Can you visit your second home in France without a return ticket?

Reader question: Can you travel to your second home in France without a return booked ticket? And, if so, are there any other consequences?

You can travel in France as a Non-EU visitor without a pre-booked return ticket, provided you can show that you have sufficient funds to buy one and meet the other conditions for entry to the Schengen area. 

Visitors must generally be able to show a valid passport, meet any visa requirements, justify the purpose and conditions of their stay, and show that they have sufficient financial means to support themselves and return home. 

Border officials can ask to see supporting documents, although such checks are relatively uncommon for visa-exempt visitors from countries such as the UK and US.

According to France's official guidance, visitors must demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves during their stay and either hold a return ticket or have the financial means to buy one. 

The required daily amount for their stay is €32.50 if staying with a host or at a second home, €65 with a hotel booking or €120 without proof of accommodation.

For a month-long stay, the requirement could amount to €3,600 at the €120 daily rate for travellers without proof of accommodation, plus the cost of a ticket home, although this is just an illustrative calculation.

Most travellers report that simply showing a credit or bank card has usually been enough, but carrying recent bank statements as a precaution may be advisable.

Proof of property ownership, such as a local property tax bill or utilities bill, can also help demonstrate accommodation arrangements. 

Another point visitors should bear in mind is that French rules require foreign visitors to have travel health insurance covering medical and hospital expenses, including medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death.

If you travel without a return ticket, it can have consequences for insurance claims. Some travel insurance policies deduct the cost of a one-way fare from repatriation claims when the traveller does not hold a valid return ticket. 

For example, RAC travel insurance policy wording states that if a traveller is repatriated without a valid return ticket, the insurer will deduct an amount equivalent to the original carrier's one-way airfare, in the same class as the outward journey, for the route used to return to the UK.

You should therefore check your travel insurance policy before departure to understand how the absence of a booked return journey could affect a claim.