At a Glance

  • The French government has launched its website on which UK nationals and their accompanying family residing in France can request a Residence Card that corresponds to their residence situation in France in case of a no-deal Brexit.
  • Applications should be filed within six months of the Exit date, which is currently set for October 31, 2019.

The situation

The French government has launched its website on which UK nationals and their accompanying family residing in France can request a Residence Card that corresponds to their residence situation in France in case of no-deal Brexit. Applications should be filed within six months of the Exit date (currently October 31, 2019.) Prior to this change, there was no information on how the Residence Card applications would be registered in case of a no-deal Brexit.

A closer look

  • Residence Card details. This card will allow UK applicants to maintain their work and residence rights in France after Brexit if they fulfill the related conditions.

  • Previous decree. In April 2019, the French government published a decree with instructions for UK nationals and their family members seeking to continue to reside in France after Brexit day.

  • Unknown information. It is not clear if it is possible to request both a Residence Card under the current EU rules and a Residence Card using this online system (which is applicable only in case of a no-deal Brexit) at the same time.

Impact

UK nationals and their family members should use the online system to register their stay in France in case of a no-deal Brexit.

Because this application registration process will only be applicable in case of a no-deal Brexit, Fragomen advises those UK nationals who have an EU Residence Card application appointment to maintain those appointments until a no-deal Brexit is confirmed (UK nationals are eligible for this card since they are EU nationals).

Background

The decree is a part of the government's contingency planning in case a Brexit deal is not concluded between the European Union and the United Kingdom before Brexit day, currently set for October 31, 2019.

Many other EU countries have published contingency plans for UK nationals in case of a no-deal Brexit.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.