Living in Guernsey as a French National: Settling In, Housing and Cost of Living

The Government of Guernsey presents an island of 25 square miles (about 65 km²) where everything is a few minutes away by road, with coastal paths, water sports and a full calendar of events. Taxation is an advantage: income tax is 20% and its settling-in guide states that there is no capital gains tax, inheritance tax, VAT or wealth tax. The island remains close to France: the same guide mentions sea links from Saint-Malo and Normandy.

In return, the island's size constrains settling: the population management law sets who can live and work there and in what type of housing. Housing is expensive, the GP and dentist are paid for, and France has no tax treaty with Guernsey (see working in Guernsey). The page health insurance in Guernsey details the healthcare and social security framework.

Guernsey is a Crown Dependency: according to the UK government, it is not part of the United Kingdom, has its own elected institutions, courts and tax system, and the United Kingdom is responsible for its defence and international relations. The Bailiwick of Guernsey comprises Guernsey with Herm and Jethou, Alderney and Sark. For a French citizen, France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry) designates the French Consulate General in London, attached to the French Embassy in the United Kingdom, as responsible for “Jersey and Guernsey”.

• Visit: a valid passport. Since 23 April 2026, an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) of £20, valid for two years and for stays of up to six months, is required of non-visa travellers arriving directly from outside the Common Travel Area; a valid UK ETA also covers Guernsey (Government of Guernsey).
• Stay without a permit: up to 90 days in 12 months, with no right to work (Population Management Office).
• Settling: since 1 January 2021, an EU national other than British or Irish applies for a visa before any stay that is not a visit; anyone coming to work needs a visa and a population management document. Anyone who lives or works in Guernsey holds a permit or certificate.
• Spouse or partner of a settled resident: initial stay of 33 months, extension of 30 months, then an application for permanent stay after 60 months, with entry clearance obtained before travelling.
• Registration: every new arrival registers with the Revenue Service, which assigns a tax number and a social security number.

EUSS status, open to EU nationals settled before Brexit, closed its applications on 30 June 2021; late applications are considered case by case.

The housing stock is divided into two markets. The local market is open to people qualified by their residence, to employment permit holders and to their close family; time spent in this market generally counts towards residence qualification. The open market (Open Market) is accessible to everyone, but time spent in it generally does not count towards the local market. It comprises four categories: family home (Part A), hotel (B), nursing home (C) and house in multiple occupation (D).

• Part A (family home): the owner and their close or extended family live there with no time limit and can take any job. A single tenant can be housed for up to five years before a recognised break in residence. The list of properties is kept in the Open Market Housing Register, managed by the housing committee. Registrations of entirely new Part A properties are not yet in force, apart from exceptional properties; the published policies concern reduction of floor area, transfer to a new development, a historic building or a strategic development, with a £500 processing fee for any application.
• Part D: one owner per property; occupants can stay and work for five years before a recognised break in residence.
• Enforcement: landlords ensure their tenants comply (fine or imprisonment possible) and tenants present a valid document within three days of arrival.

Guernsey has about 28,000 dwellings, of which a small share (about 6%) are Open Market. The adjusted average purchase price in the local market runs to hundreds of thousands of pounds and the average monthly rent to thousands of pounds. The median price in the Open Market is much higher, across a narrow number of transactions that makes the value vary strongly from one quarter to the next. Owners also pay an annual property tax and parish charges.

The hourly minimum wage, revised every year, is lower for 16-17 year olds than for adults aged 18 and over; accommodation provided may be deducted up to a weekly limit. Median employee income is around £43,000; the median for finance and insurance is around £57,000.

Income tax is 20% of the taxable base, the tax year follows the calendar year and the personal allowance is revised every year, reduced above a certain level of income. Social security contributions are added: 7.5% borne by the employee and 7.1% by the employer. Day-to-day health costs (consultation, dentist, optical, ambulance) remain at the resident's expense; see the Guernsey healthcare system and healthcare reimbursement.

An imported vehicle is re-registered within 14 days and a foreign driving licence is exchanged for a Guernsey licence within the year following arrival; driving is on the left.

Education is compulsory from 5 to 16. Public schools are allocated by sector: 11 primary schools open to all pupils, plus two primary schools for children baptised as Catholics, then colleges for ages 11 to 16, then A-level or International Baccalaureate level study and vocational pathways. Three grant-aided colleges take fee-paying pupils. The curricula lead to GCSEs, iGCSEs and BTECs; the government mentions no French school on the island, which means schooling in English.

The admission application is submitted at least two weeks before the desired start date, with proof of address in Guernsey (bill or signed lease), the child's birth certificate or passport, the parent's photo ID and the latest school report. Without proof of address, the application is not processed; priority follows the date of receipt of complete files. Support plans from elsewhere help in understanding the child's needs, with no direct value. An expatriate family insurance usefully complements paediatric care cover.

France Diplomatie publishes no separate page for Guernsey: the United Kingdom page cites the islands for the competence of the London Consulate General and recommends insurance covering medical costs, hospitalisation and medical repatriation. The island's emergency numbers are 999 and 112; the ambulance takes you to the emergency department of Princess Elizabeth Hospital, open 24 hours a day. Registration with the roll of French nationals living abroad falls under the competent consulate, here the Consulate General in London.

The climate is oceanic. At the Guernsey airport station, the Met Office records over its 1981-2010 reference period an average annual maximum temperature of 13.15 °C, a minimum of 8.46 °C and 833 mm of rain; August is the warmest month (average maximum of 18.99 °C) and February the coolest (7.77 °C). The language of administration, schools and shops is English.

The official sources consulted do not rank neighbourhoods. They provide concrete selection criteria: government services and the immigration office are in St Peter Port; the primary school depends on the housing sector, the college being linked to the partner primary school; parish charges are calculated parish by parish. Alderney has its own parliament but has entrusted its main public services to Guernsey since 1948, Sark has its own assembly and Herm is administered directly by Guernsey; these islands are reached by boat or plane. To compare sectors, the safest approach is to study the property register, the map of school sectors and the quarter's rents.

Before choosing, an Expavy diagnostic lets you weigh status, budget and health cover.