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Do I still have to self-isolate if I drive through France or Belgium to reach the UK?

You can drive through France without facing UK quarantine provided you don't stop - getty
You can drive through France without facing UK quarantine provided you don't stop - getty

Belgium and France are officially off the FCO’s ‘green list’, meaning anyone arriving into the UK from the country will have to self-isolate for 14 days.

However, there is an exception for travellers who drive through Belgium or France, as many do from much of western and central Europe, to reach the UK.

Provided the car makes no stops during the entire journey within Belgium and France, no passengers get out and no new passengers get in, then the occupants of the car will not need to quarantine upon their arrival into the UK, the Department for Transport has confirmed.

This means that if you’re driving through either country en route to Britain, you won’t be able to stop for petrol or supplies if you want to avoid self-isolation. Nor will you be able to take the ferry, where safety rules require you to leave your car while making the crossing. To drive into the UK, you must take the Channel Tunnel.

The rules for driving through France, Belgium and the Netherlands

The FCO states the following for people travelling in private vehicles through a non-quarantine exempt country, including Belgium and France:

If you do make a stop, you don’t need to self-isolate if:

  • No new people get into the vehicle

  • No-one in the vehicle gets out, mixes with other people, and gets in again

You do need to self-isolate if you make a stop and:

  • New people get into the vehicle, or

  • Someone gets out of the vehicle, mixes with other people and gets in again

Check for updates from the FCO regarding this here.

Will my travel insurance be invalid while I’m in Belgium or France?

It depends on the policy (they vary widely) and when you bought it.

Fiona Macrae, head of Travel Insurance Explained, toldTelegraph Travel: “In order to return home to the UK, if you have no alternative but to drive through a country which has been removed from the FCO safe to travel list, and your journey started before the change of advice was issued, then should you have an accident, in general your travel insurance will offer cover for any emergency medical treatment required.”

Broadly speaking, however, once a country has been removed from the FCO’s green list, you’ll struggle to get cover. But it’s not impossible; Oliver Smith explains how:

Can I take the ferry?

While a number of ferry operators have resumed since lockdown, anyone who chooses this method to cross the Channel must self-isolate for two weeks on arrival, the DfT has confirmed.

Even those who travel from 'safe' countries without stopping are subject to mandatory quarantine rules.

This is because motorists are required to vacate their vehicles while on board, meaning they are more than likely to come into close contact with other passengers, or at the very least will be exposed to high-touch areas where the virus is liable to spread.

What about the Eurotunnel?

Many people enter France from countries including Belgium to use the Eurotunnel, in order to reach the UK. As it stands, France does not impose border checks on travellers arriving from Belgium, so you shouldn’t face problems crossing the line from Germany or Switzerland.

But this could change if France decided to restrict arrivals from Belgium in response to the rising cases. Make sure to check the French Ministry’s advice for foreign nationals page before you travel.

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is dealing with high call volumes following news that Belgium was removed from the FCO’s safe list, and stated on Twitter: “Phone lines and live chat are extremely busy at the moment. We have brought in extra staff to help our customers with their queries.”

A spokesperson told Telegraph Travel: "If they have contact with anyone or take anyone new in the car, then the quarantine applies."

Eurotunnel is currently operating up to four services an hour from Folkestone to Calais. However, since the UK reimposed restrictions on arrivals from France, it might be less popular. Late June saw the operator’s biggest day for bookings ever, with three times as many passengers securing a crossing compared to the same date in 2019.

At the time John Keefe, director of public affairs at Eurotunnel, said: “Travel with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is proving very popular as you can go from home to holiday without leaving your car: no crowds, no contacts, 35 minutes to cross from Folkestone to Calais and you are on your way.”

The company is also offering refundable tickets, to reassure holidaymakers who fear last-minute border closures. Prices start at £72 per car for up to nine passengers.

What about Eurostar?

Rail travellers arriving to the UK from services that include a stop in Belgium will have to self-isolate for 14 days, according to the Department for Transport, while journeys from Paris are, naturally, affected.

This means that Eurostar passengers arriving into London from Amsterdam will have to go into quarantine, since the route involves a change of trains in Brussels.

Check Eurostar's dedicated coronavirus page for updates.

What happens now France as been removed from the FCO’s green list?

Now that the FCO has removed France from the quarantine-exempt list, you will no longer be able to arrive into the UK from France via services including the Eurotunnel without having to quarantine for 14 days. This came into effect at 4am on Saturday, August 15.