Advice on current conditions on Eurostar

[biko]

Of course, it may all change again at short notice before I need to travel, but I was wondering about how the COVID requirements work on the Amsterdam service, as you go through French passport control at Saint Pancras, then pass through France and Belgium before reaching the Netherlands? Whose rules do you comply with ... or are they reasonably harmonised at least in terms of paperwork?

For the Netherlands, it is mandatory to quarantine for 10 days if you arrive from the UK. Furthermore, you would need to have a test before travel, also if vaccinated.

For transit through Belgium, I believe you just need to fill out the passenger locator form as you won’t be long enough in Belgium to require a test or vaccination, but you do arrive from outside Schengen/EU, so the PLF is mandatory.

For transit through France, there are no differences to the usual entry rules, but I find it a bit weird if you don’t leave the train. But you could use the test required for the Netherlands anyway.

 

[big_rig]

As per the FCO advice:


So you only need a test for your return journey to the UK. Either lateral flow or PCR will do, and it can be taken at any point in the 3 days preceding your date of arrival. So if you like, you can take your test before you even set off for St Pancras.

Unfortunately you will also need to book a day 2 PCR test, which is likely to cost more than the £30-ish that your LFT will set you back.

It's clear how much more onerous the travel requirements are here than abroad!

In addition to Watershed's helpful links above, I would recommend downloading the 'Tous Anti Covid' app if you were vaccinated in England or Wales as you can scan a picture of your NHS vaccination code in the app and it will generate you a French QR code which border officials and restaurants etc will treat the same way as a French one. It's easier than showing them a print out.

 

[Panda]

Ok, so for future travellers...I got to St Pancras at 06:30 for the 08:01 departure. As I didn't find any coffee en route, I first stopped to get a coffee. Then proceeded to Eurostar (they check that you have your sworn statement and at passport control I also had to show my vaccination status - I was ready with the French app). By 06:43 I was back in the same old familiar spot in the waiting area. I think the suggestion to arrive 90-120 minutes (120 over weekends) is complete overkill for this service at least.

 

[AverageTD]

So just to make sure I'm on the right page, double vaccinated travellers will have to do a PCR test and self-isolate when returning to the UK, regardless of where you've arrived from?

 

[Panda]

No, if you're double vaccinated, current rules mean you need a lateral flow test (at least) in order to enter the UK AND a PCR test to be booked to take two days after arriving. No self-isolation unless arriving from a red-list country.

 

[DanielB]

For the Netherlands, it is mandatory to quarantine for 10 days if you arrive from the UK. Furthermore, you would need to have a test before travel, also if vaccinated.

Think it's also relevant to mention here... Today the Dutch government held a COVID press conference again and announced that for fully vaccinated travellers there will no longer be a mandatory quarantine after arrival from high risk countries (which currently includes the UK) as of September 22th.

 

[StephenHunter]

Huzzah!

 

[Aictos]

Be even better if those who are fully vaccinated don't need to take a PCR test arriving back in UK but just fill out a passenger locator form as was the case last October.

 

[D6130]

Just boarded Eurostar 9040, 16 31 St Pancras-Paris Nord (374 014/013 - not required). Arrived at gate 15 16. Check-in virtually seamless....six minutes from scanning ticket to entering departure lounge, even though train is very busy. UK frontier officer only checked passports. French officer checked and stamped passports and scanned Covid passes. No one has yet asked to see our 'declarations d'honneur'. Hoping to see 'Clan Line' just East of Ashford, but seated on the wrong side. I can feel a visit to the buffet car coming on!

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Thanks all for your input. I came to the UK via Brussels in the end, reasonably straightforward. The train was about 75% full (about 50% in SP) so felt a little crowded, but this was the 1552 which comes from A'dam so this may be the busiest of the 3 tpd that ES was running at that time. The huge duty free at Midi-Zuid station was shut (and all the stock cleared...) and all the pax had to stand in the reduced space around the coffee bar area, which wasn't great. But the train itself was as comfortable as ever although, UK style, it was late (presumably got lost somewhere South of Mechelen, easy to do) and practically no announcements about what was going on. Eventually 17 mins late at StP. The form checking was done by ES staff at Midi-Zuid and was very efficient. And the arrival was pretty straightforward as well, I could get straight up to have the Day 2 test by the Champagne Bar and even the Carluccio's is open again. So a high degree of normality is returning...at last. And I see that NL is easing its quarantine restrictions now...

 

[BahrainLad]

Any recent experiences of checkin at London or Paris? I presume arriving 45 minutes in advance for a Saturday morning departure and Monday afternoon return will be fine?

 

[Panda]

Any recent experiences of checkin at London or Paris? I presume arriving 45 minutes in advance for a Saturday morning departure and Monday afternoon return will be fine?

I would say that might be tight but doable (nothing to do with COVID, I have in the past missed my train as I checked in too late). I travelled last week and the train was generally quite full, but arrived 2 hours ahead for both trains. For the London departure, we were told to come back 90 minutes before departure and for the Paris one, we got there 2 hours ahead and it was very quiet. Most people seemed to arrive about 45-60 minutes before departure.

Due to the smaller number of trains, it doesn't feel as chaotic as it used to be.

 

[BahrainLad]

2 hours!? Gosh. My normal plan is to be "in the queue" at -45 (not turning up at the station) which sounds fine.

 

[Panda]

2 hours!? Gosh. My normal plan is to be "in the queue" at -45 (not turning up at the station) which sounds fine.

Probably fine. The website and tickets now suggest 2 hours...and I am a stickler for the rules....haha.

 

[Birkonian]

I've travelled to/from Brussels twice in the last 6 weeks. Don't think you'll have any problems arriving 1 hour before departure.

 

[TFN]

One hour should be OK. I travelled last week and the longest part was the French border as e-gates aren't in use at the moment.

 

[StephenHunter]

One hour should be OK. I travelled last week and the longest part was the French border as e-gates aren't in use at the moment.

Those won't be reintroduced until ETIAS becomes a thing, I believe.

 

[BahrainLad]

One hour should be OK. I travelled last week and the longest part was the French border as e-gates aren't in use at the moment.

Thanks. I suppose due to juxtaposed controls it's slightly counter intuitive in that the French border at St Pancras is slower for a UK citizen (and EU too?) as there isn't e-gates, whereas the UK border in Paris is quicker for UK citizens as the machines there work and can be used with a UK passport?