France lockdown: Only proof address needed for short trips
Forms are now not needed if travelling less than 10kms from your home during the daytime for exercise in the 16 departments under lockdown but you do need to carry proof of address with you
France has issued two new attestation forms: One for leaving home during the new 19:00-06:00 curfew, and another for leaving your home during the daytime during the new lockdown in place in 16 departments.
The Interior Ministry confirmed that the previous form which combined these two elements on one form for the 16 departments was too over-complicated.
It has issued a “simplified” version for going out in the daytime in the lockdown areas and a new separate form for going out during the curfew.
No form is now needed at all for walks and other exercise within 10km during the day in the 16 lockdown departments.
Read more: Covid France: Four-week full lockdown for 16 departments
The original longer form issued on Saturday March 20 has been withdrawn and replaced with:
- A curfew form which is for use nationwide by anyone who needs to leave their house for a valid reason (as mentioned on the form) between 19:00 and 6:00.
- The lockdown form for anyone going out during the day in the 16 confined departments, so from 6:00 to 19:00.
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The forms are all available at this page, in French or English and in an online version that you can use to save an attestation on your smartphone.
People in lockdown are allowed to leave their home for unlimited exercise and walks as long as they stay within 10km of home. Non-essential shops and services are also closed.
You now do not need to carry a form with you if travelling within 10kms of your home for exercise but you do need to carry proof of your address with you.
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If asked by police you will need to show proof of address (such as an identity document, water or electricity bill) to show that you are within the 10km limit. If you do not have valid proof of address, you can fill in an attestation form, even if you are planning to stay within 10km of home.
As before, if you do not have a printer, you can copy the form onto a blank piece of paper by hand, writing only the necessary information and your reason for leaving the house.
As during previous lockdowns, “valid reasons” for leaving your home include essential purposes such as food shopping, education or training, professional reasons, imperative family reasons, medical reasons, to help vulnerable or dependent people, for pet needs, moving house to your main home, or travelling to airports or train stations.
There are still two other forms, as before, to justify professional reasons (which requires the name and stamp of your employer), or for taking children to school.
Everyone must respect the rules including those who have received a vaccine. People who have been vaccinated must still continue to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing.
Previous form too complicated
Opposition politicians had mocked the previous form for its complexity and the fact it had different distances, for example, permitted for dog walking and exercise.
Senator Bruno Retailleau sarcastically called it a “bureaucratic work of art”, while MP Pierre-Henri Dumont tweeted: “Luckily, someone without a printer can copy the attestation out by hand. The only problem is that, if they start writing at 8:00, they might not be finished before the start of the curfew.”
Julie Garnier, national speaker of party La France Insoumise, tweeted jokily: “Exclusive: This will be the attestation in 2022 if we continue with these amateurs.”
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