France has decided to extend the validity of all residence permits with an expiration date between March 16 and May 15, 2020, for another three months, as the number of persons infected with COVID-19 in France and in the world continues to increase.

According to a notice published by the French government, the three-month validity prolongation of the permitted period of stay for non-French nationals in France during the pandemic follows another three-months extension granted on March 18.

“Given the health context, all residence permits, receipts and long-stay visas which expire between March 16 and May 15, 2020, which had already been extended by 3 months, are extended by an additional 3 months, by ordinance n ° 2020-460 of April 22, 2020, i.e. a total extension of 6 months,” a notice explains.

It also explains that the measure concerns long-stay visas, residence permits, provisional residence permits, receipts for residence permit applications, which have expired between March 16 and May 15, 2020.

The decision to extend the validity of stay for those stranded in France was first taken after the French President Emanuel Macron, called the situation in the country due to the Coronavirus a “health war”, in a televised address to the nation.

At the time, France had also decided to stop issuing visas, in all of its embassies and consulates abroad, until further notice, including short-stay Schengen visas, long-stay visas to France, visas to overseas territories.

President Macron was the first of the EU leaders to confirm the shared decision to suspend travel between non-European and European countries until mid-April, which later was extended to May 15.

Despite that the number of Coronavirus cases is increasing in the world, the EU and the Member States have been looking forward to a way to lift the existing measures and restore the sector of tourism. At the same time, officials from the EU and the governments of the states have hinted that the Schengen Area border closure may remain in place until September.

The French Minister of Interior Christophe Castaner said last week that lifting the Schengen Area border closure borders before summer is a premature move while the Coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing, thus backing the President Emanuel Macron statements.

Previously, Macron was the first to point out that the Schengen Area may remain closed for non-EU citizens and residents until September.

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