# Travel through France



## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Please can you folks in France help me help my friends who are in Spain.

They have been having really bad luck trying to get home.

The plan is to go home to the UK next week, but have heard when they enter France they need to be quarantined for 2 weeks, is this so?

They´ve been in a flat in Spain since last November, were going home in March from Santander, had the ferry booked and the garage where it was stored managed to damage the van when they moved it, so that had to be mended. 

Van mended, but then they couldn´t get the van out because every thing closed because of the virus including the garage.

Finally allowed to open, asked the garage to check the van is OK to travel back to England and they discovered something wrong (can´t remember what she said it was) but the part has to come from Italy.
They hope it will be ready next week, but then heard about Frances quarantine.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

It's all a bit vague Jan. I can only offer the latest resume and hope there might be some pickings in here to help.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/ Other than that it's all in French on the Fr Gov website.
Or this https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/coronavirus

and https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus

Ray.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

I would think the British embassy in Paris would be the best place for them to contact then.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Try this French Government page for the attestation;

https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/conte...station-deplacement-metropole-vers-om-en.docx

That may help (or of course may not...)

Assuming they can leave Spain......


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Penquin said:


> Try this French Government page for the attestation;
> 
> https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/conte...station-deplacement-metropole-vers-om-en.docx
> 
> ...


Linkie no workie Dave


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

It's a download for the form to travel Jan. You will have to 'save' it.

Ray.


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## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

JanHank said:


> Linkie no workie Dave


Link worked for me (in that it triggered a download of an attestation) - but the download appeared to relate to travel between Metropolitan France and other French territories. I wouldn't be surprised if there are several versions of these atestations.

Regards,
John


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## Ozzyjohn (Sep 3, 2007)

This one is from the link:


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

They have all the forms ready, but don´t want to travel all the way up through Spain to be told they have to isolate for 2 weeks before travelling on.
Seems a bit daft to me, I would have thought the quicker they get through and out of France the better for the French.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Just press on and hope not to be stopped.

Ray.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Sorry, no idea how that happened

Try this one....

https://pl.ambafrance.org/IMG/pdf/a...4519/d010234635a3ed75ff68ffea70749875f3c9b156

The relevant section is the second one down "Persons in transit to their country of origin"

I would suggest choosing a small toad between Spain and France as a first try as they are less likely to have Gendarmes around.... then travel as rapidly as possible away from that border but avoiding major toads - join an autoroute 2 or three entry points away from where it starts.....

Also have details of mode of crossing Channel clearly visible - the tunnel is really the only option AFAIK, a prebooking would show no intention of lingering.

If back in the U.K. before the UK announcement is made (end of this month?) then no reason for quarantine there either.....


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

There is very little help for independent travellers from the embassies. They know how to get you flown home but no help forthcoming if you need to drive home.

At the time we travelled the only way to do it was to drive straight through and use CampingCarParks for stop overs. They seemed to have to some sort of "arrangement" with, possibly, the French authorities, whereby you could fill out a CampingCarPark form to justify your journey. We also had an attestation that allowed us to travel to our "main place of residence". There was another option which allowed people who "lived full time in their motorhome" to be on the road. We used a mixture of CampingCarParks and Motorway Services to get us home. A Gendarme did approach us at one services station to check our reason for being on the road. He did not ask for our attestation but accepted our "going home" reason. We, obviously, had British plates and were heading North  .

The tunnel was very straightforward with no queues.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Just had this an update from HMG re Travel in France

I think it covers exactly what is needed and why driving through will be accepted

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements

It has changed today to what you can see now under the "Entry Requirements" section


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## Webby1 (Mar 11, 2012)

patp said:


> There is very little help for independent travellers from the embassies. They know how to get you flown home but no help forthcoming if you need to drive home.
> 
> At the time we travelled the only way to do it was to drive straight through and use CampingCarParks for stop overs. They seemed to have to some sort of "arrangement" with, possibly, the French authorities, whereby you could fill out a CampingCarPark form to justify your journey. We also had an attestation that allowed us to travel to our "main place of residence". There was another option which allowed people who "lived full time in their motorhome" to be on the road. We used a mixture of CampingCarParks and Motorway Services to get us home. A Gendarme did approach us at one services station to check our reason for being on the road. He did not ask for our attestation but accepted our "going home" reason. We, obviously, had British plates and were heading North  .
> 
> The tunnel was very straightforward with no queues.


We are hoping hoping to travel through France in the next few days.....................we will have the attestation to travel through to UK but I am wondering about the use of Camping Car Parks as an alternative to motorway service points.

Where did you get this CCP form...presumably allowing you to drive off the motorway to a CCP site.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Got it from CampingCarParks themselves. We are members. I went onto their website and filled it in. To be honest we did not need it in its physical format. I don't know whether, however, it would have affected our entry into their sites if we had not applied for one ??? I assume they can block the acceptance of your card if they so desire ? I think it is another piece of French bureaucracy to have the physical piece of paper. If, at it seems, you can attest to living in your motorhome then that could cover anyone going anywhere for any purpose surely?


