Britons in france

Senior couple walking along a flower-filled cobbled street in an Alsace village

France eases citizenship rules for retirees with foreign pensions

Minister accepts senator’s call for more flexible attitude

Do thousands of Britons risk being ‘uprooted’ from France due to visa chaos?

Withdrawal Agreement provides strong protection to British citizens

UK pension death benefit tax change: what families in France should know

A measure in UK’s Autumn Budget will ease tax for children and spouses

reader experiences

British women turn creative passions into a business in rural France

Friends open creative space 'Cou-Cou' in Creuse

UK bid to rejoin EU: ‘so many bumps in the road’

Cambridge professor says UK would have to negotiate terms

UK could rejoin EU in coming decade, says French think tank expert

November 20 talks offer a chance for a ‘new horizon-setting summit’ on UK-EU relations, Sébastien Maillard tells The Connexion

Two politicians pose outside a building, one holding a bright red parliamentary dispatch box.

UK Autumn Budget 2026: What could affect Britons in France?

State pension increases, tax on rental income and easier UK work visas are among issues clarified

Rejoining the EU would reopen doors for Britons in France, but ‘a long tail to Brexit’ remains

Sociologist Michaela Benson warns that the lost opportunities and the damaged sense of belonging cannot simply be reversed

Burnham’s UK debate on rejoining EU marks ‘significant break’, says Sorbonne Nouvelle professor

Pauline Schnapper says, however, it is far from certain that the EU would grant the same sort of status that Britain had before

France would favour gradual UK return to EU, says Sciences Po professor

‘British society needed to go through Brexit to realise that Britain is a European country’

French senator: 'We are very pleased about the UK wanting closer links with the EU'

Olivier Cadic says a return of the UK 'would change everything'

‘It is such a relief to hear UK PM Andy Burnham talking this way’

Groups representing Britons in France have welcomed the prospect of a UK return to the EU

UK health cards in France: what EHICs and GHICs cover

French authorities clarify payments, reimbursements and hospital obligations

Good news for Britons in France as GBP hits 17-month high vs EUR

Both the pound and dollar are performing well against the euro

Who does new visa appointment change in UK apply to?

TLScontact introduced automatic appointments in response to fraud concerns

How electronic darts helped me become a French champion

Former sales manager Lian Blackshaw, 43, moved from Derby, UK, to a village near Cherbourg in 2005

Hands using a calculator beside a miniature house and property paperwork

Equity release in France is 'too complicated' say UK couple

Prêt viager hypothécaire required many hours of paperwork

Britons in France need to renew voter registration to remain on electoral lists

British MPs have voted 346 to 166 against a review into how voting from overseas can be made easier

Britons jostle with Germans for Channel tourism

Tourists return 'in droves' this year, experts say

UK pension tax changes: what impact on residents of France

Unused funds will generally count towards taxable estates from 2027

Britons in France: chance to support better UK voting from overseas

Opposition parties say elections bill lacks measures to help citizens abroad

How many Britons are in France – and where do they live?

Britons are among largest non-EU citizenship group in France

European Commission sign next to a French notary emblem.

French inheritance law: poor communication leaving some notaires still unsure of rules

Campaigners are urging those affected to lodge fresh complaints with the EU over 2021 French law

Letters sent to Britons in France over UK pension top-up change

We review the process - and cost - for people to continue to make payments

How Queen Elizabeth II's love of France won over the French

Royal biographer recalls the late Queen's lifelong francophilia

Police launch homicide investigation after Briton found dead at his home in Burgundy

The 78-year-old man’s body was discovered in Nièvre earlier this month

Dark blue car with a crumpled bonnet, broken grille and damaged front bumper after a crash.

Irish driver crashes in south-west France after driving on wrong side of road

Head-on collision in Tarn a timely reminder for British and Irish drivers in France

France storm insurance: Briton’s payout delayed over proof request

Insurer sought evidence other homes were storm-damaged

Calculator, British pound notes, notebook and pen used for household budgeting.

French bank charged €1,000 for UK transfer fees

Reader accrued fees over three years - before changing bank

Why does produce taste so much better in France?

Behind this oft-repeated observation lies differing food production, higher standards and even a few outdated stereotypes

Four people standing together and smiling outdoors in a leafy garden area.

Britons praise local French officials in health emergency case

Prefecture acted swiftly to help family after 89-year-old fell seriously ill

Are state pensions of Britons in France protected in case of UK government policy changes?

Questions come amid economic and political uncertainties in both countries

How a British couple built a successful glamping and campsite business in rural France

The award-winning Corrèze site offers a secluded wild meadow, swimming pool and hot tubs

Clamart,,France,,April,8,,2022:,Detail,Of,The,French,Government

Do I need to make declarations for tax in France during temporary move to UK?

