Morning EF'ers.


I didn't see my family in Belgium for two months, thanks to covid-19 lockdown. I consider to go to Belgium, by car, for a week and return to work again. I have Swiss C permit and letter from my office, to travel within Switzerland.

I intend to cross Basel this Friday(15/5/2020), by car. Has anybody driven into France or Germany this week, for essential travel, by car?

I prefer to transit through France and Luxembourg(shorter); If not, through Germany, which will add 200km to my journey.

Has Anybody tried leaving from Basel to France or Germany?
[LIST=1][*]- Will Swiss Border control@Basel stop me crossing the border to France or Germany?[*]-Will French border@Basel control stop me entering France, to transit to Belgium?[*]-Will German border@Basel control stop me entering Germany, to transit to Belgium?

Thanks a bunch

Belgium border might be closed too... and 'visiting family' is not considered essential travel


https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/n...ss-the-border/

Define family.

Family - Wife and three children.
Just worried if I would be able to cross Border control for Fence Or Germany.

Do not see a concern at Belgium end, as Belgium citizens can return.

Currently in France, I was planning to drive down to our Swiss place this week, then return after a couple of days, but the information available from the French government site has been contradictory at best.

We were aware that some restrictions had been lifted, on the 11th, but up until yesterday the old information about needing a self-declaration to travel was still there, along with a set of rules about who would be allowed to cross into France. All these based on the March and April measures, which I knew were no longer in place. Internally, a lot of the links were broken so I was unable to find full answers even to some of the questions that were listed there.

So I haven't tried to do it, given that there isn't an urgent need, but now I'm checking today and all the rules about travel have been removed from the website, so although it's still not 100% clear, it seems like they've at least recognised that the previous rules are no longer in place.

I'll probably give it a few days, and at least I'll be able to ask at the French border, which is only 20km away, _before_ I cross into Switzerland.

As for getting into CH, that's always been allowed for anyone with Swiss residency, so you should have no problem.

BREAKING NEWS: Germany to start easing border restrictions this weekend!

https://twitter.com/ntvde/status/1260499030200782850

the border to austria will be open from June 15 th 2020.
From Friday the border control will be eased to random checks.

The border remains closed until June 15 th 2020.
The border to germany, austria and france will be open from that day.

The people of germany are advised to avoid travel four touristic reason only.
The quarantine order in germany will regulated by each state (so it could be possible that you will end up in quarantine, if your destination
is over a certain amount of new cases( 50 per 100.000).

The recomandation of the goverment is, that you end up in quarantine, when you arrive from somewhere else (3rd party country).

Just been looking again, and as far as I can tell you still need a special document, self-attested, to cross into France. Available at https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Actual...t-et-de-voyage

When I say "as far as I can tell" I mean simply that this document is still listed on the gouv website, as it has been since April, and I've found nothing specific to counter it, although yes, the same site still lists the "Attestation de déplacement Dérogatoire" that we no longer need.

What worries me, IF this is still representative of the rules in place, is that I'd have to declare myself as having my main residence in France, which is kinda true, especially at the moment, but officially we're Swiss resident, with no Carte de Séjour in France.

And it doesn't seem to allow residents of one 3rd party country to cross France into another one except if they're going to their main residence.

If/when I do it I'll use my normal tiny border road anyway, which is very rarely manned in normal circumstances, and check with the French Douanes, if there is anyone there, before I cross. It avoids queues on the motorway anyway.

Hi


Does anyone know what the situation is like at the Basel border this week?


Are they checking all cars, or just letting you through like in the good old days?


I have to drive a transit sized van back to the UK tomorrow, and while google etc. tells me its about 8.5 hours to 10 hours, that does not factor in a border queue.

As we have a Channel tunnel crossing booked that evening, am trying to work out what time to leave Zurich.


Regards






Ian

I last drove that way the week before last, with no checks whatsoever at the border. So just like the 'good old days' yes, unless there's been any reason to change it since then.

Even when there were stricter controls the border queues weren't too bad, although TBF the traffic was at a fraction of its normal level during the lockdown period.

Last week it was all open.

Thanks. I will report back once we are through.

Hopefully, that there has been no change!

Regards


Ian

Drove to France around a week ago through Basel, nothing at all going in to France, no checks, no boarder control staff, nothing, Swiss side had a little queue but nothing abnormal. However, we did come back in to Switzerland near Neuchâtel and the queue to get in to France was HUUUUUUGE. Swiss side was simple. Not sure why this was, I dont think much changed, might have just been peak boarder workers clocking off time time.

I drove over and back last weekend, no problems at all, back to normal... for now.

"for now" is exactly right. The danger with the current situation and a fast moving events is that one day it might be perfectly fine and the next you have some kind of restrictions to deal with (quarantine, closed border etc.). I hope this will somehow become more predictable, if not automated, in the future.


Traveling with these kind of uncertainties is very cumbersome.

There are always huge tailbacks at those crossings when the frontalier workers are either on their way to work or on their way home again.
The locals know what times to avoid when using those crossings.

Clear today. Crossing at Burgfeldstrasse.

Update as promised: On Friday 28th August we crossed at Basel around 10.30am. Not only was there no queue and nobody at all being stopped, there were not even any customs personnel visible. Must have been coffee time.

Thanks to all who replied.

As a double bonus, we arrived at the chunnel almost 3 hours early - and they waved us straight onto a train! So no queue there even.

Regards


Ian

I came back through the Channel Tunnel on 13th August, having paid well over the usual rate because Eurotunnel claimed it was a "very busy day". Arrived at Folkestone two hours early, to find the entire terminal area completely empty and be waved straight onto an equally empty train. So much for "very busy"...

I have been through the tunnel four times in the last month and a half, and it has been equally empty every time.

The other thing that surprised me was the absolute lack of checking ANY covid tracking forms.


The french customs are Calais only looked at the passports. They did not ask for our Attestation.


The UK customs did not even mention the track and trace form, or ask if we had filled it in.



Now I suppose it is *technically* possible that the UK linked the online form to our passport numbers, so the system knew we had been good, therefore did not prompt the question... but I very much doubt it.


Which means the whole train of maybe 50 plus vehicles, occupants of which should be heading immediately for 14 days personal lockdown, just emptied out into the UK, untraced.




Regards






Ian