Dylan Wagemans
A FRENCH MP is pushing to make obtaining visiting-visas easier for British second-home owners in the wake of Brexit, possibly paving the way for Spain to do the same.
French Senator Martine Berthet put forward a letter to form a new immigration bill in November 2023.
With the new bill, some French lawmakers want to change the restrictions around how long Brits can stay in France.
Brits can currently stay up to 90 days in a European country without a visa, but that could double to 180 days if the bill finds its way to President Macron’s desk.
If the move proves successful, Spain might follow suit.
Many Brits with a second home in Spain are also hoping for the Spanish government to change the travel restrictions, despite there being talk about putting more restrictions on Brits.
In recent weeks, Spain saw nationwide protests about the current housing crisis.
Tens of thousands of Spaniards took to the streets to protest the takeover of tourists of the Spanish housing market.
Mallorca and the Balearic Islands already want to make it harder for expats to buy a second home.
There have been ongoing talks between Madrid and Lonon, but nothing has resulted from that yet.
In fact, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has proposed a tax of up to 100% on non-EU home buyers, including the UK.
Official figures show that the number of Brits registered as living in Spain increased from 276,089 in 2017 to 284,037 in 2023, with 12,470 Spanish property sales involving a British buyer the same year.
An a citizen of an EU member state can spend up to 90 days in the Schengen area within any 180-day period. This rule applies to all countries within the Schengen zone, regardless of how many countries are visited during that 180-day period. The 180-day period is a rolling period, meaning it’s calculated based on the date you leave the Schengen area, not a fixed date. Are they changing rule for all EU citizens or just the Brits.
Hi Peter, the rule change would only apply to Brits.