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Webby1 said:


> We are hoping hoping to travel through France in the next few days.....................we will have the attestation to travel through to UK but I am wondering about the use of Camping Car Parks as an alternative to motorway service points.
> 
> Where did you get this CCP form...presumably allowing you to drive off the motorway to a CCP site.


I thought I had missed you, are you just on your way home from Spain Peter?


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## Webby1 (Mar 11, 2012)

Thanks Jan.............we are actually stranded in Morocco at the moment. 
We have been on the same site in the desert for the last 60 days and only yesterday got permission to travel to the coast.

There have been various promises of boats and one was to Sete in France and hence my enquiry about places to stay en route.
Now it seems there will be a boat to Malaga.................Inshallah.............................. and then travel through Spain and France,so the car park answer is still relevant.

Not sure if going back to UK is actually the safest solution .................but hey it's time to go home


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Webby1 said:


> Thanks Jan.............we are actually stranded in Morocco at the moment.
> We have been on the same site in the desert for the last 60 days and only yesterday got permission to travel to the coast.
> 
> There have been various promises of boats and one was to Sete in France and hence my enquiry about places to stay en route.
> ...


I have just been speaking to my friends who are still in Spain and they are not clear on what going on about passage through France from Spain as quarantine keeps being mentioned on the news report they are looking at.

I suggested they give up worrying, relax and stay in the flat they are renting and travel home when instructions on travel are clear.

If there is such a thing as heaven and hell I think most should get a free pass to heaven having already lived through the hell. 
I won´t qualify though living where I do. :grin2:


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Barcelona direction won't be a direct route for you Peter, but if you do end up going that way we can offer you some space in our garden for a night or several. We are near Vinaros, but I guess you go straight north since it would be faster.

Still, we're here if it helps.

Next door to us is an aire/restaurant which caters almost exclusively for Germans. The parking reopened last week and since then they've had several Germans, who are obviously heading home, every night. Six last night and two tonight, so some travelling is happening. I can see the AP7 Autopista from our roof terrace and there are plenty of trucks going both ways on that too.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

All campsites in Spain are closed, as you know. Good luck finding any aires. We headed for one only to find it shut. It was after dark so we ended up staying the night on a nearby industrial estate.

Park4Night might be your best option though not used it myself.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

The aire next door to us has been open for the last week Pat.

We live near the equivalent of a B road. I can hear much more traffic this morning that there's been since lockdown. Things seem to have returned pretty much to normal during the last week or so, though social distancing is being maintained.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

There are more cars on the road around here this week than two weeks ago, but still much less than "normal" - whatever that now is.

I have not ventured as far as the autoroute - that's next week's pleasure....


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Travel _through_ France now requires different forms for attestation than before. The rules apparently changed on 20th March so do ensure you use the correct things if thracelling through France eg from Spain back to the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements

Hope that makes it easier for anyone undertaking this type of journey.

.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Penquin said:


> Travel _through_ France now requires different forms for attestation than before. The rules apparently changed on 20th March sondo ensure you use the correct things if thracelling through France eg from Spain back to the UK.
> 
> https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements


They are in France now, left their holiday place in Spain yesterday morning at 7am called me at lunchtime today to say they had crossed into France with no problem and hope to be at the tunnel tomorrow.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Hope it goes well, if they need that form I believe that it can be compiled on a Smart phone or tablet - there is not normally a need for any paper copies...


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Penquin said:


> Hope it goes well, if they need that form I believe that it can be compiled on a Smart phone or tablet - there is not normally a need for any paper copies...


As whatever it is thats changed didn´t happen until yesterday after they left surely if they were stopped all would be forgiven for not knowing ot the change and the old papers would be OK.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Having had a few German vans next door over the last week there were none today. Normally at this time of year there would be 60 or 70. We conclude the few were trapped people going home.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

They arrived home at 6.30 am this morning and are now sleeping in their proper bed.
I await the report on their journey, but I think it was uneventful.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

There ya go all that worry and anxiety for nothing.!

Ray.


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## Webby1 (Mar 11, 2012)

We have just traveled back from the lockdown in Morocco.
Hard to believe that just over 2 weeks ago we were on the edge of the Sahara.

We had a designated route to travel through Spain but everything seemed very flexible in France. 
Certainly the Camping Car Park Aires are open and we are on one at the moment.................travel to Wissant area tomorrow and onto the Chunnel on Sunday.

It will certainly be different to be back in UK.........................but OMG what has happened to our Great country since we left in January ?????

See other threads on Brexit,Cummings if you're not sure how we have been sold down the river by a selfish,self serving elite.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Sadly Webby, I very much agree with your sentiments about the country formerly known as Great Britain.

I am pleased that your journey back from Morocco is running smoothly, I suspect that it will only get harder after you leave the Chunnel, hopefully you can complete your travel to home without needing an overnight stop on the way as I suspect finding one might be harder than in France.

I hope that you will be able to return to the EU when you wish, without travel restrictions due to this nasty virus and the incompetent people that are in charge of wrecking the country - a view that I am sure will attract criticism.

.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes Peter, I think I would think about turning round and going back again.

Ray.


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