Can EU residency card help us visit family in Spain from France for longer?

Reader Question: My husband and I hold 10-year Brexit cards. Family members live in Spain and we visit regularly, but feel limited by the 90/180 days rule. 

Would a carte de résident de longue-durée UE (long-term EU residency card) help us stay longer?

Any long-stay residency card issued by an EU country comes with short-stay visa waiver rights for the rest of the Schengen area and this applies to Brexit Withdrawal Agreement (WA) cards.

Holders should respect the 90/180 days rule on visits in the wider Schengen area and not spend more than three consecutive months in another single EU country.

Due to the lack of internal controls, it may be possible to spend longer without this being checked but legally you should not do so. 

Note that at least until the end of October, France is operating increased border spot checks with Spain for security reasons. 

We therefore suggest not spending more than 90 consecutive days in another EU country.

You may be able to apply for a ‘long-term EU’ card, but this does not change visiting rights. 

It only exempts the holder from having to apply for a visa prior to moving on a settled basis to another EU country (they must then apply in the country for a national residency card).

France does not allow foreigners to hold more than one card at a time. 

So, WA card holders cannot be issued a long-term EU card while retaining a Brexit card but must give up the WA card. 

They do not lose WA rights in this case (and can ask to switch back later) but the EU card is thus only beneficial if you plan to relocate.

Note that rights under a 10-year WA card are only lost after five years away from France. 

Obtaining French or another EU citizenship would give you greater flexibility, but even EU citizens are asked to register in Spain for a foreign person’s identification number if staying more than three months.