Second home in France

There will not be a new Attestation for entering France soon. The current restrictions will stay in place.

I am not sure, the economic damage is now going to be so bad the gates may be opened anyway like in many 2nd world and 3rd world countries. Sad fact is that there could be more damage done with the half hearted lockdown than Covid 19 can do, on this I agreed with Terresa May. I for one however will continue with the mask and gloves and keep out of the way

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Thanks Geof, Pas de Calais is in a red area.
I am fairly certain we have had it, oddly contracted in France (the re-occurance rate is tiny beyond tiny). So fairly safe for me. I would self isolate anyway, hence me still wearing a mask.
As for the business, I gave up the City a few years ago, I can now work anywhere, I am a commercial artist (former hobby) and designer. Have given up most contracts now, was intending settling in France and keeping it ticking over, same with my wife.
I cant see the Gendarmes seeing my position as essential, or anything else!
I have been hearing 15th June lot, that’s why I asked although 11th May was mentioned. I will ask French Immigration Monday.

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The 15th June was given on the British Embassy in Paris FB page today. They also stated in an answer to a specific question that visitors from Britain and the Netherlands would not be able to visit France until the regulations change.

Philip, I doubt very much that you’ll have a problem if you pitch up with the right documentation. Just print off your tax d’hab, your ImpĆ“ts declarations for the last couple of years and any other supporting documents you can then fill in the attestion saying you’re going home. The worst that can happen is they turn you around, which I very much doubt they will.

My wife and I arrived by ferry on the 24th of March and then had 1200 kms to do to get home during total lockdown. You’ve less than the 100km limit to do on arrival. The one thing though, was they asked if our car was registered in France, which it is. If yours is not the document inspection may be more thorough.

We were out shopping yesterday for the first time in three weeks. The increase in traffic was very noticeable. Things are still very much under control, thanks goodness, but things are starting to loosen up with everyone taking care.

The problem with bringing tax paperwork for a second home is that it is likely to display your British postal address which won’t do much to prove that a person is returning to their primary residence.

There’s the rub David and why one should have all documentation sent electronically. That way you can keep the physical address and not end up with a stuffed letter box.

Also, having another look at the attestation, clause one seems to allow any EU resident to enter France, or have I read it incorrectly?

"Persons who have their main residence in France or in the European Union or an assimilated country thereof, holders of a valid French or European residence permit or long-stay visa, and their spouses and children;

So basically John you’re suggesting Philip lies to the gendarmes in order to break the law, that’s certainly a first on here, perhaps you can give me hints on how to get away with not declaring all my income for 2019 as I’m a bit skint at the moment. :grinning:

The bit of the attestation you’ve quoted gives French residents authorisation to return home and for EU residents to pass through France en route to whatever country they’re going to, that’s all.

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You have read it incorrectly, if you had quoted the whole passage that would have been obvious as it mentions going to their main residence. I checked online to see if my postal address is shown on the online tax forms before posting, it is so that excuse is out too. Tim is right, why are you trying to help someone to bypass the rules that the French government has put in place to protect its population. Your returning to France was different, you were returning home not just hoping to be able to visit your holiday home.

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We’ll, I just wanted to reflect how it is, not necessarily how it should be. Many Parisians have illegally decamped to their holiday homes and there’s not an inconsiderable number of Dutch and Belgian cars swanning around my neck of the woods. I guess the Dutch will head home soon because all the provisions they brought with them from the Netherlands will start running out.

Things are loosening up and from an economic point of view they really have to. I’m in a vulnerable category so I’ll continue to take ā€œextremeā€ precautions but I recognise that life has to restart and let’s hope there’s no second wave.

My reading is that Chris has a business here, pays taxes here and has significant links to here. In my book, at this stage, he should be allowed travel. Things aren’t always black and white which is difficult for a form or attestation to reflect but I’ve always found the French authorities are quite reasonable and pragmatic.

So, bottom line, I’ve played by the rules and would always encourage others to do so but on balance, if I was him, I’d go for it - but he should, of course, self isolate for 14 days.

BTW, my point about electronic communications was that the address on the form doesn’t matter, nor does where you actually are. A great help if one splits one’s time between two locations.

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Having a business and possibly paying taxes in France does not make him a resident. It’s always nice to build a more detailed picture of other members of a forum especially when it allows you to see who is willing to encourage others to break basic rules and laws. Encouraging a holiday home owner who has admitted that he is resident in Britain and pays his taxes there to lie at this time is unacceptable. It’s worrying to see who believes they are above the law.

No Tim, I’m not recommending that but if I thought it was the sensible thing to do I would have no difficulty in recommending it. :slight_smile:

This brings up an interesting point which I’ve sometimes pondered on. The British attitude to complying with laws is not the same as the French one. When one encounters a law or rule in France one really needs to try and see it through a French lens which may or may not influence one’s attitude towards compliance. Obviously French friends are a good barometer. But basically I think the French attitude to compliance is somewhat more selective and flexible than the British one.

I’m still not sure about the Attestation… Does Chris live in the EU or a third country now :thinking:

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That’s a very British attitude David, and there is nothing wrong with that at allšŸ™‚ But… in my experience the French are somewhat more flexible.

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It’s not a British attitude it’s a personal standard. My French neighbours have stuck to the rules throughout the lockdown. Please don’t try to suggest that your morals are somehow superior and better suited to life in France.

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Can we all call a halt to this ā€œback and forthā€ā€¦ stuff.

I have just been reading Sud Ouest and it talks there about the flexibility of controls… albeit needing to be enforced… but still commonsense coming into the equation.

Happy Weekend everyone… let’s call a truce… eh ???

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Just on that Tim, I would have hoped you’d already filed your tax return by now :slight_smile: but if not I’d recommend you get the advice of a local tax professional or international ones such as Blevin Franks. :money_mouth_face:

I think the ā€œback and forthā€ is a ā€œconversationā€ Stella. Just like at a polite dinner party :slight_smile: No ones getting grumpy.

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Fair enough… I’ll leave you boys to play… :hugs:

Plenty of time, I’ve got until the beginning of June.

As Stella says, there is always a need to apply commonsense, and sometimes your own ethical standards, to state or any other regulations. Sometimes - the suffragettes or Rosa Parks or Nelson Mandela come to mind - it is absolutely right to break the law.
The fact is that almost everybody does break the law sometimes - I wonder if those advocating slavishly following all rules here have never, for example, broken a speed limit? (and in fact it is widely recognised that the importance of rules like speed limits is not that everybody always keeps to them, but that despite the fact that not everybody always does they still slow down traffic generally).
There is a danger of adopting an officious or ā€˜holier than thou’ attitude that is not helpful to others who are doing their best but whose circumstances do not quite fit any scenario imagined by the rule-makers.
So let me put a personal issue to you: my daughter has been stuck at uni in Rennes, a couple of kilometres over the 100k from us, and wants to come home at the end of term. She is willing to come by public transport, but I feel she will be safer if I go a fetch her by car, which means I will break the rules by a very few kilometres. What would you do?

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