A tale of two trees and twenty years

Our Cypress trees today

A tale of two trees and twenty years

We have reached a French life milestone, and tonight, we will be popping the cork on a bottle to celebrate twenty years living in a rural village in the Deux-Sèvres. 

The week we moved in, trees in their pots

 

When we arrived in France in August 2004, part of our lorry load of worldly possessions included four potted Cypress trees, all rather spindly and under two metres tall. This was back in the pre-Brexit days when moving plants was as easy as moving people, but from the Burke Bros Global Relocation company website, I can see it’s nowhere near as easy now. With each pot requiring a phytosanitary certificate issued by DEFRA, at a minimum of £186.68, I’m quite sure we wouldn’t have bothered. It was Burke Bros who we used when we moved, and although our furniture had been in storage with them for a month, they made a special stop on their way to the ferry just to load up the plants that had been sitting in Adrian’s parents’ garden – we certainly couldn’t fault their service. You can read their full article on the new rules for moving plants to France here.

Summer 2005, the new terrace

The first few summers in France, our trees sat proudly in their pots, two marking the double doors leading from the lounge and two by a bench at the side of the garden, under the plum and hazelnut trees. 

 

Once we’d cleared a corner of the courtyard to create a terrace space, ironically by removing a lot of ivy and a huge bushy pine tree, we discovered a pretty stone wall and decided just in front of it would be the perfect forever place for the trees. In hindsight, potting all four into the new bed meant they were way too close together, so not surprisingly, nature sorted out the two strongest and the other two died off.

 

Look at them now. Not only are they tall and majestic, but they are full of life. As we enjoy a cup of lemon and ginger tea in bed each morning, we watch bird after bird landing on the branches, before hopping inside. This creates a scruffy shape which Adrian isn’t so keen on, but knowing sparrows, chaffinch, goldfinch, blackbird and more, are all happily nesting, safely within their tight foliage, never fails to make me smile.

 

These trees are just one reminder that we have put roots down here, we too have created new lives for ourselves, and this is especially true for Ed. He was tiny like the trees when we arrived but has now flown our nest and is happily living his own life. He is working full time in a job where he is surrounded by music, a young and dynamic team, and working for a company who are supportive of his musical dreams. He is in a band who rehearse for two hours every Monday evening, writing their own material as well as creating their own take on cover versions. They have an energy and chemistry on stage and a ‘bring the house down’ atmosphere at gigs. He has also been with Pearl for five years now, and we couldn’t be prouder parents. 

 

Our lives have changed a lot, but I still can’t believe it’s been twenty years, especially as if you look closely in the photos, you will see we are still using the same green plastic table on the terrace.

 

There have been many times when it has been hard work, challenging, frustrating and scary (think Brexit – the repercussions of which are still rippling under the surface). Above all, however, it’s been rewarding and a fantastic experience, that has enabled us to achieve so many things I could never have imagined when we set off on our dream adventure, middle-aged and naïve, twenty years ago.

 

I wouldn’t change a thing. This week, like many, has been one where our feet haven’t touched the ground, and I can’t wait to share our latest adventure in my next post. As a teaser, here is a pic from a photoshoot taken by Stella who just happens to work for the tourism section of the Deux-Sèvres Departement.

In the Marais Poitevin, © S.Bonnet

 

You can read my older posts about our first days in France here:

Our first night in France 

Arriving in Poitou-Charentes 

At the Notaires 

Moving into our new home in France 

  

A Shush of librarians

 

Ed and I in our village library

Those of you who have been following our life here in France for a while, will remember how much I enjoyed working at the library in Chef-Boutonne in 2018, on a four-month maternity replacement contract. I have good news; way back in January I received a phone call from them to say a second baby was on its way and would I be interested in covering the maternity leave this summer. No surprises, I said yes please. 

 

This time, however, things weren’t quite as straightforward. Firstly, they had to ensure I was happy to commit to working all of July to October, without taking a holiday, something many French people would struggle to accept. I was also made aware that the other librarian had already booked her three-week annual leave during this period, so I would be in sole charge for those weeks. 

 

Then we had to navigate the bureaucratic uncertainties caused by Brexit. As a third country national I no longer have the right to hold a full public service post in France (to be a fonctionnaire), and it took quite a bit of toing and froing before it was clear that a temporary contract, for a local authority, would be allowed.  

