EuroTrash

I can't help thinking it would have been so much less stress to bide your time and apply for a visa to move to Portugal when you were good and ready and the situation had settled down, rather than try to jump through all these hoops to squeeze in under the WA. Ironically the WA was intended to make people's lives less stressful, not more stressful!
I guess you could still do that?
But I suppose having got this far you don't want to give up now.

brian12

Sorry to hijack,just a quickie.Are we allowed to transit France without quarantine.We could make Como from Calais in 10 hrs.Our 72hr test period will cover France,Switzerland and Italy.TIA.PS we are not resident but own a house in Italy that needs urgent attention.

heritagestanley

Good luck with the trip. I'd be glad if you could kindly do a post afterwards to say how how you got on: there are lots of us in a similar boat!

almeirim

Its very easy to take a retrospective view of what decisions could have been made if we all knew what was going to unfold over the last year and more and could predict how erratic governments would respond. So much is dependant on circumstances out of control

At the time of purchasing my home in July 2020 there was no way of knowing that the escritura was going to be delayed from early September when it was scheduled, to November when it eventually happened, that the agent involved in selling the property would contract COVID and that the communication between us in the Uk would become difficult to Portugal based on an owner who couldn't leave immediately and further delayed the final contract. That left about a month to secure residency before the end of the transition period and at the time it was a mere miracle we achieved that ! But even at the time it was impossible to see the chaos that would unfold right at the end of the year which also coincided shortly after with some of the workforce doing repairs to my home to make it ready to live in contracting COVID and meaning that the work was subsequently delayed further.

The actual removals were completed in early October 2020 when we believed that departure before the end of the transition period was perfectly doable. But couldn't predict that the escritura would be delayed and other full month which in turn meant those repairs couldn't start and which turn came a cropper when COVID paralysed not just Portugal but wider Europe and the world.

So the idea of biding my time didn't occur back in July 2020 when 5 full months to complete purchase, do removals and complete repairs seemed perfectly doable. And at the same time be able to have the freedom to take items of personal belongings, plants etc etc that would take eons of red tape, expense and bureaucracy to complete if the biding time option had been taken post Brexit. Esentially whhat was achieved with freedom of movement etc prior to Brexit transition could not be achieved at all if I had waited to begin this process post Brexit.

On the basis that so much of this has been completely out of my own control, I cannot look back and think I should have done this differently. Of course with some clairvoyancy I might have done otherwise, I do accept that for sure.

almeirim

Thanks its much appreciated

We are determined to leave on the 1st June, have a flexible Eurotunnel booking to jum on the first train we can get to th station on time to be on - as soon as the PCR test result is sent that day. The curfew exemption form will be completed and we will trust that France accepts that it has to allow people time to travel to where they need to. Either before they quarantine, or in my/our case to be able to clear the country. Otherwise how are they going to freeze everyone in time to get of the streets across the country as each 48 hour test expires? There has to be time allowed to arrive at destinations, or to drive in transit if we are not stopping in France - so in my case that means being allowed to drive the length of France to get the heck out of it. Or am I going to be forced to quarantine at the pay at pump petrol station?....

dmu

As you pointed out, there's no box to tick for an EU resident "returning home", but the Attestation's "compelling family reasons" might cover you for driving after curfew, once you've left the Port. But, beforehand, you'll have to be prepared to explain your Situation to the Officer upon arrival in France (proof of ownership in Portugal and residency deadlines), and comply with what he/she decides/requires. We don't know yet how the new quarantine regulations will be applied, nor how an Officer will react to your intention to leave your vehicle only to get petrol and obey nature's demands, while in France. At best, a lifting of the eye-brow, at worst, deep suspicion.
Anyway, fore-warned is fore-armed, and I wish you Bon Voyage next week. Keep us updated when you arrive in Portugal, it will interest other prospective travellers!

almeirim

My friend received a response from @FranceintheUK that clarifies the quarantine:
@Rosie27396150
·
Replying to
@Lpais5
,
@cgfEdimbourg
and
@FranceintheUK
does this quarentine for 7 days apply to those who are driving through France to another country ?
1
Laurence Pais
@Lpais5
·
No, it doesn' t apply for transit.

