Guidance

Voisins Voices: June 2024

Updated 18 December 2024

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/voisins-voices-a-newsletter-for-the-british-community-in-france/voisins-voices-june-2024

1. Welcome

Welcome to Voisins Voices! This edition includes a few words from our Ambassador, updates on the Paris Olympic & Paralympic Games, residency, healthcare, travel and more. Please do forward this to anyone you think would find it useful. To be added to the distribution list, simply follow this link and fill in the form with your email address and name. As always, our online Living in France Guide has the most up to date information. Whether you have lived in France for many years, or recently arrived - please click on this link to see more detail and register to be notified of updates.

2. What we’ve been up to

2.1 A message from Ambassador Menna Rawlings

We have had a busy first half of the year in the Embassy and our consulates. In January we launched our year of celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, the agreement which marked the beginning of the modern Franco-British friendship. This has provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the profound link between our two countries, which of course has all of you Brits – who have made France their home – at its heart. You may have seen that in April there were reciprocal changings of the guard at Buckingham Palace and the Elysee Palace to mark this special occasion.

We were also proud to host our first ever “Ambassador for a Day” programme in the UKinFrance network. This saw four girls from different parts of France each shadow an Ambassador for a day, with my colleagues from the UK delegations to OECD, UNESCO and the Council of Europe joining me for this project. We had a whopping 550 applications, and it was brilliant to spend the day with Julia, hearing about her life in l’île d’Olérons and showing her what I do as the UK’s Ambassador to France and Monaco.

June’s commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of D-day were particularly special. It was an honour to play a part in paying tribute to our veterans, alongside a host of visitors from the UK including Their Majesties The King and Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Prime Minister, the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. I’m sure those of you who followed events will agree that they were incredibly moving, especially our own ceremony at the new Normandy War Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer. My team and I were proud to support the veterans and thousands of British Nationals who made the journey.

Of course, these events have been happening alongside our daily rhythm of work to support British Nationals in France, including on new challenges like the upcoming implementation of the EU’s Entry Exit Scheme (EES). And with the Paris Olympics and Paralympics on the horizon, we’re working with the French authorities to ensure that the Brits coming to France for the Games have everything they need for a safe and enjoyable trip. Even Paula Radcliffe has joined our consular prevention campaign! More information can be found in this newsletter - please encourage friends and family to sign up for travel alerts.

We’ve also been extending our reach, with our Deputy Head of Mission Theo Rycroft visiting Martinique and Guadeloupe in February, accompanied by Pam Deegan, Director of Consular Services in France. This was our first visit there in over 20 years, following mine to New Caledonia last year - the first ever, we think, by a British Ambassador. These visits matter: we’re seeing growing numbers of British tourists on these islands, including on cruise ships, as well as small British resident populations. So investing in them and our Honorary Consuls pays back dividends. In New Caledonia, my team helped to evacuate a group of British nationals during the recent unrest, showing the value of relationships forged with the French authorities and the British resident population.

Whatever your plans are over summer, I hope you are able to enjoy the warmer months with friends and family. And perhaps I’ll see some of you in Paris for the Games!

Best wishes,

Dame Menna Rawlings

3. Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

We have a very exciting sports event happening here in France: the Olympic Games 2024. If you have friends and family planning a trip across the Channel, you can check out the French government’s website for advice on how to best organise the trip. We will also update our Travel Advice if there is anything specific to be aware of. It is key to check passport validity and take out travel insurance.. We will also update our Travel Advice if there is anything specific to be aware of. It is key to check passport validity and take out travel insurance.

4. Travel Advice for the Olympics and Paralympics

The 2024 Olympic Games will take place between 26 July and 11 August and the 2024 Paralympic Games between 28 August and 8 September in France.

If you are travelling to attend:

4.1 Visa and entry requirements

Make sure to check the entry requirements for France, especially the information on passport validity and visa-free travel for visits within the 90-day limit.

4.2 Travel insurance

Before travelling, you should make sure that you have a travel insurance policy that will cover you for your trip and any planned activities.

4.3 Health insurance

Make sure you have appropriate health cover abroad before travelling.

Check TravelHealthPro’s Summer Olympics and Paralympics 2024 guidance.

4.4 Safety at the Olympics and Paralympics

Read our guidance about staying safe and secure whilst in France, including additional information about respecting local laws and cultural differences.

4.5 Olympics and Paralympics tickets

Detailed information about Olympic and Paralympic Games tickets is available, in English, on the Paris 2024 Official Ticketing website.

You should only buy tickets from the official provider. Tickets will usually be digital, and you should download them from the official website. Make sure you charge your phone and take into account potential roaming charges in France – check with your provider before you travel.

4.6 Entry to venues

Entry restrictions may be different for each stadium. Check the Paris 2024 Olympic Venues Guide for more information. You are allowed to carry a small power bank so that you have enough power on your phone to show your ticket. Make sure you have a valid form of ID with you.

4.7 Transport to the event

Transport routes around Paris and other venues will be busy during the Olympics and Paralympics. Airports and mainline train stations will also be busier than usual. Local authorities may ask you to enter or leave venues using specific routes. Make sure you:

  • plan your journey

  • leave plenty of time to reach your destination

More information on travel in Paris, and other locations in France during the Games, is available, in English, on the Paris Tourist Board and Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) websites.

