© Copyright Acquisition International 2025 - All Rights Reserved.

Article Image - Government Order Fixes the Rights of UK Nationals Continuing to Stay in France
Posted 23rd July 2019

Government Order Fixes the Rights of UK Nationals Continuing to Stay in France

The French government published an order which determines the right of UK nationals continuing to stay in France after the Brexit date of 29 March 2019, in the most probable event of no exit agreement being reached between the UK and the EU.

Mouse Scroll AnimationScroll to keep reading

Let us help promote your business to a wider following.

Government Order Fixes the Rights of UK Nationals Continuing to Stay in France
Brexit - Acquisition International

Government Order Fixes the Rights of UK Nationals Continuing to Stay in France After 29 March 2019 in Case of Hard Brexit

The French government published an order which determines the right of UK nationals continuing to stay in France after the Brexit date of 29 March 2019, in the most probable event of no exit agreement being reached between the UK and the EU. Such UK nationals will be allowed three to twelve months to acquire permanent residency if they have been in France for 5 years or more on 30 March 2019, or acquire the appropriate permit to stay, if they have been in France on such day for less than 5 years.

Ordonnance n° 2019-76 of 6 February 2019 was published in the Journal Officiel on 7 February. The following are the principle terms affecting the immigration rights of UK nationals.

A transition period of 3 to 12 months
UK nationals continuing their stay and professional activities beyond the Brexit date may do so, as before such date, for a minimum period of three months from the Brexit date. A decree will be published which will set the final end date of the transition, which will be within 12 months of the Brexit date. Beyond this final end date, the UK nationals must be in possession of the appropriate permits covering their stay and professional activities in France (Article 1 of the Order).

Presence of less than 5 years
UK nationals having resided for less than 5 years as of the Brexit date will have to apply for the various permits to stay, according to their status (student, employee, temporary worker, posted worker, independent professional, unemployment beneficiary, family member, long-term visitor etc.). Such permits, when allowing work, will not be conditioned to labour market tests (Article 2).

Presence of 5 years or more
UK nationals having resided for 5 years or more in France as of the Brexit date, will be entitled to the Residency Card, with 10-year validity (Article 3).

UK national practicing law in France
UK nationals who exercise the profession of lawyer (“avocat”) in France, based on their EU rights, may continue to do for a period of 12 months from the Brexit date. Such lawyers may benefit from the disposition of the Article 89 of the law of 31 December 1971 (Article 13).

Article 89 of the law of 31 December 1971 facilitates the registration of foreign lawyers with a French bar association after showing that they “effectively and regularly practiced French law on [French] national territory for a period of at least 3 years”. Such activity needs to be demonstrated to the French bar association with which the foreign lawyer wishes to register. If over the three-year period, the practice of French law was for a lesser period, the bar association will have the discretion to determine if the foreign lawyer has the capability of practicing French law.

Subsidiaries of law firms formed under UK law, and registered with a French bar association, on the Brexit date, may continue to pursue their activity in France beyond such date, even if no lawyer registered under a UK qualification is still practicing within such structure. No new structure under UK law may be created in France after the Brexit date (Article 16).

Reciprocity required
The Order states that the preferential treatment provided for UK national can be suspended by a State Council decree, after three months of the Brexit date, if the French government observes that the UK government has not taken equivalent dispositions [towards French nationals] (Article 19).

Other areas
The ten-page order is quite dense. It touches on many areas (such as recognition of professional qualifications, cross-border service provision, welfare, health coverage, jobs reserved for French and EU nationals…) on which we will welcome your questions. A decree to implement this order will soon be published.

Karl Waheed, member of the New York (1987) and Paris (1993) bars, founded Karl Waheed Avocats, a 25-person law firm dedicated exclusively to corporate immigration. Karl Waheed Avocats was retained in 2006 by the French Ministry of Labour to present a white paper on corporate immigration in France. This report presented a series of recommendations which were incorporated in the current French regulations on business immigration.

