Nothing will happen for 2 years!

The decision not to enact Article 50 means that the UK’s Brexit could take up to two years.

But who knows???

The only short answer is, we don’t know.  Now that Britain has voted to leave the EU, we will just have to wait and see what the future negotiations bring.  The worst thing will undoubtedly be the uncertainty.  There will probably be a fall in house prices and therefore the value of our French home.  So what, as we do not intend to sell it any time soon and were always in it for the long hall.

 Triggering Article 50, formally notifying the intension to withdraw, starts a two-year clock running. After that, the Treaties that govern membership no longer apply to Britain.  The terms of exit will be negotiated between Britain’s 27 counterparts, and each will have a veto over the conditions.

According to http://www.thelocal; “Tony Emery, who sells French homes, said if the exchange rate drops further then it could mean real problems for home buyers”

At the moment it’s £1 = 1.23 Euros.  This is better than when we bought our house in 2012.

The crucial thing is will this be sustainable in the longer term.  The concern will be if the rate moves closer to parity.

But there will be many people who had plans to move to France and realise their dreams. They may want to speed these plans along within the 2 year time frame and this could have a positive affect on property prices in the short term.  I would imagine that people who are hoping to move to France will be in shock this weekend.  They, like me, probably thought that we would pull back from the brink of a Brexit vote at the last moment and vote to remain.

The more far reaching concern is when Britain finally unpicks itself from the EU then the right to live, work and own property in any EU country will no longer be there.  What will the arrangements be then?  Will it be harder to make the move to France?  Perhaps not, in view of the number of French people who live in Britain and the number of British people who live in France, an agreement between the two countries is likely to be reached. However, according to http://www.completefrance.com it is possible that British expats will have to apply for visas or the carte de séjour, in order to live and work in France.  They also go on to say that Britain’s decision to leave the EU should have little effect on the tax a British expat in France has to pay. The double tax treaty agreed between Britain and France will be unaffected by Brexit and if Britain decides to remain part of the (European Economic Area) EEA then tax treatment wouldn’t change because the same rules apply to EEA residents as EU residents.  The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It allows them to be part of the EU’s single market.

Switzerland is neither an EU nor EEA member but is part of the single market – this means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals.

One of the major areas of concern according to www.completefrance.com is for retired British expats in France is whether the NHS will continue to pay for their healthcare via the S1 form. Expats who work in France and pay social charges are entitled to the same state healthcare as French residents however, retired British expats have their healthcare paid for by the NHS. It is uncertain whether this will change if Britain leaves the EU.

Those who visit France but are not resident are currently entitled to access the French healthcare system for free using the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) and there are some concerns this would no longer be the case in the event of a Brexit.  However Britain as an EEA member Britain would be likely to remain part of the EHIC scheme.  There is a precedent for this – Iceland, Lichenstein and Norway all have the option of belonging to the EHIC scheme, even though they aren’t part of the EU.

If you have lived in France for five years then you can apply for French residency and this would give you access to all the same rights and benefits as French citizens.

Find out how to become a French citizen

On March 25, 2017, European leaders will mark the sixtieth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the EU’s founding document.  I do hope that we don’t live to regret not joining in the celebrations.

In the meantime keep calm and try not to panic.

Thanks to http://www.completefrance.com for the links.