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France to lift travel restrictions for UK arrivals – as long as they are fully vaccinated

Less than two weeks after the introduction of tough new restrictions on travel from the UK, France is set to relax the rules for fully vaccinated travellers from across the Channel.

Published: 4 June 2021 12:05 CEST
France to lift travel restrictions for UK arrivals - as long as they are fully vaccinated
Photo: Christophe Petit Tesson/AFP

Since May 31st, anyone travelling from the UK has only been allowed into France if they can fit one of the narrow criteria for essential travel. This rule was imposed due to the increase in infections linked to the Delta variant, first detected in India.

But from June 9th France will bring in a new traffic light system for entry which classifies  countries based on the level of Covid-19 spread and the presence of variants.

The UK has been classed as orange which means the Covid-19 virus is actively circulating but in a controlled way and there is no presence of “worrying variants”. That definition might appear slightly inappropriate given the spread of the Delta variant in the UK. 

Nevertheless the orange classification means that the rule that allowed only essential travel will be lifted for those who are fully vaccinated. Travellers are warned, however, that country ratings can change if the health situation deteriorates.

You can find a full explanation of how the traffic light system works HERE.

MAP: Which countries has France placed on its green list for travel

From Wednesday, June 9th, travellers from the UK who are fully vaccinated are again allowed in to France for any reason, including tourism, visits to family and friends and visits to second homes.

They will, however, still have to present a negative Covid test at the French border carried out within the previous 72 hours and will have to quarantine when they return to the UK as per the current British government rules.

For travellers who are not fully vaccinated the current rules still apply – travel allowed for essential reasons only, people who qualify must present a negative Covid test (antigen or PCR) taken within the previous 72 hours and quarantine for seven days on arrival before taking a second test.

You can find the full list of accepted reasons for essential travel HERE.

To qualify as fully vaccinated, travellers must:

  • Have received a vaccine that is approved by the European Medicines Agency – Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson (known as Janssen in France) 
  • Be at least two weeks after the second injection for double-dose vaccines or for two weeks after a single dose for those people who had previously had Covid-19
  • Be at least four weeks after the injection for people who had the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine

The Local has requested clarification on what proof of vaccination will be accepted by French border police on entry into the country.

Member comments

  1. What about german passport holders living in UK but travelling to France? Having a second home there.And can their children also german passport holders come and visit their parents from UK to France

    1. I believe anyone holding an EU passport can travel freely within the schengen zone with proof of vaccine or a negative test, no matter where you reside.

  2. I’ve read yesterday in the Guardian that kids of double vaccinated adults are allowed in with PCR tests, so that is a relief

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TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

Published: 26 March 2024 09:55 CET
German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of €420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of €2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some €200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of €2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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