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HEALTH

LATEST: Who can travel to France from outside the EU?

Travel in and out of France from outside the EU remains limited, but the French government has relaxed some of the restrictions since the ban was imposed in January. Here's what the latest rules say.

Published: 30 January 2021 16:48 CET
Updated: 11 March 2021 15:12 CET
LATEST: Who can travel to France from outside the EU?
Photo: AFP

On January 31st, in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a third lockdown, France closed its non-EU borders, however from March 12th there are exceptions in place for travel between certain countries. 

Non-EU

France’s borders are closed to anyone coming in from outside the EU or the Schengen zone.

The only exceptions to the travel ban are people with motif imperiéux (compelling/essential reasons) for travel.

The full list of reasons are;

Family reasons

  • The death of a parent, grandparent, child or sibling or visit to one of these family members who has received a terminal medical diagnosis (death certificate or doctor’s letter will be needed)
  • Childcare by a parent or guardian with custody or visitation rights (court letter and proof of address)
  • Providing vital assistance to a sick or disabled person (document establishing relationship)
  • Travel for legal or judicial reasons (letter or summons)
  • A legal or economic reason that makes it impossible to remain in the country you are travelling from eg the expiry of a residency card 
  • Travel for reasons of personal safety eg domestic violence or custody dispute (any documentation relating to the situation)
  • Returning to your main residence from a trip that began before January 31st (proof of residency eg carte de séjour, receipt of application for carte de séjour or proof of address, plus tickets showing your outward journey)
  • Students beginning or ending a period of study (documentation from the place of study)

Health reasons

  • Medical emergency (one person can accompany the sick person if necessary, doctor’s letter or hospital appointment card)

Work-related reasons

  • Vital work requiring an in-person presence where the work cannot be cancelled or postponed without disproportionate consequences (attestation from employer plus professional card if applicable)
  • Health professionals engaged in Covid-related work (professional ID)
  • Diplomatic or state work trips which cannot be cancelled or postponed (professional ID and/or letters from relevant ministers)
  • High-level sports professionals participating in fixtures approved by the sports minister (professional ID and documentation from the sports ministry)

March 12th

From March 12th, some extra exemptions have been added to this list. They are;

  • Couples who are married or in a civil partnership where one of the members is living abroad for professional reasons
  • Minor children attending school in France while the family home is established abroad
  • Couples with children, one living in France, the other abroad and separated.
  • Students taking a competitive examination
  • Returning to a main residence in France
 

These rules concern travel both in and out of France, so anyone wanting to leave France and travel to a non-EU country will also need a vital reason.

Exempt countries

From March 12th, seven non-EU countries have been granted an exemption, meaning that people can travel to or from these countries for any reason and do not need to prove that their trip is essential.

They are;

  • Australia
  • South Korea
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • New Zealand
  • The United Kingdom
  • Singapore

Paperwork

People who are either travelling from an exempt country or fit one of the reasons for compelling travel need a negative PCR test taken within the previous 72 hours. They also need a permission form (attestation de déplacement et de voyage) stating their reason for travel, or a declaration that they have no Covid symptoms, depending on the country of origin. You can download the attestation or declaration HERE.

In short, travellers from most non-EU countries (apart from those seven exempted) need a test and the attestation but travellers from EU countries need a negative test and declaration saying they have no Covid symptoms.

Once in France, travellers from outside the EU are requested to self-isolate for 7 days at a location of their choice and then take a second test. This is a request and there are no checks on quarantine.

EU

Travel within the EU bloc and the Schengen zone is less restrictive, with no need to demonstrate a vital reason for travel – although both French and EU authorities ask people to keep travel to a minimum.

However, anyone arriving in France from an EU country will need a show a negative PCR test, taken within the last 72 hours and also a sworn statement that they do not have Covid symptoms (see above).

Find full details on the rules, as well as exempt categories, HERE.

Member comments

  1. I’ve read elsewhere that travel to and from certain countries such as Australia and New Zealand is exempt from the new restrictions. Is that true?

    1. Hi, I live in NZ. My mother is in France. Before these changes we were exempt and could arrive in Paris, but travelling around France between regions I was advised was incredibly hard. My understanding is that now I cannot enter the country.

  2. it doesn’t stipulate taking a second test after the seven days – it did in the previous rules; in fact i am due to take my test this week but now doesn’t seem to be neccessary (in any case it is all on honour nothing seemingly is logged)

  3. Is it really the case that the same rules apply to travel OUT of France, that is to say a British national can only return to the UK if she has one of the same ‘compelling reasons’ as coming TO France from the UK (of course, with the negative PCR test and all the requirements for entry to the UK)?

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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