LATEST: When can I travel to my second home in France?
Many second home owners in France will be thinking of summer trips, so here's the latest on travel rules.
During France's strict lockdown people were only allowed out of their homes for essential reasons and the British Embassy warned Britons to remain in the UK.
But from Monday, June 15th many of these restrictions will be lifted.
So let's have a look at the rules.
Until June 15th
At present, if you want to come into France you will need an attestation de déplacement internationale and can only travel if you fit one of the following categories.
-
French citizens
-
People who have their primary residence in France. This does NOT include second home owners. Third country nationals will need to present a visa or residency card while EU nationals (which for this purpose still includes British people) do not need any proof of residency status.
-
People who have their permanent residency in another European country and are travelling through France to get home
-
Healthcare workers engaged in coronavirus-related care
-
Commercial good carriers such as lorry drivers and flight or cargo crews
-
Diplomatic staff
-
Cross-border workers. So for example if you live in France but work in Switzerland you can still travel back and forth.
After June 15th
The EU has proposed a general lifting of all travel restrictions within Europe from Monday, June 15th.
France is following this recommendation, so from June 15th travel into France from the EU, UK and Schengen countries is no longer restricted to essential trips only.
People travelling from outside Europe will still be limited until at least July 1st, possibly longer. Find out more about that here.
Quarantine
If you are travelling from the UK or Spain you will need to factor in quarantines.
Both the UK and Spain have announced their own quarantines, which France says it will reciprocate.
However in France the quarantine for arrivals from Spain and UK is voluntary with no spot-checks on addresses and no fines for breaking it. There are also many exemptions and the vibe from government seems to be that this is a political decision, rather than something that France considers a health necessity.
But if you are planning to return to the UK or Spain you could face a compulsory 14-day quarantine on return. The British government says that health authorities will be conducting spot checks on addresses and there are fines of up to £1,000 for breaking quarantine.
The UK quarantine comes in from June 8th and will be reviewed - although not necessarily lifted - on June 29th.
The Spanish quarantine will be lifted on July 1st.
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During France's strict lockdown people were only allowed out of their homes for essential reasons and the British Embassy warned Britons to remain in the UK.
But from Monday, June 15th many of these restrictions will be lifted.
So let's have a look at the rules.
Until June 15th
At present, if you want to come into France you will need an attestation de déplacement internationale and can only travel if you fit one of the following categories.
- French citizens
- People who have their primary residence in France. This does NOT include second home owners. Third country nationals will need to present a visa or residency card while EU nationals (which for this purpose still includes British people) do not need any proof of residency status.
- People who have their permanent residency in another European country and are travelling through France to get home
- Healthcare workers engaged in coronavirus-related care
- Commercial good carriers such as lorry drivers and flight or cargo crews
- Diplomatic staff
- Cross-border workers. So for example if you live in France but work in Switzerland you can still travel back and forth.
After June 15th
The EU has proposed a general lifting of all travel restrictions within Europe from Monday, June 15th.
France is following this recommendation, so from June 15th travel into France from the EU, UK and Schengen countries is no longer restricted to essential trips only.
People travelling from outside Europe will still be limited until at least July 1st, possibly longer. Find out more about that here.
Quarantine
If you are travelling from the UK or Spain you will need to factor in quarantines.
Both the UK and Spain have announced their own quarantines, which France says it will reciprocate.
However in France the quarantine for arrivals from Spain and UK is voluntary with no spot-checks on addresses and no fines for breaking it. There are also many exemptions and the vibe from government seems to be that this is a political decision, rather than something that France considers a health necessity.
But if you are planning to return to the UK or Spain you could face a compulsory 14-day quarantine on return. The British government says that health authorities will be conducting spot checks on addresses and there are fines of up to £1,000 for breaking quarantine.
The UK quarantine comes in from June 8th and will be reviewed - although not necessarily lifted - on June 29th.
The Spanish quarantine will be lifted on July 1st.
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