Are second-home owners in France subject to EES?
France does not have a specific immigration/residency status for homeowners
The phased introduction of the Entry/Exit System should be complete by mid-April 2026
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Several readers have asked if second-home owners who live abroad but regularly visit their properties in France have to complete the European Entry/Exit System (EES) formalities.
The system, which launched on October 12, begins with a ‘phased start’ which will see the scheme rolled out over a six-month period.
This means it should be in place at all of France's external Schengen borders by mid-April 2026.
With regard to second-home owners who have their main residence outside France, the general rule is that they are the same as other non-EU/non-EES/non-Swiss national visitors, ie. they have to register in EES.
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This is because France does not have any specific legal status of second-home owner with regard to immigration and borders rules.
However, there is an exception to this if you have a temporary long-stay visa (VLS-T), as the EU states that holders of long-stay visas will be exempt from the EES requirements.
Note too that time on a long-stay visa is not counted as part of the 90/180 days rule. Checking on respect of this rule by short-stay visitors to the Schengen area is a key reason for setting up EES.
This kind of visa is fixed-term (cannot be renewed) and is typically issued for a stay of up to six months. You can find out more about them at france-visas.gouv.fr.
The Connexion also publishes a help guide to Visas and residency cards for France (available here).
