Expats In France Face Paying €30 At The Town Hall For Friends And Family To Visit

Expats In France Face Paying €30 At The Town Hall For Friends And Family To Visit

Expats In France Face Paying €30 At The Town Hall For Friends And Family To Visit. image: Wikipedia

Expats In France Face Paying €30 At The Town Hall For Friends And Family To Visit.

PROPERTY owners in France who have British friends or family wanting to stay with them this summer face form-filling and extra costs, all due to Brexit red-tape.

With the UK now being treated as a third country by France – and the rest of the European Union – prospective hosts are required to lodge a document known as an attestation d’accueil at the local Mairie (town hall) at least a month in advance of the proposed visit. This also applies to Spain, even though the cost and the process differ, and was the subject of a previous article that can be found here.

The French civil service states: “A foreigner who wishes to come to France for a tourist stay of less than three months must present proof of accommodation. This document is called an acceptance certificate and is established by the person who will welcome him at his home during the stay in France. The request is made in the town hall. The certificate is issued if the host meets certain conditions.”

When filling in the form it must include the passport details of the visitor and proof that they are covered by a minimum of £26,000 insurance – this is even though the UK Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic) covers emergency medical treatment!

Officials will provide a certificate that must be sent to the traveller so that they can show it on demand when they arrive in France. If officials refuse to issue the certificate, the homeowner/host is however allowed to appeal the decision.

The Facebook group Remain in France Together told members: “We can advise you that the British Embassy have confirmed to us that the attestation will be required for UK passport holders travelling to France for private visits to friends and family where they do not have accommodation, such as a gîte, hotel, Airbnb. etc, booked.


The Euro Weekly News is running a campaign to help reunite Brits in Spain with their family and friends by capping the costs of PCR tests for travel. Please help us urge the government to cap costs at https://euroweeklynews.com/2021/04/16/ewn-champions-the-rights-of-brits-in-spain-to-see-loved-ones-again/

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Ron Howells

Ron actually started his working career as an Ophthalmic Technician- things changed when, during a band rehearsal, his amplifier blew up and he couldn’t get it fixed so he took a course at Birmingham University and ended up doing a degree course. He built up a chain of electronics stores and sold them as a franchise over 35 years ago. After five years touring the world Ron decided to move to Spain with his wife and son, a place they had visited over the years, and only bought the villa they live in because it has a guitar-shaped swimming pool!. Playing the guitar since the age of 7, he can often be seen, (and heard!) at beach bars and clubs along the length of the coast. He has always been interested in the news and constantly thrives to present his articles in an interesting and engaging way.

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