First contact: Key French and UK authorities

The basics – telling the government

It may sound obvious, but it bears repeating – you must understand the difference between a short stay and a long stay, as this will affect who you need to inform and how.

If you are a British national planning to spend no more than 90 days in France and the wider Schengen area within any 180-day period, you do not need to inform the French authorities about your arrival in any special way.

This may be for purposes such as tourism, certain permitted business trips or family visits.

In this case, your visit is registered automatically at the border when your passport is scanned.

From late 2026, UK travellers will also need to obtain Etias (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) approval before travelling to the Schengen area. This is not a visa, but a short online travel authorisation linked electronically to your passport. Updates are available on the official Etias portal.

If you wish to stay in France for more than 90 days, you must obtain a long-stay visa before travelling (see Chapter 2 on visas).

You cannot apply from within France to convert a short stay into a long stay after arrival. Once you arrive, your long-stay visa must be validated within two months.

It is also advisable to check the latest guidance from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) before travelling and to monitor its travel advice while abroad.

The British Embassy is in Paris, and the UK also has consulates in Bordeaux and Marseille, which can provide assistance to British nationals living in or visiting France.

Your long-stay life in France

Whether you move for work, study or family reasons, before long you will probably need to make contact with your prefecture. This is the main local office of the French state and an important point of contact for administrative matters such as residency card applications and renewals, or eventually applying for French nationality.

Among other functions, prefectures coordinate elections, help maintain public order and lead the local response on behalf of the government in cases such as natural disasters, health emergencies or civil unrest.

Each department in France has a main prefecture, usually located in its largest city. There may also be one or more sub-prefectures in other towns, although these generally deal with a more limited range of matters. Regional prefectures also exist.

The prefecture represents the French state at local level and is headed by the préfet (prefect). The préfet’s role includes ensuring national laws and policies are implemented locally and acting as a link between central government and local authorities.

Using the name of your department, you can find your prefecture online.

Mainland France and Corsica have 96 departments across 13 regions. Each department also has a number, which usually corresponds to the first two digits of local postcodes and appears on vehicle registration plates.

Departments are divided into communes, which range in size from small villages to large cities.

A commune is overseen by a maire (mayor) and a conseil municipal (municipal council). These bodies manage local services such as water supply, waste collection, local roads, primary schools and planning matters.

The municipal council is commonly referred to as the mairie, which can also mean the building where these services are based – essentially the town hall. In larger towns and cities the building may instead be called the hôtel de ville.

Getting to know your local mairie is recommended, particularly in smaller communes where residents are more likely to know the mayor personally. The mayor often plays a central role in community life.

In some areas, newcomers choose to introduce themselves with a short written note in French, which can help establish goodwill and ease integration.

Where the arrival of new residents is notable, communes may also organise welcome gatherings, often around New Year or an apéritif (apéro) event. If invited, attending is generally appreciated and can be a good way to meet neighbours.