The next issue was that they wanted a copy of my residence card, and my old (still in date) EU card wasn’t good enough, they needed proof of my Withdrawal Agreement status. We had already applied for this in January, but it was March before we had our file completed and were called in for finger printing, and then the end of April before the card itself arrived. Much as I was hopeful all would be OK; I didn’t dare get too excited.

 

On the morning of 1^st June, as we were preparing to leave our holiday apartment in the Corréze, my phone rang. It was official, the council had met the night before and agreed my appointment. From 1^stJuly, I will be back at the library for the summer, yippee.

 

In a bizarre coincidence, at the same time, on the same day, Ed was at an interview for a three-month summer job, to keep him busy before returning to Poitiers in September. The stars must have been aligned for us, as he too got the job. He started his work this week, as … wait for it … a part-time librarian in Sauze-Vaussais and I’m delighted to say my little bookworm is loving it almost as much as I do. There is something quite nice, and reassuringly positive, that his first real taste of paid employment is something he is enjoying, rather than it just being a means to an end financially.

 

I am sure there must be a ‘how many librarians’ joke out there somewhere, but what I did go looking for was the collective noun for librarians. Google gave me three options; a stack of librarians (which I find a bit dull), a catalogue of librarians (which I quite like) and my favourite, a shush of librarians.

 

Well done Ed we are both so proud of you and it seems sharing my love of books with you from a very young age was one of my better ideas. 

 

As there will be no holidaying for us from July, we decadently set off on another adventure a week after our Corréze holiday, so my next post will be brought to you from the Lot Valley. Happy days!!!

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Celebrating a second birthday in confinement

At his desk, on his birthday

We are now three weeks into our four-week confinement and according to the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, who spoke last Thursday, all being well by 3^rd May our ten-kilometre restrictions will be lifted, although our 19h curfew will remain. This was just the good news Adrian needed to hear as he ‘celebrated’ his second birthday in lockdown. 

 

A birthday bike ride

Last year, when lockdown meant lockdown and life and work were on hold, his 50^th birthday involved a virtual cycle challenge, a few friends shouting greetings through the garden gate and a sparkly candle from the boulangerie, my feeble attempt to hide the disastrous topping on the carrot cake I’d baked. Thankfully things were a bit different this year, and although we had to squeeze our real bike ride in between work and curfew, we weren’t restricted to only being out for one hour, one kilometre from home, and the sun shone down on our 23km ride through the vineyards. 

Birthday cakes and drinks in the sun

 

This year, I wisely left Ed in charge of the birthday cake and his chocolate fondant cake was delicious, plus there was enough left to share with friends the following day. If reaching 51 was not enough of a reason to open a bottle of bubbles, the fact that our post-Brexit residence permits also arrived on his birthday, certainly was. 

 

On this day last year, we had reached day forty of confinement, a significant number held in esteem in many cultures and religions as a period of trial, transformation or purification. I certainly wasn’t expecting to still be coping with Covid-19 confinement one year on, but with just this final week to go, and the peace of mind from having our new residence permits in our possession, I’m hopeful we can look forward to brighter days ahead. 

 

French Public and School Holidays 2021 and post-Brexit travel information

French Public and School Holidays 2021

Happy New Year. January is with us once more and as in previous years, here is my annual post with all of the public holidays, school holidays and other notable dates (and how they are celebrated) in France, for 2021. 

 

This is a post I have been writing for over five years and it always fills me with the excitement of a new year, planning new holidays and looking forward to summer adventures in France. This year, it seems a little at odds with our current Covid-19 uncertainty to be looking at holiday dates, especially with a view to planning a get away, but it seemed worthwhile updating it for 2021, even if school terms may be subject to changes and interruptions if France goes into another period of confinement.

 

As I write this there are strict controls in place on who can travel to France from the UK, due to Covid-19, and as this is likely to remain in place for most of the winter ski season, please do check with the relevant authorities before planning your 2021 holiday. 

