By John Smith • Published: 14 Dec 2023 • 11:50
French Sénatrice Martine Berthet proposed the review Credit: Martine Berthet Facebook
On Monday December 11, the French National Assembly narrowly rejected a controversial immigration bill which included a review of the 90-day rule for British home owners in France.
Steven Jolly of the France Visa Free Group commented “”We are hoping France will help us solve the 90-in-180 day problem for all British visitors , regardless of whether or not they own property.
“So, ultimately we would also like to see every British visitor to France treated in exactly the same way as French visitors to the UK today, and given a six month per visit, visa exemption or automatically issued visa. Perhaps like the bilateral arrangements USA, Canada or Japan have.
“Such a France-specific arrangement would be in addition to the 90-in-180 day Schengen Visa Waiver that Brits would still have for use in the other 26 countries.”
Andrew Hesselden Founder of 180 Days in Spain took a somewhat more upbeat view of the result saying “At first glance, this might look like it’s bad news for second home owners in France. But the Immigration Bill, thrown out today by a ‘motion to dismiss’, actually covered lots of different migration provisions, not just those that were intended to help British part-year dwellers.
“I think people have every reason to be optimistic, because Sénatrice Martine Berthet’s proposal has really put the topic squarely on the agenda of French lawmakers. Our own members were amazed today to learn that almost a quarter of French députés have backed or proposed some 20 separate amendments, all of which are designed to help part year residents in France. I think that’s incredible, given how difficult it has felt at times to get recognition of these issues.”
So the debate carries on and it is hoped that the matter in France will be resurrected and if it gains traction, then the Spanish Government with an eye of visitor spend may well be persuaded to follow suit as it affects so many second home owners in Spain.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
Good sick of hearing brits moaning about the 90/180 day thing its like they think they are something special. Less nrits the better
Simple .All EU countries have the 90/180 day thing applied when visiting the U.K. Fed up of EU thinking they are something special!
Yes we have a right t moan about the 90/180 days rule, people read this newsletter to keep up to date with event’s out of our hands. Some of us have own properties but can only visit 90days in 180days
Miserable blighter – seems to have an issue with spelling too!
Comments are closed.
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.