Can we travel to our second home in France in June?
As stage two of deconfinement begins in France, the rules on travel and entering the country are changing. However, restrictions remain if you are not a resident returning to your main home until June 15. We explain.
Whether you are allowed to travel to your second home in France depends on the date you are planning to travel, and where you are coming from.
Until June 15
From now until June 15, the rules state that you cannot enter France unless you are a French national and/or a permanent resident returning to your main home, unless you are travelling for one of several valid reasons as stated on a new attestation travel form.
Visiting a second home is not one of the reasons listed on the form, and is therefore not allowed.
This applies whatever the method of travel, including flights, Eurostar, Eurotunnel, or ferry.
June 15 onwards
This depends on which country you are coming from; including if you are arriving in France from another European country, or one that is itself imposing quarantine on travellers arriving from France.
From June 15, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said he is “favourable” to the reopening of France’s borders to European countries, “without quarantine” for travellers arriving in France.
However, for arrivals from countries that have their own quarantines in place for people arriving from France, France will itself impose a voluntary two-week quarantine.
At the time of writing, this includes the UK.
Mr Philippe said: “We will apply reciprocity [for quarantines].”
Read more: Travellers UK to France: Voluntary 14-day quarantine
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Read more: UK clarifies 14-day quarantine rules
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Under the current rules, people coming from the UK to stay in their second home in France will also need to self-quarantine upon their return back to the UK, too.
The mandatory 14-day UK quarantine is set to apply from June 8, and will apply to arrivals into the UK from France, including British citizens.
Yet, critics have called for the UK quarantine to be scrapped.
An open letter signed by more than 70 airline and travel bosses this week (Thursday May 28) said: “The very last thing the travel industry needs is a mandatory quarantine imposed on all arriving passengers, which will deter foreign visitors from coming here, deter UK visitors from travelling abroad and, most likely, cause other countries to impose reciprocal quarantine requirements on British visitors, as France has already announced.”
Separately, Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways owner International Airlines Group, also wrote a letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and MPs, criticising the quarantine plan.
It is not yet clear how long the UK quarantine rules - if they are indeed applied - will last.
Coming from outside of Europe
For arrivals into France from countries outside of Europe, Mr Philippe said: “The decision will be taken with the other European countries by June 15.
It makes no sense to do this European country by country, we must do it collectively and apply this rule collectively.”
Minister for the interior, Christophe Castaner, previously said that non-European borders would reopen soon, “with a slight delay, maybe from July 1”. This would include a list of countries “that would be subject to specific measures at the borders of the European area”, he said.
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