COVID-19: Can I enter France?

Public health measures are applicable to all travellers leaving or entering France. Moreover, restrictions on access to French territory are in place, depending on travellers’ country of departure.

All travel to and from countries outside the European space is prohibited, unless there are pressing grounds for travel. Travel to and from countries within the European space is strongly discouraged.

Specific rules apply to hauliers

Other rules apply to travel to and from French overseas territories.

In all cases, the usual travel restrictions apply (visas, duration of stay, etc.).

Whatever your place of departure, if you show symptoms of COVID-19 upon arrival in France, you will be quarantined or placed and kept in isolation by the prefect.

More information on the website of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Arrivals from within the European space

If you are arriving from a country on the list below (countries in the European space), you can enter France.

European Union Member States, Andorra, the Holy See, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland.

You will need to present the following to the transport operator and border control authorities:

  • A sworn declaration stating that:
    • You do not show signs of COVID-19;
    • To your knowledge, you have not been in contact with anyone confirmed to have COVID-19 in the 14 days before travel;
    • You agree to submit, if you are aged 11 years or older, to a virological RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 upon arrival in France;
  • If you are aged 11 or over, a negative RT-PCR test result, carried out less than 72 hours before departure.

Where an RT-PCR test cannot be carried out in the country of departure, you can ask the embassy or consulate of France for a specific document called a “PCR test exemption” (Dispense de test PCR), subject to pressing grounds for travel (limited to a very small number of circumstances) and prior acceptance of:

  • A virological screening test capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2 (antigen/lateral flow test) upon arrival
  • A 7-day isolation period in a hotel designated by the French authorities, subject to presentation of a booking;
  • An RT-PCR virological test at the end of the isolation period. In countries where antigen/lateral flow tests are available, the “PCR test exemption” is valid only if accompanied by the results of such a test carried out less than 72 hours before boarding and which does not identify COVID-19 contamination.

The costs of the isolation period are at your own expense.

Health controls do not apply if you are a:

  • haulier
  • cross-border worker
  • resident of a cross-border area (border within a 30 km radius of your residence).

Arrival from a country outside the European space

If you are in a country outside the European space, you may only enter France if your journey meets one of the following exception criteria and if you have pressing grounds for travel:

List of exceptions

  • French nationals, and their partners (spouses, civil partners, or cohabiters, subject to evidence of cohabitation) and children who departed from France before 31 January 2021 or had/have pressing grounds for travel;
  • European Union citizens and citizens of Andorra, the Holy See, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marina and Switzerland, with their main residence in France or travelling to the country in which they are a citizen or resident by transiting through France, as well as their partners (spouses, civil partners, or cohabiters, subject to evidence of cohabitation) and children, who departed from France before 31 January 2021 or had/have pressing grounds for travel;
  • Nationals of a third country with a valid European or French residence permit or long-stay visa with their main residence in France or travelling to their main residence in another European Union or assimilated country and transiting through France, and who departed from France before 31 January 2021 or had pressing grounds for travel);
  • British nationals or family members enjoying the provisions of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, and who departed from France before 31 January 2021 or had pressing grounds for travel;
  • Holders of a long-stay visa delivered on the grounds of family reunification or family reunification of refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and stateless persons.
  • Health professionals helping to fight COVID-19 or recruited as a trainee for this purpose;
  • Holders of a “Talent Passport” long-stay visa;
  • Students moving to France for the second university semester as part of a higher education establishment programme, or researchers moving to France at the invitation of a research laboratory, for research activities that require a physical presence;
  • Persons working in the land, sea and air transport sectors and transport service providers, including drivers of any vehicle for transport of goods to be used in the French territory and those which are only in transit, or such persons travelling as passengers to reach their departure base or for the purpose of training;
  • Persons with duties in a diplomatic or consular mission or in an international organization headquartered or having an office in France, and their partners and children, or travelling to France for essential professional reasons with a travel order issued by their home State;
  • Persons transiting for less than 24 hours in an international zone;

Categories concerning travel from the United Kingdom

  • British civil servants for the purposes of their missions, persons working for the border police, and customs officers;
  • Staff of the Channel Tunnel (including for tasks linked to operation, maintenance and security) or cross-Channel facilities;
  • Border workers;
PDF - 163.5 kb
(PDF - 163.5 kb)

For your arrival in France, you need to fill in and carry three documents in addition to required travel documents:

  • An exempted international travel certificate for travel to France, available here in English and in French. If you are an international haulier, this certificate will be replaced by: Template of European certificate.
  • A sworn declaration stating that:
    • You do not show signs of COVID-19;
    • To your knowledge, you have not been in contact with anyone confirmed to have COVID-19 in the 14 days before travel;
    • You agree to submit, if you are aged 11 years or older, to a virological RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 upon arrival in France;
    • You agree to self-isolate for 7 days upon arrival in France, and to submit, if you are aged 11 years or older, to a virological RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 at the end of the isolation period.
  • If you are aged 11 or over, a negative PCR test result, carried out less than 72 hours before departure.

Where an RT-PCR test cannot be carried out in the country of departure, you can ask the embassy or consulate of France for a specific document called a “PCR test exemption” (Dispense de test PCR), subject to pressing grounds for travel (limited to a very small number of circumstances) and prior acceptance of:

  • A virological screening test capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2 (antigen/lateral flow test) upon arrival;
  • A 7-day isolation period in an establishment designated by the French authorities, subject to presentation of a booking;
  • An RT-PCR virological test at the end of the isolation period. In countries where antigen/lateral flow tests are available, the “PCR test exemption” is valid only if accompanied by the results of such a test carried out less than 72 hours before boarding and which does not identify COVID-19 contamination.

The costs of the isolation period are at your own expense.

You will not be allowed to board without these documents.

N.B. : French civil servants with essential duties relating to policing the French border in the United Kingdom, British civil servants with essential duties relating to policing the British border in France, and essential operational staff for rail or port infrastructure in France and the United Kingdom are exempt from these health measures in the course of their duties.

Dernière modification : 11/02/2021

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