not currently need a visa for visits of up to 90 days. 

For stays of more than 90 days for work, study, joining family, or any other purpose, a long-stay visa must be obtained from the French consulate before travelling. It is not possible to convert a short-stay visit into a long-stay residence once you are in France, in most circumstances.

The main long-stay visa type is the VLS-TS (Visa de Long Sejour valant Titre de Sejour), which functions as both a visa and a temporary residence permit. Subcategories cover students, employees, family members, visitors with independent means, and others. The France-Visas portal has a tool that identifies the correct type for your situation. Applications are submitted online through the same portal and followed up at a VFS appointment or French consulate.

For those who qualify, a VLS-T (long-stay temporary visa) is also available for planned stays of between three and six months. This is useful for second-home owners who spend extended periods in France each year without establishing full residency.

New Schengen Entry Requirements

The Entry/Exit System (EES)

The EU’s Entry/Exit System became fully operational on 10 April 2026, following a phased rollout that began on 12 October 2025. This system replaces the physical stamping of passports at Schengen Area borders with electronic registration of biometric data. Every time a British national (or any non-EU, non-Schengen national) enters or exits France and the wider Schengen Area, their fingerprints, facial image, and travel document details are recorded digitally.

This means that the 90-day rule is now automatically enforced. Border systems can instantly calculate how many days you have spent in the Schengen Area in any rolling 180-day window. Overstaying is no longer a matter of faded passport stamps as it will be recorded against your biometric profile and will affect future travel across all 30 participating countries.

Implementation at UK-France border crossings (Eurostar, Channel Tunnel, Dover) has been slower than at airports, with some delays in connecting to the French-side operational software. As of May 2026, checks are operational at most locations but travellers should allow extra time at the border. Holders of valid long-stay visas or residence permits are not registered in the EES system.

There is nothing you need to do in advance to prepare for EES. On your first entry, you will be asked to have your fingerprints and face scanned. On future trips, the scan matches against your stored data. An optional Travel to Europe mobile app allows you to pre-register your passport and facial image up to 72 hours before a border crossing into some countries, which can speed up the process at participating crossings.

ETIAS

ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is a separate pre-travel authorisation that British nationals will need for short stays in France and across the Schengen Area once the system launches. It is similar in concept to the US ESTA or the UK ETA.

ETIAS is not yet operational. It is expected to launch in the last quarter of 2026, though no firm date has been confirmed by the European Council. The fee will be 20 euros, and authorisation will be valid for three years or until the passport expires. It will not be required for those travelling on a long-stay visa or with a French residence permit, or for EU and Schengen nationals. Until ETIAS launches, British nationals travel to France exactly as they do now, with a valid passport.

Staying with Family, Friends, or a Third Party

If you are staying with a host in France rather than in commercial accommodation, your host may need to provide a formal attestation d’accueil. This document is signed by the host, validated at the local mairie, and confirms that they are providing accommodation for a named visitor during a specific period. It is typically required when applying for a short-stay Schengen visa based on a family or personal visit.

For short-stay visitors who are already visa-exempt (including most British nationals), the attestation is not required before travel but may be requested at the border as proof of accommodation. It is worth having a copy available if your host has completed one.

For long-stay visa holders, your host’s address and a letter confirming accommodation are required for the visa application. When you complete the OFII validation after arrival, you will need to enter a French address. If you are staying with a host initially, their address will be sufficient until you have your own. Most subsequent administrative steps, including opening a bank account and registering for healthcare, require a stable personal address.

Second Homes in France

British nationals who own property in France or who return regularly each year are subject to the same 90-day Schengen rules as any other short-stay visitor. Property ownership does not confer any additional right to stay beyond the 90-day limit. If you want to spend more than 90 days in France in any 180-day period, you need a long-stay visa, regardless of whether you own a home there.

The VLS-T (long-stay temporary visa without the residence permit component) is designed for second-home owners who want to spend between 3 and 6 months in France each year without establishing formal French residency. It does not require OFII validation and does not lead to a French residence permit or citizenship entitlement.

Non-resident property owners in France are subject to French tax on rental income from French property and on capital gains when the property is sold. An annual non-resident tax return must be filed. Property taxes (taxe fonciere and, for some properties, taxe d’habitation) are payable by owners. 

Before buying a French property, it is strongly recommended to take advice from both a French notaire and a cross-border tax adviser.

Staying Longer Than 90 Days in a 180-Day Period

The 90-day rule is a rolling calculation, not a calendar reset. At any point, an officer or the EES system will count back 180 days from today and add up all the days you have spent in the Schengen Area in that window. If the total is 90 or more, you are not permitted to enter. Days spent on valid long-stay visas or residence permits do not count towards this total.

There is no legal mechanism to extend a Schengen short-stay beyond 90 days while you are already in France. If you want to stay longer, the correct approach is to apply for the appropriate long-stay visa from the UK before you travel. Remaining beyond 90 days without a valid visa is an overstay, and under the EES, it will be electronically recorded against your biometric profile.

In exceptional circumstances, such as a serious medical emergency that physically prevents departure, a prefecture may exercise discretion. These are rare cases and cannot be relied upon as a planning tool. If you anticipate needing to stay in France for more than 90 days, the answer is always to plan ahead and apply for the right visa before you travel.

