EU’s 90/180 days rule: Readers challenge common views on France visits

To the Editor,

I have just read your reader feedback about the 90/180-day rule and wish to make several points. 

M.H. described problems looking after his granddaughter in France: “90/180’ meant we could spend very little time with her… so, we applied for visas each year. 

"Sometimes we could get them and stay six months, leaving us free to use the 90 days for emergencies, parental or child illness.”

Brilliant, but they may not realise they can stay 90 days, plus 180 on the visa, plus a further 90. You would not be able to do that with a 180/360 system. [Editor’s note: some campaigners argue for an EU visa-free right to come for up to six months at a time, or six months a year. We also note that spending all year in France runs a risk of a person being considered a tax resident].

Another reader, M.B., owns a boat in Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes.

She wrote: “The nature of boating is such that more frequent use is necessary in the summer months. It is not therefore possible to evenly spread our usage across the year. 

"To enjoy our boat under the 90/180 days rule it is necessary to apply for a long-stay visa each year, incurring fees, and there is no guarantee our application will be accepted. 

"This is valid for six months only and is issued subject to financial requirements. We also lose our passports for a month each year during the application process, which limits any travel further afield.”

This is just not true – in my experience of five six-month visas since 2021, the passport is returned in just over a week.

She added: “Having to operate within the 90/180-day rule and retaining our boat in Antibes would prevent us from travelling to any other Schengen countries.”

A 180/360 system would not change that – in that case, if all days are used in France, one cannot go to other Schengen countries. 

A French six-month visa, however, can be used in other Schengen countries, on the proviso that the majority of the time is spent in France. 

I also have a boat in France, apply for a six-month summer visa and use it in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. I use the other 90/180 days in other Schengen countries.

C.S., Oxfordshire and Nord

To the Editor,

I struggle to understand why Americans are now being highlighted along with Britons in the context of the 90/180-day rule. 

They are just like every other non-EU citizen and I don’t feel they should have special treatment. As for Britons, I understand how things have dramatically changed since Brexit. 

I am a New Zealander living in France. There is no way I would have imagined being exempt from the 90/180-day rule when we first started visiting our holiday home here. Now we are retired and have 10-year visas.

If you buy a property with no visa, then too bad. The 90/180 day rule is not new. The EES system simply makes it easier for authorities to track people. 

N.C., by email

Do you find the current options (90/180-days rule and temporary long-stay visas for longer stays) to be sufficient for your needs? Tell us at letters@connexionfrance.com