![]() ![]() But life here is even better here than we thought it would be.” Smith adds: “The hardest part was the 100 hours of (free) French lessons we’ve had to do for our residency. After 12 months they extended their visa at the Dordorgne’s prefecture (administrative office) in Périgueux. The couple had to show proof that they had the funds to sustain themselves – around €18,000 (£15,500) a year. Now Read: Buy-to-let Britain is dying – here’s where to invest instead It took three weeks to get an appointment at the visa centre, then three weeks to get a ‘yes’. Smith, 58, says: “The French embassy website (see box, below) was easy to use, we worked out we needed to apply for the entrepreneur visa and pulled together a business plan, helped by our previous experience of running a B&B. The couple are renovating the barns and cowshed at their property in the village of Badefols-d’Ans to offer glamping. Nick Smith and Scott Bayley who swapped running a B&B in Llandudno, Wales for the Dordogne in southwest France, would agree. “Yet we think our new life is wonderful and more than worth all the effort.” “The visa process took 9 to 10 months – we had thought it might take three,” he adds. The couple first thought they would apply for the “entrepreneur/independent professional” visa – based on income from the gite – but then realised it would be better trying for the “talent creation” or Passeport Talent Entrepreneur visa, using Lucy’s business (which required at least €30,000 in a French bank account). Peter, 48, a former chief technology officer, says: “We would advise anyone to buy a ready-to-go gite – rather than a renovation job – it’s easier to prove income in your business plan for a visa as you have to project three years of income.” ![]() Peter, a keen triathlete and coach, will guide like-minded guests up and down the hills and across the lakes of the Bocage – to help attract visitors all year round. ![]() There are plenty of charming properties with gites and land for well under €500,000 (£434,200) in the rural southwest – with modest purchase costs (6-8pc for resales).Īlongside Lucy’s business, the Barkers are about to start taking guests at their three-bedroom gite they’ve renovated at their home in Fontenay-le-Comte, an hour from La Rochelle. There are also many expats still keen to tap into the tourism market of the world’s most visited country, by running gites or a B&B. “We are seeing more people keen to rent out their holiday home when they are not using it now that their usage is limited, and to help cover running costs.” For working couples or young families who are buying a holiday home, it is quite rare for them to use the property for more than a few weeks a year.”īuyers have to be more pragmatic now, says Mark Harvey, head of international at Knight Frank. “It is something we have to explain early on. Yet still not everyone knows the rules, says Tim Swannie of Marseille estate agent Home Hunts. It is also easier to do so if your spouse has one. Since January 2021 British nationals wanting to stay more than 90 days in 180 have required a visa (unless they have an EU passport). ![]() Although 30pc of British arrivals are retired – especially in sparsely populated areas of western France such as the Charente, Dordogne and Haute-Vienne – an increasing number are arriving while still working, albeit they are usually at the end of their careers. In its last study on British immigration to France (in January 2021) the institute found “the Brexit vote had little effect”. According to the latest data from INSEE, the French statistics office, in 2020 there were 86,000 British-owned holiday homes and 148,300 British nationals living in France. “Despite a lot of research it took longer than we thought it would.”įrance’s accessibility, climate and charming yet affordable rural properties continue to draw the British from across the Channel. We expected a lot of bureaucracy,” says Lucy, 52, who realised she could run her HR consultancy business remotely. “We knew that moving to France after Brexit would be complicated. It was the sense of space, the gentler pace of life and food-centric culture that drew them, along with the dream of setting up a gite business. Peter and Lucy Barker moved to the Vendee in western France last year, from Ivinghoe in Buckinghamshire, after the pandemic fast-forwarded their dream for a new life. ![]()
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