Just offering more luxurious alternatives to Brittany Ferries. 
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Thanks for sharing that, I remember now, and also you / Mrs H ? had a bit of an ordeal to get it - or just a long wait? Anyway congratulations!
I know you know your rights under ART 50 / TUE are because you fall under the international withdrawal treaty with the EU, and not because you have a CDS which says so.
It seems to me you, having been resident before end 2020 and continued to be so for 5 years have by now acquired the right of permanent residency under the treaty, and by right you should have been given a 10 year permanent card - not your fault they wouldnāt give you an initial 5 year CDS in 2020 when you had the other (diplomatic?) CDS.
I think you could appeal to the ministry of the interior to have a permanent card now, if you wanted one now, though I understand if you have had a lot of ag to get the 5 year one, you may just be happy enough to leave it be at the moment!?
Safe in the knowledge that at any time you can demand the permanent card backed up by all the documentation you have to prove you have met the conditions for permanent residence.
A lot of people have been reporting onerous and burdensome demands from some prefectures for documentation when renewing the 5 year cards, and I wonder if that has anything to do with local politics pushing for a tightening approach to permanent residency applications. Hopefully in 5 years time, there will be a national streamlined process for renewing ART 50 cards - 5 year or 10 year.
Appreciate Iām diverging a bit now from EES into the CDS thread(s).
Itās a bit of a grey area and I decided not to push my luck. If I was asked to prove my 5 years via tax returns, for example, it would be very difficult.
This news today from the grauniad on suisse - but I canāt figure it out. Exit Swiss side, avoid EES - but then take the same transit bus to Franceā¦?
Switzerland is in shengen, so has to comply with EES - ergo, grauniad is wrong?
Left France from Brive airport on Sunday morning to fly direct to Kerry airport. Didnāt see any particular delays, but then we did have passports and CDS at the ready. No stamps either. Seeing the border control at KIR was hilarious, it has a EU/UK channel and a Other Passports channel, but the guards couldnāt give a monkeyās and we ended up going through the āotherā channel with no issues. Itās not like itās a very busy airport! 
I understand, and my sympathies. Reading the treaty, I donāt see any grey areas - i.e. no carveout for diplomats. This is France though.
Not issued by Trotters Independent Traders?
No, sadly - the photo is of what is reckoned to be the oldest āBritish Passportā still in existence - issued by King Charles I on June 18th 1641 to Sir Thomas Littleton.
Mind you it may have expired by now.
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Rumour he is still waiting to get through the EES
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Yes - the loss of Calais to the French in 1558 will have confused his travel plans.
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The loss of his head certainly did. Oh I see you mean Sir Thom. 
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It was only valid three years - at least we get ten these days.
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