Do Brits living in France still have to quarantine on trips to UK?
The British government on Thursday announced a relaxation of its quarantine rules for fully vaccinated travellers - but not for Brits who live abroad. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Thursday that, from July 19th, Brits visiting amber list countries such as France would no longer have to quarantine on arrival back in the UK, as long as they were fully vaccinated.
However this exemption is not extended to the majority of UK nationals who live in France - who will still have to quarantine when visiting friends or family in the UK, even if they are fully vaccinated.
Shapps said the exemption was for "residents returning to England" but speaking on Sky News on Friday morning, he said he hoped to be able to have news to announced on whether the UK can recognise people vaccinated in other countries "within the next couple of weeks".
'It's something we're very actively working on.'
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says he'll be able to say more in the "next couple of weeks" about letting in fully vaccinated people living in other countries.#KayBurley: https://t.co/ADEpuuC7rnpic.twitter.com/0IA2n2ozim
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 9, 2021
A Department for Transport spokesman said: "From July 19th, arrivals who have been fully vaccinated with an NHS administered vaccine in the UK (plus 14 days), or are on a formally approved UK vaccine clinical trial, returning to England from amber list counties will no longer need to quarantine.
"Passengers will need to provide proof of their vaccination status to carriers in advance of travel."
This means that any UK nationals living in France who had their jabs in the UK can travel quarantine free - but the majority who had their vaccines in France will still face a 10-day quarantine if they want to travel to the UK to visit friends and family, as well as paying around £160 for the compulsory day 2 and 8 travel testing package.
The announcement sparked fury among UK nationals living abroad, many of whom have not seen family for 18 months as they cannot afford expensive travel testing packages as well as taking an extra 10 days off work to quarantine.
Today's announcement that only UK residents with NHS-administered vaccines is as disappointing as it is senseless for Brits abroad.
Some of us haven't seen friends & family in years.
Why isn't the UK trusting e.g. Germany, where Pfizer vaccine was invented, to administer it?
— James Jackson (@derJamesJackson) July 8, 2021
The citizens' rights group British in Europe has written to Shapps to ask for the reasoning behind the "epidemiologically illiterate" exclusion of people vaccinated outside the UK.
We have written to Grant Shapps...https://t.co/bXwtnwHa4A
— British in Europe (@BritishInEurope) July 8, 2021
Under 18s do not need to quarantine.
Arrivals in the UK who were fully vaccinated by the NHS will still need a negative Covid test before departure, and will have to pay for a second test on day 2 after their arrival in the UK.
The UK government will also from July 19th withdraw its official advice against travel to France - which means getting travel insurance should be possible again.
From France to UK
People travelling from the UK to France can only travel for essential reasons if they are not fully vaccinated.
People who are fully vaccinated can travel for any reason, but need to show a negative Covid test at the border. However, this does not include people who received AstraZeneca's Indian-produced Covishield vaccine.
READ ALSO How does France's traffic light system for travel work?
EU vaccine passport
People vaccinated in France can travel anywhere within the EU or Schegen zone using the EU digital vaccine passport. The UK is not part of the scheme, but talks are ongoing to allow non-EU countries such as the UK and USA join for mutual recognition of vaccine passports.
An EU source told The Local: "When it comes to the UK, the talks are ongoing at the technical level and are progressing well and going in the right direction.
"This is in particular because technically speaking the EU’s and the UK’s architectures are aligned.
"On the US, the EU continues exchanges with the US on the use of (vaccination) certificates to facilitate travel. We are also following closely how the debate on the certificates evolves in the US."
Although the French system cannot read QR codes from the NHS app, travellers vaccinated in the UK can present paper or digital vaccination certificates at the border to prove their vaccinated status.
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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Thursday that, from July 19th, Brits visiting amber list countries such as France would no longer have to quarantine on arrival back in the UK, as long as they were fully vaccinated.
However this exemption is not extended to the majority of UK nationals who live in France - who will still have to quarantine when visiting friends or family in the UK, even if they are fully vaccinated.
Shapps said the exemption was for "residents returning to England" but speaking on Sky News on Friday morning, he said he hoped to be able to have news to announced on whether the UK can recognise people vaccinated in other countries "within the next couple of weeks".
'It's something we're very actively working on.'
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 9, 2021
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says he'll be able to say more in the "next couple of weeks" about letting in fully vaccinated people living in other countries.#KayBurley: https://t.co/ADEpuuC7rnpic.twitter.com/0IA2n2ozim
A Department for Transport spokesman said: "From July 19th, arrivals who have been fully vaccinated with an NHS administered vaccine in the UK (plus 14 days), or are on a formally approved UK vaccine clinical trial, returning to England from amber list counties will no longer need to quarantine.
"Passengers will need to provide proof of their vaccination status to carriers in advance of travel."
This means that any UK nationals living in France who had their jabs in the UK can travel quarantine free - but the majority who had their vaccines in France will still face a 10-day quarantine if they want to travel to the UK to visit friends and family, as well as paying around £160 for the compulsory day 2 and 8 travel testing package.
The announcement sparked fury among UK nationals living abroad, many of whom have not seen family for 18 months as they cannot afford expensive travel testing packages as well as taking an extra 10 days off work to quarantine.
Today's announcement that only UK residents with NHS-administered vaccines is as disappointing as it is senseless for Brits abroad.
— James Jackson (@derJamesJackson) July 8, 2021
Some of us haven't seen friends & family in years.
Why isn't the UK trusting e.g. Germany, where Pfizer vaccine was invented, to administer it?
The citizens' rights group British in Europe has written to Shapps to ask for the reasoning behind the "epidemiologically illiterate" exclusion of people vaccinated outside the UK.
We have written to Grant Shapps...https://t.co/bXwtnwHa4A
— British in Europe (@BritishInEurope) July 8, 2021
Under 18s do not need to quarantine.
Arrivals in the UK who were fully vaccinated by the NHS will still need a negative Covid test before departure, and will have to pay for a second test on day 2 after their arrival in the UK.
The UK government will also from July 19th withdraw its official advice against travel to France - which means getting travel insurance should be possible again.
From France to UK
People travelling from the UK to France can only travel for essential reasons if they are not fully vaccinated.
People who are fully vaccinated can travel for any reason, but need to show a negative Covid test at the border. However, this does not include people who received AstraZeneca's Indian-produced Covishield vaccine.
READ ALSO How does France's traffic light system for travel work?
EU vaccine passport
People vaccinated in France can travel anywhere within the EU or Schegen zone using the EU digital vaccine passport. The UK is not part of the scheme, but talks are ongoing to allow non-EU countries such as the UK and USA join for mutual recognition of vaccine passports.
An EU source told The Local: "When it comes to the UK, the talks are ongoing at the technical level and are progressing well and going in the right direction.
"This is in particular because technically speaking the EU’s and the UK’s architectures are aligned.
"On the US, the EU continues exchanges with the US on the use of (vaccination) certificates to facilitate travel. We are also following closely how the debate on the certificates evolves in the US."
Although the French system cannot read QR codes from the NHS app, travellers vaccinated in the UK can present paper or digital vaccination certificates at the border to prove their vaccinated status.
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