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HEALTH

Reader question: Can I travel between Italy and the UK via France?

With few flights available, several readers have asked about the coronavirus restrictions that apply when driving between Italy and the UK via France. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 23 February 2021 14:00 CET
Updated: 27 February 2021 11:13 CET
Reader question: Can I travel between Italy and the UK via France?
Crossing Italian and French borders at the moment is possible in some cases, but it's complicated. Photo: AFP

Question: We want to go from Italy to the UK but it's proving very difficult, can we drive and go via France instead?

The short answer to this question is that it may be possible, but don't expect it to be easy – the trip will involve PCR tests, forms, restrictions and extra expense.

Here are the rules on travel from Italy to the UK. See the bottom of the page for details of the journey in the other direction.

Leaving Italy

If driving from Italy, the first step is assessing what the rules are on travelling out of your region or even your municipality, as movement in many areas is restricted.

Nine of Italy’s 20 regions are currently under higher-risk “orange” zone restrictions, while some towns and regions have also declared local 'red zones' amid a spike in coronavirus infections.

You can only enter or leave an orange or red zone for urgent reasons.

The regional classifications change weekly.

Italy currently has a nighttime curfew in place between 10pm-5am, during which all non-essential travel is prohibited.

To drive between provinces and regions to get to the French border in the first place, you'll need complete a self-declaration form, which you will need to show to police in case of a check.

The main justifications are for work, medical treatment, or for emergency reasons. You can also travel to return home.

You can download the form here.

Italy also currently has a ban in place on non-essential travel between all regions, regardless of zone. There are however no restrictions on passing through regions to get to somewhere else, so if you’re driving straight to the border this rule won’t affect your journey.

If you need to stop overnight in a region other than the one you’re resident in however, you should check which local restrictions are in place in that area. Rules often vary from one region and town to another.

READ ALSO: Where to find the latest Covid-19 information for your region of Italy

Photo: AFP

Crossing the French border from Italy

There are currently strict controls in place on the French-Italian border.

To enter France, you'll need to be able to show the result of a negative Covid-19 test carried out no more than 72 hours before departure. 

This must be a PCR test, not one of the rapid-result antigen tests.

You will also need a completed travel certificate – the 'Attestation' – explaining your reason for travelling through the country. 

Like in Italy the possible reasons are specific, such as for work, medical appointments or imperative family-related responsibilities. Be prepared to show proof to border guards.

You must also complete a sworn health declaration, which you can find here. There are different forms for those 11 years old and over and those under.

There is currently a curfew in France running from 6pm to 6am. If you intend to drive within these times then you will need to complete a Travel Exemption Certificate stating your reasons for travelling outside curfew hours.

You can find and download the certificate here. 

It's only available in French, but if you want something in English you can download the TousAntiCovid app on your phone and present this to the authorities instead. Failure to have a filled-out form, or breaking curfew for a non-authorised reason, can result in a €135 fine.

Shops, apart from large malls, are open in France, so you'll be able to stop and buy food for your journey, however restaurants and cafés remain closed so if you want something more substantial, you'll have to get a takeaway.

Some hotels remain open, so if you need to stop overnight along the way, this will be possible.

Masks are compulsory in all indoor public spaces in France, as well as in the street for 400 towns, which includes all of the larger French cities.

Photo: AFP

Crossing to the UK

When you arrive at the ports, you may find limited ferry availability. 

P&O Ferries are currently running services between Dover and Calais: check their Twitter page for updates on schedules. Brittany Ferries are only running one weekly service between Cherbourg and Portsmouth, however there may be more routes starting in March 2021.

Before arrival in the UK you must fill out a passenger locator form. You must also buy a travel testing package costing £210. This pays for you to get a Covid-19 test on day two and day eight of quarantining. 

The test package must be booked before you start your journey. Full details can be found here. 

When you arrive at the UK border, you'll be asked to show another negative PCR test, no older than three days and when you finally reach your destination, you'll need to quarantine for a total of 10 days. 

For the moment, neither Italy nor France are on the UK's 'red list' so you can quarantine at home (you may want to check for updates to the red list before you depart).

Travelling to Italy from the UK

Unfortunately if you’re planning on driving to Italy from the UK this will prove even more complicated.

Entering France from any non-EU country requires a vital reason for travel from a pretty short list. 

If you have residency in France or Italy, however, you are allowed to return home but be prepared to show proof of your residency status with a residency card or visa, plus tickets from your outward journey. This exemption does not apply to second home owners.

France has a quarantine in place for non-EU arrivals, but this does not apply to people transiting through.

Once you leave the UK and enter France, you'll have to show another negative PCR test and the same health declaration and travel certificate as described above.

EXPLAINED: What are the rules on travel between Italy and the UK?

Italy currently has its own tough restrictions in place on entering the country if you have been in the UK within the past 14 days, with the exception of those who are legally resident in Italy – whether or not they are Italian citizens – and those with essential reasons for travel, such as for work.

This restriction is due to concern about the spread of the UK coronavirus variant and it’s not known when the rule may be relaxed.

This means that once you get to the Italian border, you'll again have to show a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours, as well as proof that you have residency in Italy. (See more details on these rules in a separate article here.)

