EuroTrash

As dmu says. If you have your attestations filled out for long distance travel and you can satisfy the gendarmes that you're not French citizens nor French residents nor visitng/staying in France, you're in transit to your wife's country of nationality, they will send you on your way.
The rules may be different by then of course. I can't see a problem arising with crossing from the UK to France as long as the UK remains low risk and it's unlikely Italy would close the border with France because it's been EU policy all along to keep internal borders open as far as possible, but France is currently one of the worst affected countries in Europe and if it doesn't get its act together soon I guess it's not impossible that Italy might start asking for negative tests for people entering from France.

dmu

Nahe123 said that they'll be going to Italy via Switzerland, so no direct France/Italy border to pass through. They'd have to find out about what will happen at the two Swiss borders involved.

nahe123

Thanks both, that is helpful.
The swiss border guidance is helpfully quite clear and has explicit guidance for people transiting through.
Italy entrance guidance is also quite clear which helps as well.

dmu

The PM gave a Press Conference this evening, but it was mainly concerned with vaccinations and the progressive return to school.
The 19h00 curfew will continue until further notice. The 10 km restriction and day-time Attestation will be lifted on 3rd May (presumably meaning that the 30 km limit will continue but without an Attestation?), and non-essential shops, restaurant/café terraces and "certain" sportive/cultural activities will open/resume "mid-May". All this will depend on the Covid/hospital bed figures in the different Régions. Which means that nothing is sure....
There will be strict measures for people arriving from the Brazil, India, etc... hotspots, but no mention of other non-EU countries, which means that the present restrictions/Attestations for travellers from the UK will continue.
As this is a transiting through France thread, I won't go into details about the vaccinations and return to school.....

dmu

Just found out that the Président is making an Announcement on Friday 30th April, so we'll all know officially what changes there'll be next week at least. Maybe he'll be able to be more explicit on Castex's announcement concerning "mid-May" activities...

dmu

The fake news of the day.
I've just read that he has already made a declaration to some newspapers today and they have published the news on-line, not in the conditional....
Details, particularly for those wishing to drive in/through France: From Monday 3rd May, lifting of day-time travel restrictions and no more Attestations. The 19h00 curfew will continue until 19th May when it will start at 21h00. Attestations will still be needed during curfew times.
Also on 19th May: non-essential shops will open, with limited capacity ("jauge"), also terraces, cinemas, theatres, museums, etc...
On 9th June, the 21h00 curfew will start at 23h00.
30th June, lifting of curfew and increased capacity for the shops concerned on 19th May.
No re-opening of discothèques.
And, as usual, these dates depend on the Covid figures....

dmu

Breaking news thanks to Eurotrash:

https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/enjeux...#xtor=CS3-3092

Basically meaning compulsory quarantine for all those arriving in France from the UK. Details to be announced later....

almeirim

I/we are departing UK Eurotunnel next Tuesday 1 June late evening/early morning on a drive through France and Spain to my residency in Santarem district of Portugal. I/we have our residency documents, have copies of the sworn oath form, have an exemption form for the curfew and are also travelling with our cat who is having this AHC arranged this week for travel. PCR tests are to be done on Monday - results returned Tuesday prior to departure.

I have two specific questions:

The first relates to the French curfew. We are completing one of these exemption forms for each of us in the car. Box 5 is the one that appears to closest apply though there is none which explicitly states residents transiting the country to their homes. Will ticking this box and supplying residency documentation suffice to drive on the motorways during curfew? The only stoppages will be for pay at pump petrol. How often are we likely to get checked for this all the way through France - or is there an initial clearance done at the Eurotunnel border that gives French border clearance? We are trying to stay isolated as much as possible for COVID safety and don't want police stopping us every half hour to check if we are breaking curfew! Any advice or clarity on this would be most welcome.

