UK votes for life, electric cars, banking: 5 French practical updates

All Britons abroad can now register to vote

Britons who have been living abroad for more than 15 years are now able to rejoin the electoral register in the UK.

This will allow them to vote in the UK’s upcoming General Election, set to be held within the next 12 months.

Our first article explains where you can sign up to vote, and what information you will need to do so.

More than 15,000 people registered within the first 24 hours of the change.

Read more: Historic victory as UK voter registration opens to all Britons abroad

Read more: 6,000 Britons abroad register on first day as 15-year rule ends

Changing your French bank

Although a time-consuming process, changing your bank in France can be useful, especially if your bank has increased their charges in 2024.

We look at how long the process takes, as well as some tips on how to change bank, including the mobilité bancaire section of the loi Macron.

Note that you cannot directly transfer funds between certain savings accounts such as Livret A because you are only allowed to have one of these open at a time.

In these cases, you will need to close one account completely before opening another.

Read more: How easy is it to change bank in France?

Electric car rental overview

This article covers the schemes available for long-term electric car rentals, including those from car manufacturers.

It compares these to government schemes, highlighting where the two can come together (for example with the bonus écologique scheme).

Read more: What are rates for long-term electric car rentals in France?

Eurostar flash sale offers €39 tickets

A flash sale organised by Eurostar is currently selling tickets between Paris and London for €39 each way.

The sale runs until January 22 (Monday) and covers trains running until March 27.

Tickets to all destinations on both the Eurostar and Thalys lines, including Amsterdam, Cologne, Brussels, and Lille, are included, with over 50,000 tickets available at the discount price .

Read more: Eurostar offers €39 France-UK tickets in flash sale

Security alert level lowered across France

The national ‘Vigipirate’ security threat level was lowered earlier this week after being placed at the highest possible level in October. The risk level nationwide is now level 2 (out of three possible levels) which places the nation on an alert level for terrorist activity.

Unlike the highest level, the current sécurité renforcée can remain in place indefinitely.

Read more: France has lowered its terrorism threat alert level