France lockdown: Your FAQs on Covid-19 confinement rules

Covid-19 in France: Daily update

Wednesday 25 November*

• Recorded new cases in France: 9,155
• New deaths: 458 (total number of deaths in France now 50,237)
• Rate of positive tests: 13.1%

*Data provided by santepubliquefrance.fr Figures for new cases and deaths from based on previous 24 hour period. Rate of positive tests is the number of positive tests divided by the total number of tests over the past seven days.

France's national lockdown came into effect on Thursday (October 29) at midnight. On November 24, President Emmanuel Macron announced a three-step deconfinement process. If daily Covid-19 case numbers fall below 5,000 per day, lockdown will end on December 15, and instead be replaced by a nationwide curfew.

Read our breakdown of the deconfinement process here.

Under the new lockdown rules whenever you leave home you will need a valid lockdown exemption form (called an 'attestation de déplacement') to justify why you are outside. This form needs to be shown to any police or gendarmerie officer if they request it.

You can find more information and links to download English and easy-read French lockdown travel exemption forms. If you do not have access to a printer or smartphone, you can write the form by hand on a piece of paper. Read this article on exemption forms without a printer or phone.

For readers who own a second home in France, see this quick overview of lockdown rules for second homeowners.

Find the answers to your questions on the confinement in France on this page

We will continue to update this page with relevant questions as they come in. Click on the question to see the detailed answer.

Do you have a question about the lockdown? Email us questions@connexionfrance.com

Friends and family

Can I visit from the UK to help my parents?

Can I see people in a support bubble?

Can I visit my friends and family?

Can I take my pregnant daughter to the hospital?

Can we exercise as a couple or a family?

Can I travel back to the UK for my father's funeral?

Can I drive a friend to the doctor?

Can I write two names on an attestation?

Can I collect my son from another city?

Can I travel to UK to help a sick relative?

Shops and services

Can gardeners work at clients' homes?

Which shops can stay open during lockdown in France?

Can I drive to a supermarket 19km away?

Can I cycle to the shops 10km away?

Can I go to the post office or bank?

Can I cross the French border to go shopping?

Does the 1-hour limit apply to my weekly shop?

Can I go shopping with my partner?

Are DIY shops still open?

Can artisans continue to buy materials?

Are déchetteries still open?

Are notaire offices staying open?

Can takeaways deliver food?

Can the hairdresser come to my home?

Can I go to the dentist?

Can I go to a home/garden shop 50km away?

Travel and transport

Is P&O Ferries within law to refuse refunds during lockdown?

Can I travel to my French holiday home during lockdown?

Can I travel back to France during the lockdown?

Do I need a Covid test to travel to France?

Will on-street parking be free again?

Can I still get my 'contrôle technique' (MOT) for my car?

Can I take a family member to the airport?

Can I go to UK for hospital appointment?

Pets and animals

Are vets and animal refuges still open?

Can I go to feed my horses 10km away?

Are catteries and kennels still open?

Other

Can I use the same attestation twice?

Can I have two attestations on one phone?

Can I go surfing?

Can I still get my house cleaned?

Will church services continue?

Are adult schools still open?

Is hunting now banned?

Can I visit a cemetery in another village?

Can I prepare the house I'm moving into?

Do curfew measures still apply?

The rules at a glance

In the infographic below, you will find further information on what shops and services are open and the activities you are allowed to do during lockdown.

Stay connected during lockdown

The Connexion France Subscriber Community Facebook group has 1,200 members living, or with a second home, in different areas of France. Members answer questions, share polls, photos, articles and other resources all about France. Both subscribers to our newsletter and to our print and digital editions are welcome to join and connect with other members. Visit this link to join the group.