Can I travel to France from the UK and what traffic light list is the country on?

18 May 2021, 12:28 | Updated: 2 June 2021, 16:33

What are the current rules on travelling to France and when could it be added to the green list?

From Monday May 17, people in England, Scotland and Wales have been legally permitted to visit certain countries.

There are a strict set of rules in place for those hoping to go on holiday, however, with the government previously unveiling a 'green list' of just 12 countries that don't require people to quarantine on their return from.

Not all of these dozen countries are allowing visitors from overseas, however, and it is up to the individual to check on the rules for their desired destination.

Many popular European holiday spots aren't on the green list - here's your need-to-know about the rules for France.

What list is France on?

France is currently on the 'amber list', meaning that visitors to the country will need to quarantine at home for 10 days on their return.

People arriving in the UK from amber list countries must bring a negative Covid test (completed within the last 72 hours) with them to border control, or they will risk a fine. They must also complete a passenger locator form.

Visitors coming from these countries must also book and pay for Covid tests to take on days two and eight of your 10 day quarantine period.

Most travel testing kits cost between £170 and £240 each, and there are a list of approved sellers on the gov.uk website.

Can you go on holiday to amber list countries?

Many amber list countries are not allowing foreign visitors.

While travel to amber list countries is permitted by UK law, the government have advised against non-essential travel to amber list countries.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said “you should not be travelling to these places right now”, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock said you should not travel to these countries "unless it’s absolutely necessary, and certainly not for holiday purposes".

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Mr Hancock said in a recent radio interview: "The red and amber list countries are places that you shouldn’t go to unless you have an absolutely compelling reason."

When asked why travel to amber list countries was not illegal, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: "Our advice is that no one should be travelling to amber countries, that’s in the interests of public health.

'There may be unavoidable, essential reasons for which people still have to travel to amber list countries, that’s why the rules are there.

"It’s right to have this three-tiered approach because there are some limited circumstances where – for unavoidable work reasons, for example – it’s necessary to travel to these amber list countries, where we know there are concerns but don’t have specific instances of variants of concern."

When will France be added to the green list?

We currently don't know when France will be added to the green list, but the list is reviewed every three weeks - with the next review due on June 3.

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