The second question relates to food for our cat. The government website guidance is not helpful or clear at all and merely mentions that special pet foods for medical purposes and which do not require refridgeration can be taken from the UK into the EU. At face value that implies that any cat (or other animal) in good health cannot have a food supply taken through the border and that essentially they starve for 24/36 hrs!! This is surely not the case - it borders on animal cruelty if they cannot eat anything for that sort of time!? Has anyone any insight into this, or experience to tell me about this? There is zero clarity on this and neither the Eurotunnel, my vet, a DEFRA vet etc can offer clarity either on the EU commission page. I cannot leave for Folkestone not knowing whether or not my pet can eat or not for over a day. Surely more clarity and information on this is available somewhere. I have spent two/three hours as it is getting nowhere with this. Help!!?

EuroTrash

I've forgotten what the form looks like, and in any case it's probably changed since last time I used it, but sometimes you just have to tick the nearest box and hope that if you are checked, the gendarmes will use their gumption. The chances of being checked are very small. Presumably you will be in a Spanish registered vehicle, and I think gendarmes will assume that Spanish cars bombing along the motorway heading for Spain are on their way home, so they won't stop them. Throughout this thing, whatever restrictions have had to be imposed the EU has always made it a priority to let their citizens/residents return home.

Re puss, perhaps the best option would be to buy him/her some food in France at the first opportunity? It's not a public holiday or anything, shops will be open. I realise you probably aren't keen to stop and shop, but as you say it would be cruel to let puss go hungry all day while you drive past lots of shops that sell cat food.

almeirim

Thanks for the reply. As I indicated, we are coming from the UK - and to make it clear we are in a UK registered vehicle which is being imported to Portugal for matriculation - at the same time as I have a timetable to exchange my licence in Portugal by 11 June. I have the paperwork in an already huge file of papers to show that my D/L is in the process of exchange and I am securing an email letter from my Portuguese legal adviser to confirm that the vehicle is being imported as per that drive down to Portugal to initiate matriculation.

Therefore to take up your point, it will be a UK registered car 'bombing along the motorway, and by dint of that more conspicuous because of that. Which is not a reassurance in itself!

As for buying cat food in France, this is not an options. We are in the situation of shielding in the UK but forced to leave before a second vaccination while detained in the UK due to a raft of pandemic/Brexit and delays to the finishing of our house - all because residency was granted in early Dec 2020 and the 6 months residency rights are about to expire. So on that basis you might understand why there is a concern about feeding 'puss' Thanks for your observations anyway.

EuroTrash

OK, obviously you have a far more complicated situation than it seemed from your first post.
That's very bad luck to still not be fully vaccinated if you're shielding in the UK. Official reports on UK vaccination progress make it sound like all vulnerable people were done and dusted long since.
I hope you find a solution.

almeirim

Its ok - you were not to know

The situation is now becoming even harder based on the latest indications from France to tighten restrictions further - and which look to coincide exactly just before the time of my/our departure. I am assuming that quarantining will not apply as my/our purpose it to transit the country onwards through Spain and to Portugal, but I have read that the PCR test time is to also be squeezed to within 48 hrs. This means that based on having to wait 24 hrs for test result, it gives even less time to sychronise the eurotunnel departure to leave enough time to get through France before the PCR test expires. France is the longest country to have to drive through and with the curfew check threat hanging over it. With all the other considerations and hoops on top of all this to jump throug,h this is a nightmare that seems to keep getting worse, when it seems bad enough already, and i am starting to wonder if I am going to get home with a residency deadline of just next Thursday to meet

dmu

Would it be possible to fly directly to Portugal to deal with the residency deadline? Then return to the UK by air, do the necessary quarantine, and drive down at your leisure between 9th-30th June when the curfew only starts at 23h00, or even after 30th June when it will theoretically be lifted altogether?
But, as demonstrated, French Covid-regulations can change from one day to the next, depending on the Covid-figures and, for example, the risk of the Indian variant spreading over the (European) Continent, and nothing is guaranteed, even in July. But at least you would have sorted out your Portuguese Residency meanwhile...

almeirim

Thanks for the reply.

As I explained up the page, we have a car that needs to be imported to the UK and to meet a driving licence exchange on 11 June. That mandatory commitment, is in addition to meeting residency requirements on 3 June. Aside from the fact that I/we are shielding people, which prohibits so much exposure at airports and on a plane, those circumstances alone mean a flight is not an option

dmu

Fair enough!