Register with the Local Immigration Office Once You Are in France

OFII Validation

If you have entered France on a VLS-TS long-stay visa, completing the OFII validation is the single most important administrative step after arrival. It must be done within 3 months of your date of entry into France. Failing to do so within this window means your visa does not convert into a valid residence authorisation, and if you leave the Schengen Area after three months without having validated it, you will need a new visa to re-enter.

Validation is completed entirely online through the ANEF portal. You will need to create an account, then enter your visa details (visa number, issue date, validity dates, and type), your date of arrival in France, your French address, and your contact details. 

A tax (timbre électronique) is payable online by card, or by purchasing a physical electronic stamp at a tabac or terminal if you do not have a card. The amount varies by visa category.

After completing the online steps, you will receive your validation confirmation document and should download it. Keep this as it is evidence of your legal residence status and will be required when you apply for a residence permit.

OFII may subsequently contact you to attend a medical appointment or sign the Contrat d’Integration Republicaine (CIR – the Republican Integration Contract). Whether this applies depends on your visa category and nationality. 

British nationals who entered on a Salarie (employee) or Prestataire de services (service provider) VLS-TS are now required to arrange their own medical appointment with a local GP rather than waiting for an OFII summons. Your GP completes an official medical certificate, which is then sent to OFII.

Other First Registration Steps

Beyond OFII validation, you should complete several other administrative steps in your first weeks in France. 

Opening a French bank account is essential and should be done as soon as you have a French address. 

Registering for healthcare through your local CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie) becomes possible once you have been a legal resident for three months. Registering a medecin traitant (designated GP) is important for accessing the full reimbursement rates for medical treatment. 

Tax registration with the French tax authority is required once you become a tax resident, which generally applies after 183 days in a calendar year.

Residence Permits

A VLS-TS is valid for between four months and one year. If you wish to remain in France beyond this period, you must apply for a residence permit (titre de sejour or carte de sejour) before the VLS-TS expires. Applications are submitted through the ANEF portal and should be started 2 to 4 months before your current visa or permit expires.

The type of residence permit you apply for corresponds to your situation. A one-year temporary permit (carte de sejour temporaire) is the standard first renewal. After holding this for a year in a stable situation, you may be eligible for a multi-year permit (carte de séjour pluriannuelle) valid for 2 to 4 years. 

After five years of continuous legal residence, you can apply for a ten-year resident card (carte de resident), which is the French permanent residency permit and renews automatically.

Documents required typically include your validated VLS-TS confirmation, proof of address, proof of the ongoing basis for your stay (employment contract, enrolment letter, proof of income, etc.), passport photographs, your passport, and the relevant tax payment. Exact requirements vary by permit type.

Renewing Your Stay

Residence permit renewals are submitted through the ANEF portal and follow the same general process as the initial application. The key rule is to apply before your current permit expires. If your renewal application is submitted on time and is still being processed when your current permit’s expiry date passes, you are entitled to remain legally in France during that period. You will receive an attestation de demande de titre de séjour, a document confirming that your application is in progress and serving as temporary proof of your right to stay.

For students, renewal requires proof of continued enrolment and financial resources. For employees, a continuing employment contract is needed. For visitors with independent means, the financial threshold for passive income must be demonstrated again. For all categories, your passport must remain valid throughout.

If your situation changes, for example, if you move from one visa category to another, such as from student to employee, you will need to apply for a change of status at the prefecture rather than a straightforward renewal. This process is separate and has its own requirements. IAS can advise on change-of-status applications. 

Customs Rules

When travelling between the UK and France, you are crossing between two separate customs territories. 

For personal goods brought from the UK into France, allowances apply: 

• 200 cigarettes or equivalent tobacco
• 1 litre of spirits over 22 per cent alcohol or two litres of fortified wine
• 4 litres of still wine
• 16 litres of beer. 
• Other personal goods up to a total value of 430 euros are allowed duty-free if you are arriving by air, or 300 euros by sea or rail.

Cash over 10,000 euros (or the equivalent in another currency) must be declared to customs officials on arrival. Food items from non-EU countries face restrictions at the French border: meat and dairy products in particular are subject to controls, and many are prohibited. Within the Schengen Area, no customs checks apply for personal travel.

Property Matters

Property ownership in France as a non-resident British national is straightforward in terms of the buying process, but it comes with financial obligations worth understanding before committing. There are no restrictions on British nationals buying French property, though the purchase involves costs beyond the sale price: notaire fees, land transfer taxes, and estate agent fees typically add 7 to 10 per cent to the purchase price.

Non-resident owners must file an annual French non-resident income tax return if they earn rental income from French property and are subject to French capital gains tax on any future sale. Property taxes,  taxe fonciere and, for some properties, taxe d’habitation, are payable annually by all property owners regardless of residency status.

Buying property in France does not, in itself, confer any residency rights. Establishing French residency on a long-stay visa does not require you to own or rent a specific type of property, as long as you can demonstrate stable accommodation. For those considering both property ownership and residency, consulting a French notaire and a cross-border tax adviser before completing any purchase is strongly recommended.

Whether you have just arrived in France and need to complete your OFII validation, are approaching a permit renewal deadline, or need advice on the 90-day rule and your options as a British national, the team at Immigration Advice Service (IAS) can help. 

We support clients navigating the French immigration system at every stage of their stay. Call us on +44 (0)333 414 9244 to speak with one of our advisers.