 

Public Holidays in France 2021

1^st January, New Year’s Day, jour de l’an

4^th April, Easter Sunday, Pâques

5^th April, Easter Monday, lundi de Pâques (note there is no Good Friday holiday in France unless you live in Alsace or Moselle areas)

1^st May, Fête du Travail (a Saturday this year)

8^th May, Victory in Europe Day, Victoire 1945 (a Saturday this year)

13^th May, Ascension Day, Ascension (note schools will have an extra day off on Friday 14^th May for the bridge pont) 

24^th May, Pentecost Monday, lundi de Pentecôte

14^th July, Fête Nationale 

15^th August, Assumption Day, Assomption (a Sunday this year)

1^st November, All Saint's Day, Toussaint

11^th November, Armistice Day, Armistice 1918 

25^th December, Christmas Day, Jour de Noël (a Saturday this year) (note there is no Boxing Day holiday in France on 26^th unless you live in Alsace or Moselle areas)

 

Faire le pont

With the exception of the holidays linked to Easter: Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Pentecost Monday, the above dates are the same every year and the holiday is always observed on the actual date rather than being moved to the nearest Monday as the UK would do. Public holidays can therefore fall on weekends; to make up for this it is not uncommon for people to faire le pont (make a bridge) if a holiday falls on a Thursday (Ascension Day) or a Tuesday, by taking off the Friday or Monday to give themselves a four-day weekend. This will be part of their annual holiday entitlement, or the hours need to be made up, so while most businesses will be open on bridge days, some staff shortages can be expected. In 2021 four public holidays fall on Saturdays (1^st May, 8^th May and 25^th December) or Sundays (15^th August), and only two have the option of bridging to a weekend (13^th May and 11^thNovember). It is worth noting that in many areas of rural France, although some opening is becoming more common, most shops are likely to be either closed or only open in the mornings on public holidays.

 

Boulangerie treats for Palm Sunday

Other dates to note

6^th January, Epiphany, celebrated in France with a Galette des Rois (see here)

20^th January, winter sales begin, soldes d’hiver, sales are regulated in France and the winter sales run from 20^th January to 16^th February (a little later than normal, thanks to Covid-19)

2^nd February Candlemas day, Chandeleur, celebrated in France with pancakes (see here)

16^th February, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras when carnival time begins in France and pancakes and beignets (similar to doughnuts) are eaten.

28^th March, clocks spring forward an hour to Central European Summer Time

28^th March, Palm Sunday, Rameaux a day where our local boulangeries bake something different (see here)

28^th May, Neighbours’ Day, fêtes des voisins

30^th May, Mother’s Day, fêtes des mères

20^th June, Father’s Day, fêtes des pères

21^st June, world music day, fête de la musique, celebrated with free concerts in towns and villages all over France

23^rd June, summer sales begin, soldes d’été, and will run until 20^th July

26^th June to 18^th July, Le Tour de France

31^st October, clocks go back an hour to Central European Time (although this up for debate)

 

French school holiday zones

School Holidays

In France the schools are split into three zones and most of the holidays are staggered so not everyone is trying to hit the ski slopes or beaches at the same time, although be prepared for extra traffic on the roads on all Saturdays during the school holidays, or better still avoid driving on these days.

 

Here are the dates for 2021:

The winter holiday is from 6^th February to 8^th March. 

Zone A gets the first two weeks, Zone C the middle two and Zone B the last two.

 

The spring holiday is from 10^th April to 10^th May. 

Zone A gets the first two weeks, Zone C the middle two and Zone B the last two weeks.

 

The summer holiday for all zones is from 6^th July until 2^nd September.

 

The October holiday for all zones is from 23^rd October to 8^th November.

 

The Christmas holiday for all zones is from 18^th December to 3^rd January 2022.

 

Whether you are new to life in France, or just hoping that at some point in 2021 enough normality will return to ensure you are able to make plans to travel to France on your holidays, I hope you find this blog useful for planning your trip in the quiet weeks outside of the French school holidays. 

 

A citizen of the EU

Brexit

The deal has been done and from 1^st January 2021 there are many things that have changed for British citizens who wish to travel to France. Detailed information can be found on the following links provided by the British Embassy in Paris, but I have summarised the basics for you.

 

Passports

To visit France, you will need a valid UK passport that has at least six months left on it, and be able to prove you have enough money for your stay, if asked. Your passport may be stamped, and you will need to use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when arriving. More details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france

 

Visas 

You can visit France for up to 90 days in every 180 days without a visa. This includes holidays and business trips. If you want to stay in France for longer than 90 days in any 180-day period, you will need to apply for a visa. Full details can be found here: https://uk.ambafrance.org/BREXIT-all-visa-related-provisions

 

Food and customs

You will no longer able to bring meat or dairy products into the EU from the UK, so don’t be tempted to pack any blocks of Cheddar or Stilton, or packs of bacon, to help you survive your French holiday. The full set of regulations can be found here:  https://ec.europa.eu/.../animalproducts/personal_imports_en

There are also changes to the volume and value of certain goods that you can bring to France from the UK, for items such as alcohol, tobacco, fuel and medicine. Please find full details here: https://www.douane.gouv.fr/.../volume-and-value-based...