Karl started his career as an auditor with Deloitte in Florida (1980 to 82). He obtained his Juris Doctorate at Stetson Law School, Gulfport, Florida (1985) and Diplôme des Etudes Approfondies in European Law at the Sorbonne (1986). He has been practicing corporate immigration law in Paris since then.

He is a frequent speaker on subjects of interest to international mobility experts at conferences organized by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, the International Bar Association and the Union Internationale des Avocats.

His articles have been published by the French government’s Bulletin de Migration, the French National Association of HR Managers journal La Revue Personnel, and the IBA’s newsletters on Immigration and Nationality Law.

For more information, please contact the Firm: [email protected]

Categories: Legal


You Might Also Like
Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Strong Management More Important Than Ever in UK
Innovation
29/10/2019Strong Management More Important Than Ever in UK

We are experiencing a resurgence in the popularity of tough bosses in the UK. The “Imperial CEO” started to become less fashionable in the eighties with the decline in deference. The nineties saw the reputation of strong business leadership tarnished with

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Heilind Acquires German Distributor MPS Group
M&A
29/04/2015Heilind Acquires German Distributor MPS Group

Heilind Electronics, one of the world's largest distributors of interconnect products, has acquired MPS Group, a leading distributor of electronic components and manufacturer of cable assemblies for the European Mil-Aero Marketplace.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Structuring your Business for Exit
Legal
28/10/2015Structuring your Business for Exit

Founded in 1980, BAE, KIM & LEE LLC is one of the oldest law firms in Korea.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Checkers Industrial Safety Products Acquisition of Superior Manufacturing Group
M&A
28/04/2016Checkers Industrial Safety Products Acquisition of Superior Manufacturing Group

Superior Manufacturing Group, Inc. has grown into one of the largest integrated manufacturers of floor matting products in the world. Superior Manufacturing Group, Inc. is a market leader in mats for professional use under the brand Notrax® and can be found i

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
AI-Powered Alternative Data Driving Extreme Market Research Disruption
Innovation
04/06/2024AI-Powered Alternative Data Driving Extreme Market Research Disruption

Numerous indicators make clear that the next five years will usher in extreme transformation for a multitude of industries and sectors as well as the global economy at large. This begs the question: what is driving such significant and rapid change? This big q

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
The Evolution of Financial Compliance: 5 Must-Have Tools for the Modern Era
News
23/09/2024The Evolution of Financial Compliance: 5 Must-Have Tools for the Modern Era

Staying compliant with the ever-changing regulations landscape is difficult, to say the least. As the global economy becomes more interconnected, financial institutions face increased scrutiny from regulators and customers alike.  Fortunately, there are m

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Gide Advises Canglong Optoelectronicon the Acquisition of a French high-tech Company
Finance
16/02/2016Gide Advises Canglong Optoelectronicon the Acquisition of a French high-tech Company

Gide has advised Dalian Canglong Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd., on its acquisition of 70% of the equity interests in French high-tech company Almae Technologies SAS.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Combining Years of Expertise with a Personalised Service
Finance
10/10/2019Combining Years of Expertise with a Personalised Service

BDO is an accounting, auditing and consulting group in the economic, financial and social fields. Earlier this year, the firm found success in AI’s Global Excellence Awards 2019 where they were selected as Togo’s Leading Advisor in Audit & Assurance – 20

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Secure Business Payments now available from PaymentEvolution
Finance
30/07/2015Secure Business Payments now available from PaymentEvolution

Pay suppliers, vendors and any open invoice directly to any bank account.



Our Trusted Brands

Acquisition International is a flagship brand of AI Global Media. AI Global Media is a B2B enterprise and are committed to creating engaging content allowing businesses to market their services to a larger global audience. We have 14 unique brands, each of which serves a specific industry or region. Each brand covers the latest news in its sector and publishes a digital magazine and newsletter which is read by a global audience.

Arrow