We are in France and hold temporary visas – can we now apply to stay on permanently?
You would have to return to the UK and reapply in full
My partner and I are UK citizens. We have bought a house in France and wish to settle there. We are visiting on a six-month VLS-T visa and would like to stay longer. Will we have to go through the process again of applying for a VLS-TS? Also, I am retired and thought that I could register my S1 to get medical cover in France but have been told this is not the case. Could you advise?
It is not possible to apply to stay permanently in France while in the country on a temporary long-stay visa. You would have to return to the UK and reapply in full for a long-stay visa valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS).
After applying online, you must visit a visa office in person – in London, Edinburgh or Manchester – to take in paperwork and have the new visa placed in your passport. Visa applications should be made no more than three months before a planned stay and The Connexion was told the process usually takes at least two weeks.
It is therefore not possible to apply for one without returning to the UK for a certain period. As an S1 holder you would be entitled to French healthcare (paid for by the UK) if you obtain an S1 and register it with a French Cpam healthcare body on moving to France.
This should be done once you have moved definitively, not during an extended visit before making France your main home. You should apply as early as possible for the S1 (it is possible 90 days before leaving the UK and it can be sent to your UK address) and take it in when you go for your visa appointment.