Gransnet forums

Travel

European Brits who have visited UK

(59 Posts)
mokryna Wed 06-Oct-21 08:13:42

I haven’t visited the UK since Brexit/covid and I would appreciate suggestions from recent travelers before I book.
Does the French securite sociale cover the medical charges I could incur in the UK or I should buy an extra as if I was traveling to Australia or US (over 71)?
Could someone recommend a company to book ‘the second day test’.
Do I have to take a test before leaving France?
Do I have to take another in England before leaving for France?
Thank you for your help, the UKgov has so much information that my eyes glaze over after a few minutes.

Whitewavemark2 Wed 06-Oct-21 08:16:28

Could you bring some food parcels with you please and a few gallons of petrol would also be appreciated. Thank you.

mokryna Wed 06-Oct-21 08:31:55

? I will fly this time as it will be a short trip but I was thinking of driving over as the roads wouldn’t be so cluttered with HGV.

GagaJo Wed 06-Oct-21 08:40:11

Don't know about the rest, but Randox are a reliable testing company. Used them when I returned to the UK.

Lincslass Wed 06-Oct-21 08:45:32

This may be of help to you uk.ambafrance.org/-Consulate-in-London-
Hope you enjoy your travels.

mokryna Wed 06-Oct-21 09:11:47

Thank you Gagajo will look it up.
Linclass thank you but have already looked at it.

Urmstongran Wed 06-Oct-21 09:17:34

Flying between the UK and Europe is very easy. We flew back to the UK from Spain a fortnight ago and since then it’s even less restrictive! Easio.

Callistemon Wed 06-Oct-21 09:57:48

mokryna

? I will fly this time as it will be a short trip but I was thinking of driving over as the roads wouldn’t be so cluttered with HGV.

There certainly are plenty of HGV on the roads - in fact I commented to DH that if there were an extra 100,000 drivers would that mean an extra 100,000 HGV on the roads?

(Don't answer, it was rhetorical!)

I don't know the answers, should have asked more questions of our English relatives over from France when we saw them recently. They've gone back now.
Enjoy your trip, hope you find the answers.

Dinahmo Wed 06-Oct-21 10:03:25

Mokryna Look at the Connexion on line. It has a regularly updated piece on the requirements for travelling between France and the UK.

halfpint1 Wed 06-Oct-21 10:05:33

So does that mean the photos of queues at Heathrow have been staged? It has certainly put me off visiting for the moment

Jaxjacky Wed 06-Oct-21 12:55:48

If you’re double vaccinated, with proof, no PCR before entering England. You need to book a day 2 PCR test before you leave France to be delivered to your English address, the reference for this must be on your passenger locator form, completed before travel. If you are flying, the airline may have a deal with a day 2 PCR provider, approved ones are on gov.uk travel.

Jaxjacky Wed 06-Oct-21 12:59:28

Sorry, no PCR required from England to France if fully vaccinated but completion of the declaration.

Germanshepherdsmum Wed 06-Oct-21 13:02:21

Whitewavemark2

Could you bring some food parcels with you please and a few gallons of petrol would also be appreciated. Thank you.

???

Lucca Wed 06-Oct-21 13:04:05

I can’t get my head round this. So flying to France, fully vaccinated no test required but coming back to England I need a test taken in France ?? Or when I return?

Mamie Wed 06-Oct-21 16:09:51

I think you need to have booked a day 2 test in the UK and have the details on your travel locator form before you leave France.
Does seem bonkers when the infection rate in France is only 47 per 100,000 now.

Fennel Wed 06-Oct-21 16:26:56

Mokryna - as Callistemon said there are plenty of HGVs on the roads in England. We drove up from Berkshire to co. Durham on Monday and there were nearly as many HGVs as cars.
Petrol supplies increased as we went north. London area and SE in general still short.
My sister and partner visited France from Scotland in August and had no problems with vaccines etc either way.

mokryna Wed 06-Oct-21 18:33:38

Thank you, I thought I was going mad but now understand about the tests, just have to sort out health cover now.

Kali2 Wed 06-Oct-21 18:54:27

If you are UK retired, of UK official retirement age, not early retired, in France, do you not have S1 cover in place? In which case you would be covered by NHS.

Kali2 Wed 06-Oct-21 18:57:24

2.4.1 EEA Retired Nationals

For the purposes of this section we define a 'retired person' as someone of the age of retirement of their country of origin, who exercises no professional activity, and who is in receipt of a State Pension from their home EEA country.

If you are an EEA national and in receipt of a State pension, or you suffer from long term incapacity, then in order to register with the French health system you will need to apply for a Form S1 certificate of entitlement from the social security authority in your country.

We also include in this category people under the age of retirement, but in receipt of long-term incapacity benefit.

UK nationals who relocated to France before January 2021 are entitled to an S1 when they reach State retirement age.

Those who hold an S1 certificate of exemption will only nominally be affiliated to the French health system (PUMA) for the purposes of administration, as European regulations grant them and their family members an entitlement to health cover via the certificate, paid for by their home country.

As a retired person, if you have an S1 you will continue to benefit indefinitely from free health insurance cover in France.
And allowed to access to NHS in UK.

Josianne Wed 06-Oct-21 19:04:52

As I understand it UK state pensioners living abroad are entitled to free hospital treatment when visiting the UK, but not pre-planned treatment or treatment that can wait I til they return home. So you could present with a tummy pain that came on and needs treatment, but not with a wobbly knee.
On every occasion I have accompanied even foreign nationals to A & E the only thing they have been asked to provide is an address in the UK. No charge was made.

Kali2 Wed 06-Oct-21 19:43:42

If you have S1, you are entitled to any treatment in the UK.

Not that anyone would opt to, due to terrible waiting lists!

Josianne Wed 06-Oct-21 19:53:31

Kali2

If you have S1, you are entitled to any treatment in the UK.

Not that anyone would opt to, due to terrible waiting lists!

So could you present with say indigestion at a UK A & E, have loads of tests done, get diagnosed with say a hiatus hernia, go back to Spain or wherever you live, and wait for a date for surgery at a UK hospital? All for free?

sodapop Wed 06-Oct-21 20:59:36

Not free Josianne if you have an S1 you are a British tax payer who has worked in UK and paid NI etc.

GagaJo Wed 06-Oct-21 21:29:44

halfpint1

So does that mean the photos of queues at Heathrow have been staged? It has certainly put me off visiting for the moment

I don't have recent experience, but a couple of months ago when I returned home, the queue was 4 hours long at Heathrow. I didn't even WANT to fly into Heathrow, I wanted to fly to a NE airport, but no flights available.

It was ridiculous. I also missed the booking for my rental car, because the agency was due to shut while I was in the queue (I'd allowed a 2 hour clearance!).

MayBeMaw Wed 06-Oct-21 23:28:26

mokryna

? I will fly this time as it will be a short trip but I was thinking of driving over as the roads wouldn’t be so cluttered with HGV.

You wish! gringrin
Not planning to use the M25 then? (Apart from the added inconvenience of Insulate Britain protesters stuck to the carriageway. )