If I apply for a Carte de sejour now (Ie before the June deadline) will I be restricted to spending fewer than 183 days in the UK each year? If the answer is yes is my only option to not apply for the CdeS and go for the visa route with expensive health insurance? I’d like to continue spending 4 continuous summer months in my French property, bought in retirement.
Hi Kate and welcome to SF
@toryroo is the person most up to date on the CdS-WA requirements and as I’ve tagged her, I’m sure she will be along before too long with some quality advice as may others up to speed on this issue.
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Yes. If you have not already been resident for over 5 years, which it sounds as if you haven’t, then you must spend at least 6 months of the year in France and have all your centres of interest here. So re-register car, pay tax, join the health service, etc etc. And just having a holiday home does not qualify you for a carte de séjour anyway, unless you bend the truth a bit.
So the long stay visa route is what you will need. The health insurance for 4 months may not cost you that much more than top-up mutuelle were you to have become a French resident.
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Well you can’t get more concise advice than that 
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Exactly what Jane said!
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