The hated 90-day rule all third-country nationals must abide by when crossing EU borders may be soon scrapped in Spain for many Britons.
After Brexit, British nationals had to start being careful with how long they stay in the whole of the European Union over an 180-day period.
Staying any longer than a total of 90 days in one or more of the 27 EU member states over this period of time could result in monetary fines, an order to depart immediately or deportation.
This has meant particularly bad news to UK nationals owning second homes in the continent, as they can no longer enjoy their property freely and risk not being able to travel anywhere else in Europe after staying at their home away from home for three months.
But Spain’s acting Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Héctor Gómez has signalled Madrid may be looking into lifting this 90-day cap for second-home owners, much like France is doing.
Mr Gómez said this week to have held an “important meeting at the Foreign Office with the Director of Consular Affairs and Crisis, Jennifer Anderson, in which they discussed issues of interest regarding the stays of British tourists in Spain and discussed collaboration projects for future seasons”. Their discussions are understood to have also included the cap.
There are between 800,000 and one million UK nationals who own property across Spain, particularly on its southern coast. Among them, only some 370,000 are registered as residents and can still come and go as they please.
This came as the French Senate approved a bill amendment automatically granting long-stay visa rights to British second-home owners in France. The amendment is now to be discussed by the French French National Assembly.
This change was put forward by Senatrice Martine Berthet and seeks to allow Britons home owners across the Channel for easier and extended stays “without formalities”.
If this amendment was to be approved by the French National Assembly, British second-home owners would be able to spend as much time as they want in France and only worry about abiding by the 90-in-180 day rule when visiting other nations in the Schengen area.
Andrew Hesselden, Director and founder of the ‘180 Days in Spain’ campaign aiming to help British second-home owners in Spain, told the Majorca Daily Bulletin he is “delighted” by France going in the right direction over the cap issue and remains “hopeful” Spain will follow in Paris’ footsteps.
He said: “We hope that UK, Spanish and French politicians will engage with us now to understand the issues fully and work with us to find the best possible solutions. Many of our members felt integrated in their local communities in France and Spain before Brexit, but now feel like they don’t belong anymore, which I think is sad.”
This comes as Britain struck a new bilateral agreement with France to make it easier for French pupils to go on school trips to the UK.
The new rules allow France’s students who are EU nationals to enter Britain using only their ID cards rather than a passport, as it has been required since Brexit. Non-EU citizens who study in France will also not be required to apply for a costly visa to enter the UK as part of the school trip.
The new rules will come into effect on December 28 and will apply only to those aged 18 or under who are studying at a school or educational institution in France that is registered with the French Education Ministry.
