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Buying a Property in France

Buying a Property in France

Passports, visas and residency

Passports and visas
British citizens in possession of a valid passport may visit France for up to 90 days. A visa is not required.

By law, everyone in France is required to carry ID. Visitors should, therefore, carry a valid passport at all times to produce on request.

Residency
British citizens, as members of an EU country, are entitled to live and work in France and do not require a work permit or visa. A formal residency document, known as a carte de séjour, is no longer compulsory, but it may be useful as a form of identification.

The French economy

France is a country in flux. Its centralised economy of the last five decades has left it at odds with its Western European neighbours, propelling its government to partially or fully privatise many large companies, banks and insurers in its attempt to ensure it remains competitive within the EU and global markets.

Naturally, the country will manage the change in its own inimitable way, ensuring its commitment to capitalism will not be at the expense of social equity by means of laws, tax policies and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare.

Turning round the juggernaut will not be easy. France’s tax burden remains one of the heaviest in Europe (nearly 50 per cent of GDP in 2005), the general global economic slowdown has helped push its budget deficit above the eurozone\'s three-per-cent-of-GDP limit, and unemployment stands at 10 per cent in a country that has seen great social unrest of late.

And finally...

France is the second most popular destination with Britons buying a property abroad (Spain is number one). Approximately 200,000 of us have bought at a piece of our closest neighbour, with reportedly several thousand more moving to the other side of the channel annually. Naturally, therefore, the buying and legal process, while different to that in the UK, is far from insurmountable – it simply takes a little more patience and a small leap of faith.

The rewards, needless to say, will be enormous, but ensure you don’t make any mistakes that you may later regret. Always, but always, use the services of an English-speaking solicitor; take advice on tax, mortgages and foreign exchange. Actively seek out other Britons who have bought in the region, town or village that interests you. Try and learn, and speak, a little of the language. Then, and only then, will you be able truly to enjoy la belle France.

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More pages

Page 1: Why France?
Page 2: The south coast of France
Page 3: Passports, visas and residency

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