SSAFA France can help you navigate through this period of transition following Brexit.
If you live in France you will need a residency card. You can apply from 1 Jul 20, and have one year in which to make an application – ie by 30 Jun 21. If you think you need assistance with this then SSAFA France can help.
It is estimated that perhaps 90% of ex-pats will need a residency card. There will be 2 free Brexit–deal cards: one for people who can prove they have lived in France for more than 5 years, and the other for those who came more recently and before 31 Dec 20. Both cards will enable people to benefit fully from the Withdrawal Agreement deal. Applications will be via a French Government website which will go live in July; this will then be followed by a visit to the local Prefecture for fingerprints. All must have applied by the end of June 2021. People are advised to apply as soon as the website is open as they then receive a receipt which may be useful when returning from trips abroad before actual card issue. Those Britons arriving in France after 31 Dec 20 will have to apply for 3rd party country cards as does anyone arriving from a non-EU country.
We have been advised that the process will be simplified from previous routes to residency. Nevertheless there may be Veterans who may struggle to complete residency or registration requirements as a consequence of Brexit. SSAFA has a contract from the FCO to provide support to Veterans in France (and Germany & Cyprus) who need this additional support.
Should you need help with residence, or for assistance generally, please contact SSAFA France through:
Forcesline: +44 207 463 9292 or https://www.ssafa.org.uk/get-help/forcesline
SSAFA France: France.branch@ssafa.org.uk
Finally, we always need volunteers as Caseworkers, Visitors and Helpers – particularly to support the residence process above. Please email us on France.branch@ssafa.org.uk if interested.