 

EHIC and travel insurance

A UK-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will remain valid until it expires. Your EHIC gives you the right to access emergency state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in the EU. You can find the latest travel advice here: https://www.gov.uk/.../uk-residents-visiting-the-eueea...

If you need a replacement for an expired EHIC, you will get a new UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) instead. You can find more information, including how to apply, here: https://www.nhs.uk/.../apply-for-a-free-ehic-european.../. 

A GHIC or EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It will not cover the costs of private medical healthcare, so you are advised to ensure you have travel insurance to cover all your healthcare needs. 

 

Pet passports

A current EU pet passport issued in Great Britain will no longer be valid for travel. To bring your pet to France, you will need an Animal Health Certificate, signed by your vet no more than 10 days before travel. Full details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/.../pet-travel-to-europe-from-1...

 

Data roaming 

Surcharge-free data roaming will no longer be guaranteed. However, mobile operators including Three, EE, O2 and Vodafone have stated they have no current plans to change their mobile roaming policies and all operators must inform you when charges are about to go over a monthly threshold: https://www.gov.uk/.../using-your-mobile-in-eu-and-eea.... You should contact your operator for more details.

 

UK driving licences

These will continue to be recognised in France until at least 31^st December 2021.

 

I really do hope you are able to enjoy a safe holiday in France at some point this year. 

 

Please feel free to share this post with your French loving friends and family. 

 

  

France Trivia Advent Calendar day twenty-four, the thirteen Christmas desserts of Provence

Advent day 24 a Blanc de Blancs dry white and a biere de Noel

Advent day twenty-four, Thursday 24^th December 2020

The last doors on our advent calendars have been opened and my Blanc de Blancs dry fizzy white and Adrian’s Biere de Noel are chilling in the fridge, and the calendars themselves are out in the cardboard recycling. 

 

They have certainly been good fun, although I do feel a bit of a lightweight as I have a third of my bottles still to drink. This does mean though that there will be a nice bottle of something fizzy to toast us at breakfast tomorrow, as well as a bottle each for our Christmas Day picnic, not forgetting some in the fridge for the evening. I got a lot more variety from my wine selections than Adrian did with his beers, but, with the exception of his biere blanche, which had no aroma and tasted of dishwater, I think all of his other beers had much more flavour and nose than most of the wines. While there was nothing wrong with any of the wines, there was nothing exceptional about them either, but I will miss the excitement of opening the calendar each morning.

 

There has been an overriding theme to the handwritten messages in the Christmas cards we have received this year, with “what a year!”, “let’s put 2020 behind us” and “here’s to a better year next year” being just some of them. While 2020 has been a year of highs and lows for us, losing our 22 year old nephew, six months with no work or possibility of furlough for Adrian, and not being able to travel to visit family in the UK, certainly being pretty low points, there has also been a lot to be thankful for. 

 

A 2020 family portrait

These two (nutters) make me smile, laugh and fill my heart with joy every day. For three pretty independent adults, who pre-Covid-19 were used to our own space and an often-solitary existence, I think we have coped pretty well being locked down together for most of the year and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. 

 

We have had more quality family time than we’ve ever had and enjoyed some fantastic experiences as we seized every opportunity to get out and live. This time last year we had no plans to visit Nice and the Cote d'Azur, which we did in June (thanks to Lou Messugo), for the first time in ten years, and then we topped the holiday with an awesome cycle up Mont Ventoux. In August we spent a week in the Pyrenees, our days filled with more epic cycling, good food and stunning scenery. We also managed to squeeze in one last adventure to lose ourselves in the golds and autumn colours of the Lot and Cahors vineyards, just before lockdown came back in October. Cycling makes me feel alive as it gives me the chance to push my legs and lungs to the max, whatever the weather, or location.

 

I am approaching year end in a happy and relaxed place and will treasure these memories made in 2020 forever. All would be well with my world if it wasn’t for the end of the UK’s transition period, prior to leaving the European Union, looming. Who knows what 2021 will bring? It may or may not have the total shock of the world shutting down due to a pandemic, but it will have very real challenges for many millions of innocent victims of a disastrous political decision. 

