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Brexit For Members

Reader question: Do I have to register British visitors to France with the town hall?

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
Reader question: Do I have to register British visitors to France with the town hall?
Does having Brits to stay really now involve a form? Photo: Jean-Philippe Ksiasek/AFP

Since Brexit, British travellers have found themselves in the often confusing and complicated world of non-EU travel, which in certain circumstances could involve telling your local town hall in France whenever you have guests visiting from the UK.

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Question: I read that if I want to have visitors from the UK staying at my home in France I will need a permission certificate from the Mairie - surely this can't be right? I need permission even if my own family members are coming to stay with me?

Brexit has made life more complicated for Brits living in France - such as having to apply for the compulsory residency permit - but it has also had an impact on those just visiting.

Visitors need to abide by the 90-day rule and, if wanting to stay longer they will also need a visa. 

But there is also something called an attestation d'accueil which is required for people hosting non-EU visitors in their homes for private or family visits.

The attestation costs €30 and must be obtained in advance of the trip by the host.

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But do people hosting British visitors need this?

Non-EU visitors may be asked at the border to provide proof of where they are staying.

If you are staying in tourist accommodation such as a hotel, campsite, Airbnb, gîte or B&B then you can show proof of booking, but if you are staying with friends then you may be asked for an attestation d'acceuil - a certificate obtained by your hosts.

We have published a complete guide to how to get it HERE.

Is there an alternative to getting the certificate?

Because the process of getting the attestation is quite cumbersome - the host must apply in advance at their local mairie and send the form to the guest - there are plenty of people for whom this is impractical or impossible.

In this instance there is an alternative - you can instead provide proof that you can support yourself financially while in France, and if you cannot show either a hotel/gite/Airbnb booking OR an attestation d'acceuil, this means proving that you have at least €120 for every day of your stay in France.

Full details on the financial rates here.

The EU states that proof of means that will be accepted are; cash, travellers cheques, bank statements for the last three months showing the balance of your account at the required level or credit cards (debit cards are not accepted).

Will this really be checked?

Because of the pandemic we haven't really had a normal tourist season since the end of the Brexit transition period in 2021, so there is still some uncertainty on this.

Anecdotal evidence would suggest that in reality proof of residency or proof of means are rarely asked for, and this tallies with the experiences of other non-EU visitors such as Americans, Canadians and Australians.

However, be aware that French border guards are entirely within their rights to ask for this, and you can be turned back at the border if you cannot provide this information.

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Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
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Anonymous 2022/06/20 18:48
I have just completed one of these and sent to the proposed visitors and am in the process of doing a second. My mairie is very small and had not heard of the attestation but did some investigation and agreed that it was necessary ( whilst commenting, this is France and we love paper for the sake of it!). My mayor’s secretary has been extremely helpful and supportive, although as others have said it is a faff.
Anonymous 2021/05/19 10:36
Does anybody know the reasoning behind this requirement?
Anonymous 2021/05/18 13:51
I am confused, having spoken to my Mairie today they told me that it is not necessary to have an Attestation D'Accueil!
Anonymous 2021/05/17 11:51
I've now just completed my first Attestation d'Accueil - it's new for your local Mairie too. BEFORE you go, ensure you've got ALL the paperwork required and purchase your timbre fiscale online here - it's 30€ per visitor: https://timbres.impots.gouv.fr/pages/achat/choixSeries.jsp You'll need to print off the confirmation email you receive once purchased and take this with you along with: Latest utility bill Latest Avis d'Impôt Passport, flight/travel confirmation with dates, Travel/Medical insurance doc that must include full repatriation costs for your guest/s Currently there is no electronic system for the Attestion d'Acceuil which means the stamped/signed Attestation along with copies of all the paperwork have got to be posted to your visitor and arrive with them BEFORE they travel as only the original document is acceptable. This is going to cause problems for anyone wanting to make a quick, last-minute trip as the way the system currently works does not allow enough time for this. Anyway, hope the above helps and if any of you have got any tips/tricks to get round any of this - please do let me know.
Anonymous 2021/05/17 10:41
Assuming all foreign resident in France (myself) paperwork and all foreign visitor from England (my family) paperwork has been confirmed by the local mairie as sufficient and correct and Attestation d'Acceuil issued for the family visit to my home, does UK Home Office advice not to travel to France (Covid precautionary) invalidate necessary health + repatriation insurance (30,000 Euros)and consequently invalidate the Attestation d'Acceuil? Will be very helpful if someone knows the answer to this.
Anonymous 2021/05/14 18:18
Yet another increase in the cost of a trip to France. We usually collect random grandchildren and bring them over for parents to follow on. I assume under 18s will need to be included which will double the cost to a family. I checked Eurotunnel costs last week, Frequent Traveller single tickets now £54.00 but currently suspended from sale. As if we haven't had enough to test our resolve!
Anonymous 2021/05/14 13:19
On the RIFT website this morning (14th May), they say they have contacted the British Embassy, who have confirmed that this is now law, it applies to UK passport holders not resident in France and should be followed. Just how much it will be enforced is, of course, another matter.
Anonymous 2021/05/14 09:26
Welcome to life outside the EU. This is what visitors from much of the rest of the world already have to do. The funny thing is, they just get on with it. British exceptionalism again means rather than just accept it, people will rather whine and moan about it until the French give in and exempt them from it. No doubt the old arguments of "the British contribute so much to France" and " the French need us more than we need them" will be trotted out in conversations around this topic again and again and again and again...ad infinitum. This is life outside of the EU. This is what travellers from most third countries have to do already. It is not onerous nor difficult, just another form that needs filling in and a bit of money to pay. If you can afford the holiday chances are you can afford to pay for this.
  • Anonymous 2021/05/19 09:51
    Paperwork is extremely onerous and the right to family life supposedly a human right.
  • Anonymous 2021/05/14 18:24
    Your assumption that everyone can afford holidays is wrong, having family living here offers an opportunity otherwise not available.
Anonymous 2021/05/13 11:22
What will happen at passport control when they get here without the form? Hold people at the airport until they can get on a plane back? All you need to show is a confirmation of booking accommodation, then no form needed
  • Anonymous 2021/05/16 16:27
    Rog, the point of the article & the declaration is that it is about private visits to private homes, if the host is not an EU cit (+ couple of other included countries). The host has to do the form & once approved send it to the visitor before travel. Not about hotels or other accommodation professionals.
Anonymous 2021/05/13 11:15
attestation d’accueil - wow this will be a drag It could almost stop folk coming or staying in France if family coming to stay for a few days have to be logged into this system. Also how many visitors will have 30,000€ of travel insurance just for hopping across the channe plus how will a family 'have to have show that for each memver they have 30€ a day available for living expenses? Comments please, or am I misinterpreting the situation?
  • Anonymous 2021/05/15 13:55
    I think the attestation d’aceuil doesn’t apply if you are a permanent resident in France.🤔

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