Applying for Residency of Another EU country

General Discussion
1

Merry Christmas. Anyone know if applying for residency in another EU country having been accepted by France or even in the process of being accepted is problematic?

2

Assuming the applicant is a British national?

Each EU country has its own residency regulations. Applying now as a British national means the same as applying from UK.

Holding a pre-Brexit France residency permit will make no difference when applying for residence in other countries. A new EU country application will begin its record from this point, not from the date you moved from UK to reside in France.

That said, where there’s a will there’s a way. Don’t be deterred if moving is your goal. Since you have already managed the bureaucratic process for France you are at least forewarned about what is in store. New requirements for residency in EU are however, becoming more restrictive with aspects such as proof of income, so best begin the research now.

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3

I assume neither you nor your spouse (if applicable) are EU nationals, in which case it would have been relatively straightforward to take up residency in any other EU country…

4

Yes absolutely - Greece was on my list of possible countries to retire to along with France, but their current minimum income requirement of €42,000 a year (up from €30,000 since 2023!) would have made it quite impossible for me, even with all other things being equal, which they are not.

5

I suspect that there won’t be many of us who have thought of doing such an “about turn” and applying for Residency in another country, while in the throes of applying/being-accepted for Residency here in France… :wink:

If you double-check the requirements for the other EU country you are considering… and if you can meet those requirements… then you should have no problems that I can think of.

I reckon we all know that one cannot actually be Resident in more than one country at a time… :wink: :wink: the “French Tax Man” would have a fit with the annual declarations :rofl:

6

Problematic in what sense? I do not understand what your worry is.
Applying is not a problem. If you are upfront about your situation and the country or its embassy decides you meet the conditions for whatever visa or permit you are applying for, it will grant it. If not they will not. Are you worrying that you do not meet the conditions, or that you will somehow get yourself into trouble just by applying?

7

I have seen that a lot of people who already have French residency post Brexit have been asking about moving to Spain. The only difference is that they have to apply via the Spanish embassy nearest to them in France not via an Embassy in the U.K.

8

One (not very quick!!) option for Brits is to move to Ireland first (which doesn’t require a visa or work permit etc. because of the Common Travel Area, which dates from the establishment of Eire in 1921).

Once you have lived there for five years you can apply for Irish citizenship, which then gives you EU Freedom of Movement.

9

As long as you don’t mind 5 years in the rain :smiling_face_with_tear:

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10

I might have misunderstood… but the original post did not make it clear that this was someone with a WA CdS (or CdS from some years ago) it sounded as if it was "in the offing or only just done in France and now… all change "…

hence my reasoned reply… :wink: :rofl: :rofl:

EDIT: However if there really are “many” SF’ers who’ve done the deed and moved on from France, swiftly and with style, perhaps they’ll speak up and tell the OP what he/she wants to know." :+1:

11

Yes indeed - I was going to mention that! :smiley:

12

You are always the voice of reason @Stella!

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13

:rofl: :rofl: I’ll earmark one of my special mince pies… just for you :+1: :wink:

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14

I didn’t read it on here. It was on a site for people wanting to move to Spain after Brexit. I was surprised to see how many people who are already resident in France want to move to Spain or already have done so and are offering advice.

15

Ah, that explains why we’re a little at odds… the OP was asking the Forum and I was replying about “us forumites”… :wink: :wink:

I’ll save you a mince pie too.

16

More like 8 years in the rain. My husband was finally naturalised this year. It took 3 years from the date of application until the date he received his first passport.
So 5 years (3 if you’re married to an Irish national) + 3 year wait.
Luckily we weren’t in the rain, though. We’re in Strasbourg.

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17

Thank you Susannah. Everyone responding has pretty much the same to say except in the case of Mr. Matthews who adds that having become a French resident one would apply to the respective embassy in France rather than revert to the UK. Many thanks.

18

Thank you George1.

19

Chris, Noted. Thank you.

20

Thank you Stella. You are quite right, re, few ‘about turning.’ In our case we have felt France to be home for over twelve years during our membership of the EU but we were at sea for eleven months of the year and were unable to undergo the necessaries pre or post Brexit as a result. Now retired I need to get out of returning to England every 90 days because I just can’t stand being here so plan on initiating the process now. However, Spanner in the Works: one son has moved to Portugal and the other also wants out of the UK, while we have become grandparents. So, while we have a place in France, love and feel comfortable in it it’s looks as though Portugal will become our final resting place. Hence wondering if having become a French resident it would have any impact either positively or negatively in applying for Portuguese residency. That question has been answered by everyone replying for which I thank them. Makes no difference.

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