Situation is variable depending on where you are considered to be a tax resident

Campaigners demand ‘fair deal’ for UK voters in France

Improved postal voting rules included new bill

UK inheritance tax changes: questions raised over impacts for Britons in France

Full implications are still being assessed by legal experts

Smiling person taking a selfie on a sunny sandy beach by the sea

I moved to France and retrained as a tradesperson

Reader Ceri-Anne Malessa-Thompson, 43, moved to Normandy in 2022

UK state pension halted in France over life certificate

Lot resident had to chase £10,000 after life certificate confusion

A stock photo of a WA residency card and a red line drawn between the UK and the EU on a map

Post-Brexit rights still cause problems for Britons in France

However France performs better on residency card waiting times than neighbouring countries

Official wearing a tricolour sash signing papers at a desk in an office

From Oxfordshire to French mayor: British woman leads village in Pas-de-Calais

Briton Maureen Searle, 71, was appointed mayor in March

British great-grandfather excels in French archery competitions

Discover how 79-year-old David Sherry is winning archery competitions in France, proving age is just a number in this exciting sport

Councillor Karen Blakemore outside her mairie

UK retiree re-elected to town council in south of France

Retiree Karen Blakemore lost her seat in Saint-Merd-de-Lapleau in Corrèze six years after her first election in 2014

Sir Tom Drew (right) meets prefect Laurent Hottiaux

New UK ambassador to France is ‘here for you’

The Connexion talks to Sir Thomas Drew, who highlights residency cards and border and travel rules among key issues for Britons

UK DWP considers digital life certificates to simplify pension checks in France

Many readers report problems with the current paper-based system

French senators meet minister over retiree citizenship refusals

Concerns raised about 'overly tough' criteria being applied since last year's circular

Queen Camilla meets the veterans at the Aquitaine Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club

Royal seal of approval for group connecting veterans in France

Reader Claire La Roche, 52, explains how she and her husband Mike, 55, founded the Aquitaine Breakfast Club

Life certificate pension suspension ‘left me overdrawn and stressed’

Retired journalist Jane McIntosh, 72, said the decision to stop her payments took place in December 2025

Two British passports lying on a map of the UK and France

Travelling from France to UK: dual nationals warn over passport renewal issues

It comes as the UK enforces its electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme

French residence card graphic overlaid on a bright Eiffel Tower riverside scene in Paris

Brexit cards give Britons in France similar - but not identical - rights to EU citizens

The WA residency card aimed at allowing Britons to continue living in France as they did before 2020 - with some exceptions

Briton shares tip after driving licence exchange refused due to old French permit

Reader Alan Bezzant from Pas-de-Calais said he had sought to exchange his UK licence for a French one

How to renew your Brexit residency card: the Lot prefecture explains

Department says process has gone well so far but extra staff were recruited to cope with workload

A mayor backs British woman ordered to leave France over low income

Briton ordered to leave the country after her small business failed to generate enough income in its first year

40,000 residency card renewals proceed smoothly in the main

There is a standardised process for prefectures to use but not all are doing so

British firefighter barred from dream navy job tells of disappointment

'I don’t see what makes me different from my friends' says 23-year-old turned down for French citizenship

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Why I love where I live... in Nantes

Reader Sue Alouche, 66, and her French husband set up 'Knowing Nantes', a network for the anglophone community in the city

Katy Wright and Rosie Ellis, of The French Reno Diaries Uncensored

British women tackle challenges of renovations in France with podcast

Series explores bureaucracy, construction rules, planning permissions, diagnostics and everyday hurdles

How to fit in when you move to France: avoid that ‘expat bubble’

After two decades in central Brittany, Jill Fitzgerald O’Connor wants to help other movers feel part of their new community

What I miss about France after moving back to UK

Columnist Gillian Harvey, who returned to the UK in 2024, explains what she misses – and what she has gained in the process

Insurance denied for Britons' French hilltop home due to 'flood risk'

Underwriters decided to end cover linked to alleged proximity to water

Sam Barcham takes one of her horses for a ride

Why we bought horses after moving to France – and what it taught us

When reader Sam Barcham, 48, moved from England to the south of France, she never anticipated that riding lessons would lead to buying three horses of her own

Side,View,Portrait,Of,Smiling,Young,Woman,Holding,Approved,Visa

French senator backs foreign retirees refused citizenship over pension income

Refusals have been worded as due to income coming mostly from abroad

'I moved to the French countryside and became manager of a dog kennel to save my soul'

Connexion reader Anita Rhoden shares her experiences after leaving a high-pressure banking job in the UK

Sir Thomas Drew, British Ambassador to France

Interview: UK-France relations will only get stronger this year says new British Ambassador

The Connexion speaks to Sir Thomas Drew, who took up the role on September 1

New healthcare fee in France: more retirees set to face charge

New wording brings extra people into scope of fee originally aimed especially at American retirees

UK retirees win government pension charges victory in France

Successful campaign by foreign residents should bring relief to hundreds of public sector pensioners

Oldest English pub in Bordeaux bought by Franco-British couple

The Golden Apple now serves their locally brewed beers

Widow in France wins payout after life assurance company cancels policy blaming Brexit

UK firm had told reader, 80, she would not receive any payment

British teen resident in France had to register in EES on re-entry

13-year-old without a DCEM young person’s travel document was told he would be subject to the 90/180 days rule

I became a professional upholsterer after moving to France

Reader Jo MacDonald, 59, describes how she monetised her hobby in Gers

Social charges on UK government pensions: France residents report progress

Issue now drawing attention at the highest levels

Briton’s EU voting rights cancelled in last-minute ruling by France's top appeal court

British civil servant Alice Bouilliez had previously been reinstated

Brexit WA residency card renewals simplified in some departments of France

40,000 five-year documents due to expire before the end of 2026

Cancer treatment at risk due to delays for 18-year-old’s WA card

Situation has now been eased after British consular service intervened

Must residency card holders in France keep three months’ validity on passport?

The British embassy and consulates in France no longer offer a passport renewal service

UK 2025 Autumn Budget: limit on state pension contributions to impact Britons in France

Britons abroad will need to have lived or worked in UK for 10 years and be limited to more expensive ‘class 3’ contributions