 

France Trivia advent calendar, day twenty-four, the thirteen Christmas desserts of Provence

This evening families in France will be celebrating Christmas and as we have no lockdown, curfew is suspended for the evening, and so long as we are sensible and keep to a maximum of six adults per gathering, there are no rules to obey. There are many traditions associated with the Christmas Eve meal, but if you are lucky enough to be celebrating in Provence, you will have to ensure you leave room for all thirteen desserts they serve. Tradition says there must be thirteen sweets served, for Jesus and his twelve apostles, and each guest at the table must take a small bite of each one. Luckily they are not the hearty and stodgy type of desserts favoured by the Brits at Christmas, instead the French prefer a selection of walnuts, dried figs, dates, different types of nougat, raisins, oranges and mandarins, marzipan biscuits called callisons, an orange flavoured fougasse (olive oil flat bread) and candied fruits. It might make the mincepie and satsuma that I’ve planned for tomorrow seem a bit tame, but my mincepies do contain dried fruits, candied fruits and walnuts so we’ve almost ticked all the boxes.

 

Thank you for reading along with our lockdown daily diaries this year and I hope you have enjoyed the France Trivia advent posts. I wish you all a merry Christmas and hope you will be able to join your loved ones, either in person, or online. Stay safe. 

Diary of Covid-19 confinement, day twenty-two

Covid-19 confinement day twenty-two, feeling reflective

Feeling reflective

We are now into week four of confinement and life outside of our little home bubble is still a very scary place. People are still falling ill in large numbers, hospitals are still struggling to cope and well-known names, including the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, are being hospitalised. I don’t read too many newspaper articles in full as the more I read, the more out of control it all feels. 

Despite all of this so many still do not seem to have grasped the concept of staying at home, or the importance of social distancing when they do leave home. I find this as hard to get my head around as I do the surging rapidity that the virus is spreading by.

I last ventured out of the village on day eleven. It was calm, uncrowded, some people wore masks and gloves, many didn’t. I think it would be different if I went out now. The French official line on wearing masks has shifted in the last few days, from there being little point in wearing one, to them being an effective barrier, and if the wearing of them is adopted by many people, a good way of reducing the spread of the virus. Medical masks are now impossible to get hold of, but our Mairie has encouraged those of us who sew, to make homemade ones to be given to the more vulnerable in the village. Once my accounts and admin duties are completed this week, I shall be making some more, especially as I unearthed a lot of spare fabric during a tidy up. If you would like to give it a try, here is the pattern I used and some simple instructions.

Mask template

Mask instructions

Coping

My current coping mechanism seems to involve the need to be as organised and in control at home as possible. In fact, this need has given me more drive and motivation than usual. Every task I achieve from clearing out the freezers, to ensuring there is always a homemade cake in the tin, to getting around to sorting areas of house and garden that have festered for too long, all help to improve my mood. This increased activity is balanced by yoga and home cooked meals, which keeps me feeling calm, grounded and sleeping well at night. We are all different. For Adrian, hard exercise is what he needs and for Ed it is his music.

Change of focus

In some bizarre way I think I needed this massive change of focus. Something big and beyond my control, forcing a rethink and taking the attention away from the doom and gloom of Brexit. This is bigger than Brexit and has the magnitude to create more harm and damage to our lives, but this time we are all in it together. There are no smug voters who won, nor any ‘remoaners’ who lost. This is an invisible war. We can’t see the enemy approach we can only try to protect ourselves and those around us to the best of our ability and do whatever is necessary to cope. If we are targeted, we just have to hope that we can recover.

Stay indoors, stay safe.

Lockdown library

My reading selection for today is Miss Moonshine’s Emporium of Happy Endings. These books are pure magic, two collections of short stories from different authors, set in different era’s but all featuring the enigmatic Miss Moonshine and all scoring a 100% hit rate on feel-good happy endings. Just what we all need in the world right now.

British Embassy outreach meeting, Civray February 2020

British Embassy Outreach meeting with Mathew Lodge, Civray 2020 

British Embassy outreach meeting, Civray February 2020

Yesterday afternoon, in a theatre full of worried British citizens (and a few concerned French ones), I listened with interest to Mathew Lodge, deputy to the UK Ambassador in France, talk about the current situation for British citizens living in France. 

Here is a quick summary of the major points that stood out for me, but at the bottom I will include some useful links to more detailed information.

1) I thank fuck that a Withdrawal Agreement was put into place before Boris ‘Got Brexit Done’. I can’t imagine the shit we would all be in if we didn’t have it.