Additionally, fairly recently the French Consulate indicated to tick Box 5 on the exemption form.

heritagestanley

That's reassuring - though we need to look carefully at the new rules when they are published (especially as the Minister's tweet indicates that an antigen test will suffice). If there's no requirement to quarantine during a 24hr transit then does it follow that travellers can break a journey overnight at a hotel?

dmu

OK, although it states "gares ou aéroports", not ports, and normally relates to an onward journey within France. Note that these Curfew Attestations are principally intended for people living in France, able to tick the pertinent box and justify why and where they're going.
What does Laurence Pais base her "no quarantine for transit" info on? The links on the French Consulate site don't mention the issue....

dmu

Up-date: the latest Attestations published, intended for travellers from the UK to France as from midnight tonight, now includes under 3: "... en transit par la France....", but this applies only to those returning to their principal place of residence in the EU via France, not to those house-hunting or travelling for pleasure, which are not "motifs impérieux". Also mentioned is "voluntary isolation" for 7 days followed by a PCR test, but, unless I missed it, it isn't specified whether transiting travellers must self-isolate or not, e.g. if they stop off in a French hotel on the way.

https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/co...als-in-france/

https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Actual...ational-travel
HTH

almeirim

The French are being far too self absorbed. These curfew attestations MUST include EVERYONE which also includes those of us driving through France to another destination beyond - and which is very very easy to prove with a barrage of residency certificate papers and QR coded proofs, such as we have in a mightily stacked folder which also includes driving licence exchange documents, an affidavit from my Portuguese legal office that they are handling importation of my car, utente health service numbers, escritura house purchase agreements... and much more besides....

I/we are not stopping off at a hotel - its a straight drive to get out of France pdq with only petrol refuel included. The Eurotunnel have also stated that transiting is not included, but the latest links remain completely lacking in clarity and are causing confusion and worry in equal measures amongst travellers far beyond the likes oy myself - which within the next 48 to 60 hrs will indeed include me unless something simple, straightforward and unambiguous is provided. I have no reason to doubt Laurence Pais and other sources who state transit is not included but it would be far far better if official guidance links made that abundantly clear. As it stands the French and English versions are at variances with each other. and imply different things

Really cannot be doing with all this - my focus is getting to my home in Portugal by Thursday to align with my residency needs and to (hopefully just get on with my life) not having to waste my time waiting for clarity from the French who seem hell bent on making life as difficult and uncertain as possible for those who do NOT have a destination....WITHIN France......

Annetje

Yes, how dare the French be so inconsiderate to put their own people ahead of the Brits !
I'm sure the French don't mind going into another lockdown thanks to the Indian Virus being brought in by the Brits.

heritagestanley

Sorry, but I think that comment is unfair. Of course the French government must act in what it believes is the best interest of the French people. Nobody has suggested anything else. All that's being asked for is clarity about what the new rules actually are.

Nand

There are a lot of announcments a lot of new rules and a lot of words said in France. Very little gets done except a lot of laughing at how ridiculous things are. If I were you I would get together in a folder as many papers as I could that look legal and important, have those ready and give it a gooo. I actually think its doubtful you will be stopped, questioned or even much looked at while transiting France if my experience of the country means anything.

Annetje

And I'm very sorry about that but understand this, it's for weeks now that the EU countries are being attacked and ridiculed because the rules between UK and EU have changed and frankly, I'm a bit tired of it. We didn't want this, we didn't vote for it and we have to apply to different rules as well.
Btw, if we were to come to the UK we need to go in quarantine as well.

We are in de middle of an pandemic and life is difficult for everyone. We just, yes JUST come out of a severe lockdown and are trying to open up a bit and the last thing we want is a new variant to be spread around ... (And you can thank your Johnson who didn't want to stop flights from India for that one !)
We try to make sense of all the different rules ... within France, between EU countries, between non EU countries and France ... and, believe me, it's hard to keep up ! Everything changes on a daily basis but hey, that's life during a pandemic.
People here are trying to help you all and frankly, deserve much more appreciation than what they are given in the post from almeirim.
And, again mr almeirim, we are only JUST coming out of lockdown !

The rules are clear : If you don't have an URGENT reason for travelling through France, it is against the rules to travel through France.
If you do have an URGENT reason, prepare all the documents you can think of to prove this and just go (like Nand said above) although, I hasten to add,
counting on not being checked is the wrong way to look at this !
One should stick to the rules : not having an URGENT reason means no traveling through France.