Travel Restrictions lifted between the UK and France

Great news…

Yesterday [10th July] the 14 Day quarantine restriction was lifted for those travelling between the UK and France.

Flights, Ferries and the Euro Tunnel to France are now operating daily.

As expected we have seen a rush of buyers booking viewing trips and properties are selling fast.

Earlier this month, Rightmove reported that UK searches for French property are 33% higher than last year.

We are seeing that sellers in France are very keen to take advantage of the extra interest and they are certainly open to offers.

Now is the time to get serious about restarting your plans, especially for retirees abroad, with the Brexit transition period ending soon.

Watch our celebratory video on our You Tube Channel here.

Here is the official statement on the UK.GOV website.

Entry rules in response to coronavirus (COVID-19)
For the purposes of setting travel rules, France has defined a European Area composed of EU countries, the UK, Andorra, Holy See, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland.

Entry to France
Travellers arriving in France from the UK, European Area, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay are no longer required to self-isolate, to demonstrate their travel is essential or to hold an international travel certificate.

Arrivals from countries other than those specified above will still need to complete an international travel certificate, which certifies that your journey is essential and confirms that you have not been suffering from a set of listed symptoms associated with Covid-19. This travel certificate is available on the French Ministry of the Interior’s website. You should also produce any supporting paperwork to substantiate the essential nature of your travel.

Border checks may also be in place at points on France’s land borders with Italy, Spain, Belgium and Germany.

Quarantine requirements
There is no quarantine requirement for arrivals from the UK, from the wider European Area (as defined above) and from Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. Arrivals from other countries are asked to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in mainland France. Full details and a list of exemptions to self-quarantine in France are set out in a Ministry of Interior press statement (in French) and its translation (in English).

Travellers showing signs of a COVID-19 infection upon arrival in mainland France will have to carry out a mandatory 14 day quarantine at home or in a dedicated location indicated by the French authorities if home quarantine is not feasible.

Travel between the EU and non-European countries
The French Government has suspended travel between France and countries outside the European Area (as defined above) except for Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.

Some countries are imposing a compulsory period of quarantine for travellers from France. If you are travelling from or through France, check the situation at your destination before you travel.

You can read the full article here.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Let Nick do the Property Viewings For You

I hope you and your family are in good health and good spirits despite the difficult times we are all currently experiencing.

Recently we introduced a solution to buy your property without first visiting it, ie. to buy it ‘unseen’.

This has proved very popular but for a more cautious approach we can now offer the service of a ‘Property Inspection’ by our property surveyor, Nick Warner.

Nick can visit 5 properties on your shortlist and inspect the properties for you against your criteria and advise on a number of important aspects so you can make a more informed decision before making an offer on your chosen house.

For roughly the same price as a full structural survey on one property you will get feedback with photos and Nick's personal opinion on 5 (within the same sector).

If you feel that this may be a good option for you, please feel free to contact Nick for further details.

In the meantime Stay Well,

We’ll stay in touch!

Visit the website to contact Nick Warner direct.

Kind regards,
Sharon Evans
Founder of Clé France.

Buy Now and Beat the Brexit Deadline!

First and foremost I hope all our clients, subscribers and website visitors, and of course your families are in good health and good spirits despite the difficult times we are all currently experiencing.

None of us know how long the current restrictions will last. And for UK buyers there is the added complication of a Brexit deadline of the 31st December. Of course it is entirely possible that the UK will request an extension to the Brexit deadline given the current situation, but as of today that is not our Government’s policy. So there is a real anxiety for those of you who fear that if the restrictions continue you will not have the time to purchase of your home and start the process of applying for residency before the deadline.

And that is why we have collaborated with our colleagues and found a possible solution, and that is to buy your property without first visiting it, i.e to buy ‘unseen’.

I should say that this is not something I would recommend in normal circumstances. And for those of you who are planning to buy a holiday home my advice would remain the same; that it is in your interest always to view any property you are considering buying. For those clients the lockdown will end at some point, and you can look forward to travelling again.

But for those wishing to make France their permanent home, buying ‘unseen’ will mean that you can start the process of purchasing your property straight away, with a possible completion of around the end of June - mid July, ahead of the traditional August holidays in France, and then to start your residency application when the local authorities re-open at the beginning of September, thus ensuring that you are within the current expected deadline.

THIS WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE ON EVERY PROPERTY ON THE WEBSITE, AND IT WILL NOT BE A COURSE OF ACTION I WILL BE RECOMMENDING TO EVERY CLIENT.

Anyone considering this as an option must be clear that the buyer will be judicially and financially committed relatively quickly, possibly within two weeks of the process beginning, and that failure to complete on a purchase would result in the loss of the 10% deposit. So it is not a course of action to be casually embarked upon.

But where our local agent and notaire colleagues feel we can facilitate this approach, whilst still maintaining the highest duty of care towards our purchasers and of course towards vendors also, we will endeavour to assist.

If you feel that this may be a route for you, please feel free to email me for further details.

In the meantime Stay Well,

We’ll stay in touch!

Click here to contact me direct

Kind regards, 
Sharon Evans 
Founder of Cle France