2) Those of us already legally resident in France (or those who become resident here before the 31^st December 2020) will evolve to become a new species of British citizen from 1^st January 2021. For the purposes of this blog post, let’s call ourselves the ‘WA Brit’. We might not have super powers, but we do have protected rights in many areas. 

3) Our rights to live and work in France, and to access the services and benefits system are to be maintained, as they were when we were EU Citizens, now and forever. I can picture the confusion already:

“Mais Madame la Fonc, I am no ordinary Brit (see me puff out my chest and stand as tall as my 5ft-and-a-biscuit frame will allow). I am a WA Brit. I need my own tick box on your form please, for I am not an EU citizen, but then neither am I classed as a third country national.” 

This will no doubt be met with a gallic shrug of her shoulders and prove to be a sticking point for many years to come.

4) Our pension contributions, both here in France and the UK are protected, and we will benefit from a lifelong uprating of pensions, even for those of us who have not yet reached retirement age.

5) Those of us registered with the French healthcare system (and if you are living here and haven’t yet registered DO IT NOW) will continue to benefit from the French issued EHIC (European health care card) for use in the UK and for our travels in other EU states.

6) Our children will continue to be treated like EU citizens in terms of education provision, including university and higher education courses, although access to teaching degrees seems to be an issue as we can no longer work in the public sector. Our children who choose to return to the UK for university will benefit from ‘home’ as opposed to ‘overseas’ student fees until 2028.

7) We will all need to apply for a WA Brit titre (carte) de séjour, even if you are in possession of a recently issued EU card. The French authorities have already issued a detailed directive to all Mairies, a translation of which I have included at the bottom of this post. 

8) The WA is already a legally binding agreement and everything within it is protected, no matter what issues arise during the trade negotiations that are currently taking place. 

Talking to Mathew Lodge, deputy Ambassador

Buoyed by his words of reassurance, I took myself onto the stage afterwards to have a one to one chat with him. Having first thanked him for coming and for having such positive news to share, I then asked a more specific question for our circumstances, that of Adrian’s work providing services. It was at this point his smile dropped just fractionally. Services it seems is a hot bed of shit thanks to the City of London and its Financial Services, (which is oddly enough the world I used to live in pre-Ed and moving to France). His view is that there are just too many regulations and tax implications surrounding services, that an agreement on services is unlikely, ever.

This is the worry I have had since June 2016 and despite the reassurance given in so many areas yesterday, I can’t help but feel why us? Of all the great things covered in the WA, what is not covered is voting in France or standing for election in France, something that has been a major part of my French life for the last six years, and more importantly the provision of services across borders, which is exactly what Adrian’s French operated company provides and where our family income comes from. Up shit creak without a paddle comes to mind.

 

British in Europe click here to help

This meeting wouldn’t have been possible without the work of Kathryn Dobson and the British in Europe team. They have been, and hope to continue to be, our voice in France, in the EU and in the UK as the negotiations proceed. They have a legal team who ensure they can provide jargon-free accurate information as quickly as possible, as and when our situation changes. If you haven’t already, do visit their website where there are explanatory guides to the WA. 

Also on their website you can find details of their crowdfunder appeal. In order for their small team of ten volunteers to continue to work to help us, they need our help financially. Without donations towards travel expenses and fees, they can’t guarantee being able to continue to fight for our rights. Click here to help secure our future.

Translated message sent to all Mairies concerning Titre de Séjour for British citizens living in France before the end of the WA:

“The Withdrawal Agreement for the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on 1 February 2020 provides for a transitional period until 31 December 2020 during which all the current rights of British nationals, acquired as European Union nationals, are maintained.

British nationals are therefore not currently subject to the obligation to hold a residence permit.

The provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement will apply to British nationals and their family members already settled in France on the date of withdrawal of the United Kingdom or those coming to settle in France before 31st December 2020. As per the Withdrawal Agreement, British nationals will be issued specific residence permits which they will have to apply for from July 2020 and before 1^st July 2021.

They will not be required to hold a residence permit until this date.

To facilitate this, a new online application site adapted to the provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement will be opened in early July 2020.

The site that was opened on 9^th October 2019 in anticipation of a No Deal Brexit is now closed. The information that has already been uploaded has been kept so those who have already submitted an application will not need to make a new request. A standard email will be sent out to the those concerned.

Consequently, British nationals living in the department are invited to wait for the opening of the new dedicated online system which will be available in July 2020.”

Further detailed information can be found at these websites:

British in Europe

Brexit.gouv.fr

Gov.uk/living-in-France