How a France long-stay visa works for UK citizens

1. How long can you stay in France without a visa?

UK citizens can normally visit France without a visa for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. France shares that allowance with the rest of the Schengen Area, so days recently spent in Spain, Italy, Switzerland or another Schengen country reduce the time available in France.

Both the arrival day and departure day count. A trip home to the UK does not reset the clock: on every day in France, count all time spent in Schengen during the preceding 180 days. For the underlying calculation, see this first-timer’s guide to the 90/180 rule.

The visa-free route covers tourism, family and friend visits, business meetings, cultural or sporting events, and short study or training. Work has separate requirements. Before travelling, check GOV.UK’s France entry requirements for current passport rules and the documents a second-home owner may be asked to show, such as evidence of ownership or tenancy.

GOV.UK warns that overstaying may lead to an entry ban of up to three years. Check dates carefully before travel, because an estimate based on old passport stamps or a previous trip plan can be wrong.

2. When do you need a long-stay visa for France?

For a UK citizen, any planned stay in France exceeding 90 days needs an application made in advance. Unused days elsewhere in Schengen do not create a right to remain in France after the 90-day point, and a short trip outside France cannot turn a visitor stay into a fourth month.

France-Visas says that long-stay visas are valid from three months to one year, whatever the length of the planned stay. At the end of the visa, a person wishing to remain in France applies for a residence permit at the prefecture. The official France-Visas long-stay visa guidance is the source to check before starting, as document lists and arrangements may change.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have different rules, as do citizens of several small European states listed by France-Visas. That list has no exception for people who own property in France. This guide concerns UK citizens planning a new move or extended stay. People living legally in France since before 1 January 2021 may have Withdrawal Agreement rights; GOV.UK’s Living in France guidance is the appropriate starting point for that separate position.

3. What are the requirements for a long-stay visitor visa in France?

France-Visas identifies the visitor route for a private stay of more than three months without professional activity. It is the category most likely to fit a second-home owner, retiree or someone spending a long winter in France without working there.

The published requirements include evidence of the applicant’s socio-economic situation, resources, accommodation in France and medical cover. The applicant must also formally agree not to engage in professional activity during the stay. The France-Visas wizard provides the document list for the individual application, which is safer to follow than an old checklist from a forum or property group.

Supporting evidence should form one clear account. A second-home owner will be proving accommodation with papers for that property, and the wizard shows which ones to bring. A seasonal tenant should check that the tenancy dates match the planned arrival and departure.

A visitor route is for an extended personal stay. A person intending to take employment, study, train, complete an internship or join family members should select the relevant purpose instead of presenting that plan as a visitor stay.

4. Match your reason to the French long-stay visa types

France-Visas lists long-stay reasons for an extended tourist or personal stay, professional activity, education, training or an internship, and joining family members. The stated reason matters because it determines the evidence requested and the permissions attached to the stay.

There are two main long-stay formats. France-Visas issues the one that fits the length of and reason for the stay, so this is not a choice to make on the form. A visa valid as a residence permit, known as a VLS-TS, is for a stay of up to one year and exempts the holder from applying for a residence permit, but it must be validated online. A visa marked “residence card to be applied for within 2 months of arrival” requires action at the prefecture within that period.

A temporary long-stay visa, or VLS-T, may be issued where the traveller is certain that they will not extend their stay beyond the visa. For a private visitor stay, France-Visas says the visa may be a VLS-TS with online validation or, where appropriate, a VLS-T.

5. Prepare and submit the application in good time

Start with the France-Visas wizard, select the real reason and duration of the stay, then organise the documents it requests. Check that the intended arrival date, accommodation period and explanation of the plan agree across the application and supporting papers.

For applications made in the UK, France-Visas says they can be submitted up to 180 days before the intended travel date. It strongly advises allowing at least 20 working days. Decisions are made by the French Consulate General in London, while UK residents may hand in an application at the visa application centres in London, Manchester or Edinburgh.

Once the consulate has the application, France-Visas gives a general processing indication of two to 15 working days, while warning that delays can vary. Treat that as planning information rather than a promise, and avoid irreversible arrangements based only on an expected decision date.

Any Schengen trip before the visa starts still uses visa-free days in the usual way, so keep counting until the visa begins. Schengen rules for UK citizens after Brexit explain the wider position.

6. Validate a VLS-TS after arriving in France

A VLS-TS must be validated online through the ANEF portal within three months of arrival in France. The process asks for information from the visa, the date of entry and the French address, as well as an online payment.

France-Visas states that someone who does not validate within that deadline is no longer legally present in France and cannot re-enter the Schengen Area. Set a dated reminder when travel is booked, rather than leaving the task until the last week.

The French immigration authority may call the holder for a meeting, a medical check-up or to sign an integration contract. Keep the visa and the confirmation of validation together. The EES, the EU Entry/Exit System, does not apply to holders of long-stay visas and residence permits.

At the end of a VLS-TS, a person who wishes to remain in France applies for a residence permit. The visa itself is not a permanent status, so plan the next administrative step before its validity ends.

7. Plan travel outside France during a long stay

During its validity, a French long-stay visa is equivalent to a Schengen visa for travel outside France. It allows stays elsewhere in the Schengen Area of up to 90 days in any 180 consecutive days. It does not provide unlimited time in Portugal, Spain or any other Schengen country.

For example, a visa holder who spends 1 June to 30 June in Italy and 1 August to 30 August in Spain has used 60 days outside France. A further trip from 1 October to 31 October would reach 91 days on its last day, because all of those earlier days are still inside the 180-day window.

Record every arrival and departure date outside France, including same-day trips. A free Schengen calculator can test proposed dates before tickets are bought. Entorii can also help keep a dated record of visa-free trips before and after the French long stay.

GOV.UK says that time in France with a residence permit or long-stay visa does not count towards the normal 90-day visa-free Schengen limit. Stays elsewhere in Schengen are still counted against 90 days in any 180.

Before committing to an extended stay in France

First establish whether the whole plan fits within 90 Schengen days. If it does not, identify the genuine purpose of the French stay, apply before travelling and complete the post-arrival requirement attached to the visa issued.

Keep a dated travel record throughout the year, including time outside France during the visa’s validity. It makes a future trip calculation and any border question much easier to explain.

Frequently asked questions

How long can UK citizens stay in France without a visa?

UK citizens can normally stay in France and the wider Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period without a visa. Days spent in other Schengen countries count towards the same total, and both arrival and departure days count.

What are the requirements for a French long-stay visitor visa?

France-Visas says visitor applicants need evidence of their socio-economic situation, resources, French accommodation and medical cover. They must formally agree not to undertake professional activity and should use the official visa wizard for their personal document list.

Which French long-stay visa may suit a second-home owner?

The visitor category is the published route for an extended personal stay without professional activity, which may suit a second-home owner. The applicant still needs to provide the accommodation, resources, medical cover and other evidence requested for their circumstances.

What happens if a UK citizen does not validate a French VLS-TS?

A UK citizen who does not validate a French VLS-TS online within three months of arrival is no longer legally present in France and cannot re-enter the Schengen Area. Validation uses the visa details, entry date and French address.

Does a French long-stay visa allow UK citizens to visit other Schengen countries?

A valid French long-stay visa allows stays elsewhere in Schengen of up to 90 days in any 180 consecutive days. It does not allow unlimited time outside France, so those trips need their own rolling-day calculation.