Will new Paris restrictions affect travelling to France?
All bars and some restaurants in France’s capital and surrounding departments will close today in line with new coronavirus-related restrictions.
Reader question: With Paris being placed in the maximum alert zone and new restrictions being rolled out, has anything changed for people planning to visit France?
Short answer: No.
Paris and the surrounding departments of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne are now in the maximum alert zone. This will mean that all bars will be closed, restaurants will have to comply with stricter sanitary measures, gyms and swimming pools will be closed and public gatherings will be limited to 10 people.
However, there are no new travel restrictions for people travelling to France.
As it stands, anyone coming from an EU country or Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, the UK, San Marino, The Vatican or Switzerland can enter France without any restrictions.
The UK has imposed a two-week quarantine on anyone arriving in the country from France. France initially promised to introduce reciprocal measures, but has so far not done so
France has also opened its borders to certain non-EU countries. These include: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, etc.
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A full list can be found on the French government website here.
There are still restrictions in place for people coming from countries such as the US, South Africa and India.
Anyone in those countries cannot currently enter France unless they meet specific criteria, such as: they are French nationals, they are EU citizens and their main residence is in France, they have a valid long-stay visa for France, they are transiting for less than 24-hours in an international zone, they are married or pacsed to a French citizen, they are a student, etc.
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A full list of the criteria can be found here.
France is introducing coronavirus restrictions locally, meaning that there are different measures in each department.
Anyone travelling to France should consult the prefecture’s website of the department or departments they are planning to travel to for up-to-date information on restrictions.
Read more about coronavirus travel restrictions:
Covid-19: Paris on ‘maximum alert’, bars and cafés to close
Why a second national lockdown in France can't be ruled out
Can I visit the UK from France for less than 14 days?
