New Rules - Travelling to France in 2021

With good news on Covid vaccines we’re hoping that at some point in 2021 people will be able to travel again, and some brave souls will want to venture to France in their cars to enjoy our beautiful country once more. But what are the new travel requirements between the UK and France post-Brexit?

If you are visiting France for a holiday, there are definitely no changes that should put you off travelling. We’ve summarised all of the key issues below (also see the links to source information at the bottom of the page). Bear in mind this information is current as at today’s date. If there are future changes we’ll post them on our Facebook page.

Passport

You will need at least six months left on your passport on the day you travel.

Visas 

You will NOT need a visa for a short visit of up to 90 days.

However, be aware that the EU will be introducing an ETIAS Visa Waiver system (similar to the system for visitors to the USA) at the end of 2022. This will be an online application and the Visa Waiver will last for three years. The cost is potentially 7€.

Note that the UK will also be introducing their own Visa Waiver system for visitors to the UK from 2025.

Car Insurance

The EU has conceded on the need to obtain a separate Green Card from your insurer. Your insurer should issue a certificate as normal which covers you for driving in the EU.

Driving Licence

Your UK licence will be valid in the EU.

You will only need an International Driving Permit if you still have an old paper licence or have a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. If you need an IDP (1968 version) just take your passport, licence, a passport photo and £5.50 into a participating Post Office and fill in the application form.

UK Sticker

The EU badge on your licence plate will no longer be recognised. Your options are:

  • Keep your current EU badged plate, and also display a UK sticker on the rear of your car.

  • Have a plain number plate with just your number, coupled with a UK sticker as above.

  • Change your plate to have a Union Jack badge with UK on the plate (no other flag emblem is accepted).

European Health Insurance Card

Any existing EHIC is still valid until its expiry date. It will be replaced by a Global Health Insurance Card. Remember this only entitles you to the level of health care afforded to citizens of the country you're visiting. In France residents have to pay for a % of their health care costs, so you are advised to take out additional health insurance when you travel.

Food & Drink

Visitors from the UK will no longer be able to bring meat, milk or products containing them into the EU. There are currently no restrictions for what you can take back to the UK so you will still be able to take some lovely French cheeses and sausages back with you!  

The allowances for alcohol should be sufficient for the majority of visitors (18 litres of wine)!

Mobile Roaming

Who knows what the telephone providers are going to do. Lots of promises were made before Brexit that roaming charges wouldn't be changed. Time will tell. But once you're with us you have free WiFi access in the gite so can Zoom/Skype/WhatsApp the UK at no charge.

We look forward to welcoming you to Bonnes Routes in 2021.

How to make a UK-spec German car French

If you have a right-hand drive car what are the headlight options if you're having to register it in Europe to prepare for life post-Brexit? You could:

  1. use headlight convertors – since 2018 a UK car can pass the Contrôle Technique (MOT) with standard convertors.

  2. if you have a modern car with 'switchable' lights just change the setting - although there’s not usually much ‘just’ about it!

  3. fit new headlights – not something to be entered into lightly.

The headlights on our Porsche are 35 years old and are well past being due a refurb. Driving at night is really not wise (unless a man with a red flag is walking in front), and a tiny rust spot in the silver inner has needed attention for a while. So option 3 it was!

The challenge with any old car is finding the parts, especially at a reasonable price for a Porsche (and similar marques). Buy new, buy secondhand, or get refinished. After much research we decided to get new reflectors, having tried (and failed) to buff them up, and deciding the re-chroming would take too much time and be just as costly as new ones. We sourced the left-hand-drive glass (original Bosch marking for those of you who are a stickler for authenticity) and gaskets from Design 911; and the reflectors from fine-carparts ebay store – Germany based company stocking hard-to-find Porsche parts for classics. Highly recommended!

Then began the task of:

  • Dismantling the unit – interesting retaining clip arrangement

  • Re-painting the inner shell in heat resistant silver paint

  • Sanding and repainting the black bezels

  • Taking some time to work out how to fit the rubber gaskets (hot water and a lot of manipulating)

  • Rebuilding the unit

Can you tell from the photos which units are the before and the after parts?! Just look at those super shiny reflectors and that beautiful clear glass! We're going to have to go out at night just to use the lights now.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

So that's just one step in the Porsche's change in nationality. As for the rest, the 'Quitus Fiscale' (tax declaration) has already been completed – literally a three-hour turnaround by email from the superb team from the Service des impôts des entreprises at Ribérac. Now all we have to do is:

  • submit photos, documents, V5 etc to the Fédération Française des Véhicules d'Epoque (FFVE) to obtain an attestation for the registration of a « vehicule collection ».

  • move the fog light to the other side.

  • get the car booked in for its Contrôle Technique – classic cars only need an MOT every five years in France.

  • submit the application for the Carte Grise (registration).

  • oh … and sort out the insurance.

Maybe the headlights were the easy bit!