Can our son in the UK visit us in France for Christmas?
Travel into France from EU countries (including the UK) has been allowed since the end of lockdown on December 15
Reader question: Is our son allowed to travel from the UK to France in a week’s time to join us for Christmas? All the forms we have seen online seem to imply that this is possible only if we have a dire family emergency (which we have not)?
Short answer: Yes, there are no travel restrictions for people from the UK going to France...for now.
France’s lockdown was lifted on December 15 meaning that inter-regional domestic travel and international travel is once again permitted.
Anyone in the EU and a select-few other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, are allowed to come to France restriction free. The UK is included within the EU exemption for the moment.
The exemption for "dire family emergencies" was in place while France was in lockdown, but no longer applies.
See a full list of countries whose citizens can enter France now at the end of this article.
Your son may be asked to fill out a sworn statement (une déclaration sur l’honneur) confirming he does not have any symptoms of Covid-19 by the travel company he uses.
This is not an official requirement but travel companies may ask for it. You can find out more about it here. See an example of one below.
However, your son only has until December 31 to get to France. After that point, the UK will be considered a third-party country by the EU and its citizens will be subject to a Covid-related travel ban.
Find out more about that here: No exemption on EU Covid travel restrictions for UK
Once your son is in France, he will be allowed to stay for a maximum of 90 days out of 180, before he has to return to the UK. So he can remain in France after December 31, subject to these rules.
Read more:
Covid: Can my son visit his father in France at Christmas?
How France’s Christmas compares to other European countries