Italy also requires all arrivals from the UK to undergo a second swab test on arrival in Italy, and a 14-day period of mandatory quarantine (no matter what the test result).

If you’re travelling by car you must contact the health authority in the region you are in to arrange a test on arrival.

“Whatever the result of the two swab tests, those arriving in Italy from the UK must also report to their local health authorities on arrival and must self-isolate for 14 days,”  the UK government website states.

“Everyone arriving in Italy must also call the Covid-19 helpline for the region you are travelling within 48 hours.”

All travellers to Italy also need to download and complete a self-declaration form from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before travel.

You must give this form to your airline or to the border police if you are stopped for checks.

For more information on international travel to and from Italy, see the Foreign Ministry's website and check the restrictions in your destination country with the appropriate embassy.

The Local is not able to give advice on individual cases.

Member comments

  4. Thank you – very helpful links and information. Fingers crossed for my drive back to the UK next week.

  6. I really would find anyone’s experience of driving from the uk to Italy immensely helpful. How did you get your rapid flow tests to enable you to make the drive with all the paperwork?

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TRAVEL NEWS

What will Europe’s EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU's Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport checks will usher in big changes for travellers - here we answer readers' questions on the position for dual nationals.

Published: 22 April 2024 17:10 CEST
What will Europe's EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU is preparing, after many delays, to introduce the EES system for travel in and out of Europe.

You can find a full explanation of how it works HERE, but in essence it is an enhanced passport check – registering biometric details such as fingerprints and facial scans and introducing an automatic calculation of how long you have stayed within the EU/Schengen zone in order to detect ‘over-stayers’.

And it’s already causing stress for travellers. We asked readers of The Local to share their questions here – and one of the biggest worries was how the system will work for dual nationals ie people who have a passport for both an EU country and a non-EU country.

EES: Your questions answered

EU passports 

One of the main purposes of EES is to detect ‘over-stayers’ – people who have either stayed in the EU longer than their visa allows or non-EU nationals who have over-stayed their allowance of 90 days in every 180.

As this does not apply to EU nationals, people travelling on an EU passport are not required to do EES pre-registration and will continue to travel in the same way once EES is introduced – going to the ‘EU passports queue’ at airports, ports and stations and having their passports scanned as normal.

Non-EU 

Non-EU travellers will, once EES is up and running, be required to complete EES pre-registration.

This means that the first time they cross an EU/Schengen zone external border they will have to go to a special zone of the airport/port/terminal and supply extra passport information including fingerprints and a facial scan.

This only needs to be done once and then lasts for three years.

Non-EU residents of the EU/Schengen zone

This does not apply to non-EU citizens who are permanent residents of an EU country or who have a long-stay visa for an EU/Schengen zone country – click HERE for full details.

Schengen zone passports/Irish passports 

EES applies within the Schengen zone, so people with Swiss, Norwegian and Icelandic passports are treated in the same way as citizens of EU countries.

Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not the Schengen zone – these countries will not be using the EES system at their borders, but their citizens are still EU citizens so can continue to use EU passport gates at airports and will be treated the same as all other EU citizens (ie they don’t have to do EES pre-registration).

OK, so what if you have both an EU and a non-EU passport?

They key thing to remember about EES is that it doesn’t actually change any of the rules on immigration – it’s just a way of better enforcing the rules that are already in place. 

Therefore the rules for dual nationals remain as they are – for most people which passport to travel on is a matter of personal choice, although Americans should be aware that if you have a US passport and you are entering the USA, you must use your American passport. 

But it’s also important to remember that the passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’ – therefore if you present an American passport at the Italian border, you will be treated exactly the same as every other American, there is no way for the border guard to know that you are also Italian.

Likewise if you are a UK-Germany dual national and you travel back to the UK on your German passport, you can expect to be treated the same as every other German at the border, and might be asked for proof of where you are staying in UK, how long you intend to stay etc – the system has no way of knowing that you are also British. 

Therefore whether you have to complete EES pre-registration or not is entirely a matter of which passport you are travelling on – if you use your EU passport you won’t have to do it, if you use your non-EU passport you will.

It’s also possible to use two passports for the same trip – so let’s say you’re travelling from Spain to Canada – you enter Canada on your Canadian passport, and show your Canadian passport again when you leave. However, once you re-enter Spain you show your Spanish passport in order to benefit from the unlimited length of stay.

If you’re travelling between France and the UK via the Eurostar, Channel Tunnel or cross-Channel ferry, you need to remember that the Le Touquet agreement means that French passport checks take place in the UK and vice versa. You can still use both passports, but you just need to keep your wits about you and remember to hand the French one to the French border guards and the British one to British guards.

In terms of avoiding immigration formalities using two passports is the most efficient way for dual nationals to travel, but some people prefer to stick to one passport for simplicity, or don’t want to keep both passports together in case of theft.

Basically it’s a personal choice, but you just need to remember that you will be treated according to the passport that you show – which includes completing EES pre-registration if you’re showing a non-EU passport.

It’s also worth remembering that if the changes do cause border delays (and there are fears that they might especially at the UK-France border), then these will affect all travellers – regardless of their passport. 

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