Last Thursday we arrived in Santander, Spain on the ferry from Plymouth. We are French residents and showed our Titre de Sejour with our passport. Passport was stamped with arrival date in Santander. We drove back to France on the same day but of course no border control so no stamp to say we entered France. How can we prove that we are now back in France?
I am confused here but as french tax residents is it true you shouldn’t have had your UK passports stamped as it will be recorded and you will be under the 90day rule?? This is how I have read other people’s experience of getting back into their fiscally resident French home. Having a current TDS means you are not subject to that rule.
Same happened to me last September when entering France from the UK, even though I showed my CDS. It was only subsequently questioned once after that, and I explained what happened and it wasn’t an issue. However, the stamp having been done in Spain may cause more confusion at customs, but having the residency card should always trump any questions that may be asked. I think this sort of thing is probably quite common.
simplest thing is surely to go shopping, the pharmacy… whatever… their bills/paperwork will show where you are today/now…
1 Like
The only solution might be for those resident in any European country to only exit/enter the Schengen zone (if travelling on a UK passport) via that country.
It’s something that I don’t think Schengen has got their collective heads around.
2 Likes
can someone please clarify…
Even though I have a French Permanent Resident card… (With Agreement)… I think I am still under the 90-day rule when visiting other Schengen countries…???
I’m sure it’s been thrashed about already, but my head’s on the blink…
Yes.
2 Likes
“ Always carry your passport when travelling within the Schengen area. If you have citizenship of an EU or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country, in addition to your British citizenship, you should enter and leave France using your EU or EFTA passport.
If you stay in France with a French residence permit or long stay visa, this time does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit for the Schengen area.
If you visit other Schengen area countries outside France, make sure you do not exceed the visa-free 90 days in any 180-day period. This applies even if you have a French residence permit. You are responsible for counting how long you stay under the Schengen visa waiver, and you must comply with its conditions.
Different rules apply to EU countries that are not part of the Schengen area. Check each country’s travel advice page for information on entry requirements.”
“ If you were living in France before 1 January 2021:
When you travel, carry your carte/titre de séjour « accord de retrait du Royaume-Uni de l’Union Européenne » (the WARP) or frontier worker permit issued under the Withdrawal Agreement, in addition to your valid passport.
You must proactively show your residence document, or other evidence of residence status, if you are asked to show your passport at border control. If you have applied for, but not yet received, your WARP, show your certificate of application, which you should have received by email. If you cannot prove that you are a resident in France, you may be asked additional questions at the border to enter the EU.
Your passport may be stamped on entry and exit. This will not affect your rights in the country or countries where you live or work. If a passport is stamped, the stamp is considered null and void when you can show evidence of lawful residence. Read EU guidance for UK nationals on entering and leaving the Schengen area.
If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can enter and exit EU countries with a valid passport. You do not need any additional validity on the passport beyond the dates on which you are travelling.”
It’s a Schengen thing. 
6 Likes
So basically a passport stamp for a french resident with WARP TDS is a waste of ink?
Not at all… the French CdS does not confer any rights on the holder outside the host State.
If it were not so, someone with a residency permit issued in one State could be permitted to remain in another State without the legal authority to do so.
It is for the holder to convince the authorities at the point of departure (if other than their host State) that they have not acted outside the terms of their visa.
5 Likes
Thank you for your replies. My shopping bill for last Saturday is now tucked into my passport!
1 Like
How would they know it was YOUR shopping bill.?
Use a credit card.
How did we get to October 2022 and people still believe a WARP CdS is travel document?
2 Likes
It may need more than that in terms of factual evidence you were resident at your house in France - maybe electric/water/fuel usage - something that can positively identify you as being present in your house in France as opposed to being a casual visitor to the area.
As a matter of interest, where do you next expect to depart from the EU?
OK can use fuel/water bill as well. But surely cds proves I’m not a casual visitor.
Expect to go to Spain for 3 months after Christmas.
1 Like
as far as I can see… you entered Spain from UK… stamp… drove through Spain to your home in France… (no stamp) and went shopping locally here in France… hurrah… you are in France… you have the shopping Bill… and if paid by debit card/card/cheque… there will be a similar entry on your bank statement… eventually… (which often gives all sorts of info…)
I would think that this is fair enough…
However, if I were really worried… I would hotfoot it to my Mairie (poor overworked souls that they are) and ask them to date-stamp/sign a note confirming I am alive and well, back home in France!!! 
Truly, though, I think that’s a bit over the top… I’m here in France and life continues…
Dont think I’ll bother thé mairie. Bank statement will show receipts from péage on entering France so surely that should be enough proof. Better than shopping bill.
2 Likes
you gather whatever makes you feel good… tuck it all somewhere safe… just in case.
Then… relax… pour a glass of something nice… sit back and enjoy… 
not in Spain it doesn’t… so far as they might be concerned, if there is no credible recorded break in between, you could have remained in Spain in excess of the 90/180 visa.
I accept it’s a nightmare but that’s what the UK voted for unfortunately.
1 Like