Thanks very much Tory 
I have Just bought my house (15 Dec ) I have the attestation and insurance policy which I hope is sufficient for proof of residency. I cannot get to France until after the travel restrictions are eased somewhat, so all my bills from edf/water/telecoms will reflect a Jan arrival in France. My French bank account at britline will not be in action till after the xmas break (my telephone interview is 05 Jan) Am I right in thinking that I have missed the boat somewhat and that I will have to go through normal application for carte de sejour as a foreign national.
It is my first posting so I do apologise in advance if this has drifted off topic.
Welcome Thomas…
Oh dear…
People are still arriving in France… you now have the house, so I would suggest you grab your suitcase and get here before the end of the year… then you can get/will have supporting evidence that you were definitely in France before 31/12/20.
Which country is giving you problems re travel ??
(if applicable… have you applied for your S1?)
Sadly yes. Brexit is Brexit, and it falls at 11.59pm on 31st December.
And be aware that travel rules change too, so it is possible that after 31st December individual travellers from the UK won’t be allowed entry into the EU because of Covid restrictions. Currently it’s not clear if the EU will immediately put the UK on the non-EU list, or allow some period of grace.
(Unless of course you happen to have an Irish passport?)
If not arriving here until after 31st no longer eligible for an S1 I believe. The UK comes out of that european system.
I am only posing the question about S1… since I’ve no idea what, if anything he has set in motion… it sounds like travel problems (of some sort) have stymied his planned arrival before the end of this year…
such a shame.
I’m not aware of travel restrictions from the UK to France before the 31st, afterwards is a different matter.
yes, I thought that UK was ok at present… which is why I suggested he grab a suitcase and get here… now… 
but it is not clear which country he will be travelling from… 
I have work commmitments over the xmas break, so that its not possible to get away till next month, the sale of my house actually was brought forward so I was pleased to get in before brexit crept in, I do have an Irish passport though, but as all my documents are all related to uk addresses I was wanting to keep everything British. I dont retire till august so its pointless getting S1 until then as I wont be moving over to France permanently till September, so cant really log out of the uk health?tax system. Thanks for the welcome and hope to be more pro-active on the forum now that I have finally dipped my feet into the water.
If you have an Irish passport you don’t need a CdS.
You’ll be fine with an Irish passport as you will remain european so the brexit problems won’t bother you. Although keep an eye on travel restrictions after January if you are physically arriving from the UK.
My word… that’s a magic phrase… “I do have an Irish passport”… what a lucky chap you are. 
When you come over next year… you will find things nice and easy with your Irish passport… even if paperwork relates to UK…
I know an Irish family who arrived in my Commune late last year… from the UK… and getting them into the French system was a doddle… especially since no Carte de Sejour was/is required for Irish.
Seriously, while you might wish to take the British route, it could be a mistake to do just that…
You will not find yourself with the same advantages which your Irish passport entitles you to. I’m sure you will give this all some serious thought… and, of course, the decision is entirely yours to make.
Folk here are very helpful… so ask away… any questions… and we’ll do our best… 
Thanks I cant Wait to get settled in 
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This page listing the exemptions to the EU border restrictions is careful to note that the UK is exempt only up to the end of the transition period.
So I think it’s definitely a case of unless something happens we will not be allowed in (just on the Covid numbers in the UK I’m not sure I’d let us in TBH).
In some ways this is actually not the case, under the WA there are some things which are actually better that for EU nationals bizarrely. The main example being the right to ‘leave’ for up to 5 years without loosing your residency (10 year perm), for EU cits this is only 2 years.
Dual UK / EU cits who are here before the 31/12 retain all the WA rights (pension portability etc) without needing to get a CdS so it is a shame the OP can’t get over in time.
Maybe I worded it badly… sorry…
The gentleman to whom I was replying… might be better applying as Irish since he cannot arrive to start his Residency in France until some time in January 2021…
therefore he will not be able to get the WA CdS (or will he??)
which is why I suggested he not dismiss using his Irish Passport to apply …
he is in a happy situation…
Hi everyone, sorry for the late night posting ( grabbed a naughty teabreak at work) I have read the last few posts since my last visit, I am definately going to move to France using my Irish Passport (with all the eu rights it entails???) I definately cannot come to France until mid Jan as I am currently working offshore. I am now slightly confused by Toryroos comments
Why do I need to be in france on an Irish Passport before 01 Jan to get a CdS?as I will be applying through normal channels as an EU citizen and not as a WA uk citiizen, I am a bit worried now about my pension portability referenced in the post quoted? I would not have thought that the French government could cherry pick between UK pasport holders, Irish Passport Holders , or dual Passport holders, I would have thought that whichever passpot I use would be the deciding factor in any rights issues to pension rights.
Anyway apologies in advance if I have misread or misconstrued what I have read here .I hope every one of you had a great xmas, lets beat the covid and have a real Xmas next year. 
If you come here on your Irish passport you will retain your rights as a european and don’t even need to get a CdS.
However there are a couple of things that are potentially better if you do get a CdS using your UK passport before the end of the year, ie a Withdrawal Agreement CdS.
The one that is often quoted is that you will then be allowed to leave France for 5 years without loosing your rights, rather than just 2.
The other aspects may well no longer be relevant is it is possible that the new deal has put in place agreement on continued health cover, uprating of pensions and so on for everyone before and after this year. (I find this hard to believe so am still hesitant about saying it is true even though I have read the text!).
Really though does this matter to an eu citizen. It matters to brits because once they lose their residency rights they have lost freedom of movement entirely. An eu citizen can come and go as they please. For workers snd actually most eu citizens the “extra” rights you have in a country after quslifying for permanent residence make very little difference.
Where did you read the text please? I have not managed to find a link.