5. A message from Team GB

5.1 Complete your Paris 2024 experience with tickets to Team GB House

Team GB are coming to Paris this summer, and you can join them in their exclusive home-from-home at the stunning Pavillon d’Armenonville venue in the heart of the Olympic Games.

Team GB House is the place to meet British Olympic legends like Sir Chris Hoy, Dame Laura Kenny and Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill whilst experiencing the thrill of the Games on the giant screens, live entertainment and the best of British food and drink.

Every night, from the 26th July to the 11th August, Team GB’s Olympians will be invited in to Team GB House to celebrate their performances, and you can be there for the live in-person medal celebrations every time Team GB win gold, silver or bronze!

As well as exclusive meet-and-greet opportunities with Olympians, enjoy:

  • A vibrant mix of live entertainment and music, including guest DJs.

  • Big-screen sporting action.

  • A taste of Britain with our finest bites and beverages.

  • Plus, your first glass of Nyetimber sparkling wine is on us!

Tickets start at £150. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to celebrate with Team GB in style.

Buy tickets here: Team GB House - Online ticket sales.

6. Healthcare while you travel

Travel Europe worry-free this summer by making sure you have both an EHIC and Travel Insurance.

Did you know that the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card or en français la Carte Europeene d’Assurance Maladie (CEAM)) and comprehensive travel insurance complement each other? The EHIC will cover you for state-provided necessary care at the same level as a resident of that country would receive. This means that if you suffer with a chronic condition, require a prescription while visiting another European country or have a medical emergency, you will receive medical care. However, you may have to pay for treatment if a resident of that country would also be required to pay. The EHIC does not cover co-payments, private care or medical repatriation. This is why we recommend you have adequate insurance.

Are you confused about whether to apply for a UK EHIC or a French CEAM?

This will depend on which country covers you for healthcare.

If you make social security contributions in France, you should be entitled to a France-issued European Health Insurance Card, which is called a Carte Europeenne d’Assurance Maladie or CEAM. You should carry this with you when travelling. All EU-issued EHICs remain valid for necessary care when visiting the UK. Click here more information on getting a French CEAM.

Check out this video to learn more on how to apply for healthcare in France.

If your healthcare is covered by the UK, you should be entitled to a UK EHIC or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). Both cards are valid for necessary care in public hospitals when visiting EU Member States. You can see here on how to apply.

Finally, if you have friends or family visiting you from the UK, please also share this message so they are not faced with unwanted healthcare bills while in France.

7. EES: EU’s entry system

New digital border entry system

In Autumn this year, the EU will introduce a new digital border – called the Entry/Exit System (EES). This will require third country nationals, including UK nationals, visiting the EU to create a digital record and provide their biometric data (fingerprints and facial image) at the border when they enter the EU’s Schengen Zone. UK nationals who hold a valid residency permit as well as beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement (who were lawfully resident in the EU before 1 January 2021) will be exempt from registration in EES, provided they hold the correct documentation. Documents that allow exemption include WA residence documents issued in the uniform format, a small selection of temporary documents issued under the WA in certain states and any other national document that a Member State issues to third country nationals.

In France, documents that allow exemption include all forms of Withdrawal Agreement residency permits, including temporary, 5-year, 10-year and permanent residency permits. Any other valid residency permit issued by France or any other EU member state will also allow for exemption. Attention, minors MUST be in possession of a Document de circulation pour étranger mineur (DCEM), whether travelling accompanied or alone, to be exempt from EES. DCEMs are free for beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement. If you have one of these documents, you will not need to register in the EES when travelling.

8. British Bands in France

We’re calling on the creativity of our British nationals in France!

We regularly organise events at the Embassy, featuring entertainment such as live music or performances for our guests, with the aim of showcasing British culture and the innovative and creative spirit of our nation.

Do you know any British bands based in France from near or far? We’d love to offer the opportunity for bands to share their talent and to perform in the unique setting of the British Embassy.

We’re not looking for a particular type of music, but for audacity and something a bit different - we’re open to all suggestions!

Please send an email to the Public Diplomacy section at this address: [email protected].

9. Driving in France

If you passed a test for category A in or before 1974 and your photocard shows the same date for categories A and B, you will be able to exchange your licence and receive both categories when you are eligible to do so (please refer to the Living in France Guide for details).

If you have already exchanged your licence and did not receive category A entitlements that you have taken a test for, you can apply for a correction on the ANTS online platform. ANTS advise a supporting letter from DVLA should be included in your application.

10. Support for victims of  domestic violence

This multilingual information portal was created by Women for Women France in collaboration with 30 experts with the aim of becoming the national reference: it contains reliable and comprehensible information for French and non-French victims of domestic violence, regardless of the language they speak and is already available in 16 languages.

It contains 90 practical guides that respond in a clear and precise manner to concrete concerns in the following areas:

  • Money, housing, independence

  • Separation, divorce, child custody

  • Safety and protection orders

  • Physical, sexual and mental health

  • Right to stay in France

  • Police and justice

Please visit the webpages below for more information. The links and contact details can signpost you in the right direction and also connect you to those who can provide support or offer help with technical matters if you need it.

Key websites:

Subscribe to the newsletter for British people living in France.

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