costaexpress Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 Just wondering if anyone has taken their own test kit to France and used it for the 3 day before departure test. Wondering how smoothly the appointment, test, and receiving the results went. Seems a flexible way of meeting the testing protocol and thinking about it rather than chasing down a pharmacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 As I understood it you had to have a PCR test before returning to UK so a self test wouldn’t do. But having said that our Government were “encouraging” returnees from Spain to choose a PCR test, which seemed to imply they had a choice. I suppose the risk you take if you don’t turn up at the UK border with the right stuff is that they might then order you into hotel quarantine. But if you are going abroad for quite a while the rules will be bound to change before you return, hopefully favourably! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 costaexpress - 2021-08-10 2:03 PM Just wondering if anyone has taken their own test kit to France and used it for the 3 day before departure test. Wondering how smoothly the appointment, test, and receiving the results went. Seems a flexible way of meeting the testing protocol and thinking about it rather than chasing down a pharmacy. This gov.uk webpage makes it very clear that a traveller is not permitted to do what you’ve suggested. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-people-travelling-to-england The link also defines the standards that must be met by the test (PCR or LFT) taken abroad. This very recent forum thread may be worth reading https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Advice-about-Covid-tests-when-returning-from-France/58640/ As the cost of a PCR test in France should be expected to be around twice that of a LFT test, it’s likely most UK travellers will opt for the LFT test. (More recent France/COViD threads) https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Quarantine-2-8-day-tests-and-Day-5-Test-for-release/58622/ https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Access-to-bars-restaurants-etc-France-and-COVID-passports-touscovid/58648/ https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Passe-Sanitaire/58629/ https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Pass-Sanitaire-Scotland/58657/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costaexpress Posted August 10, 2021 Author Share Posted August 10, 2021 OK, I guess i must be getting confused. I thought it was perfectly OK to take your test with you, book a video appointment with the test provider no more than 3 days before return who then emailed you your certificate for the return journey. https://wrenhealthcare.co.uk/rapid-antigen-test-for-travel/ Sites like this (and there are many of them) may be for a different use than the one I had envisaged ie returning from a short break to France. Thank you for getting back, would have been embarrassing at the border Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costaexpress Posted August 10, 2021 Author Share Posted August 10, 2021 costaexpress - 2021-08-10 4:25 PM OK, I guess i must be getting confused. I thought it was perfectly OK to take your test with you, book a video appointment with the test provider no more than 3 days before return who then emailed you your certificate for the return journey. https://wrenhealthcare.co.uk/rapid-antigen-test-for-travel/ Sites like this (and there are many of them) may be for a different use than the one I had envisaged ie returning from a short break to France. Thank you for getting back, would have been embarrassing at the border Now that I have done some further research I believe I might have been right after all. You buy the kit before you go and obviously take it with you, you book a test less than 3 days before returning and you undertake a supervised test (supervised from the issuing lab) on your iphone, ipad or laptop and they issue your certificate within 30 mins if all clear, seems lots of choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 You can easily locate a test in France Here https://www.sante.fr/cf/carte-depistage-covid.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costaexpress Posted August 10, 2021 Author Share Posted August 10, 2021 witzend - 2021-08-10 6:16 PM You can easily locate a test in France Here https://www.sante.fr/cf/carte-depistage-covid.html Yes I agree, was simply looking to see if alternative offered more flexibility Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 I gained the impression from your original posting that the “test kit” being taken to France would be the LFT kit available free of charge from pharmacies in the UK. However, it’s now clear that this was not what you had in mind. This website relates to COVID testing https://www.covid19-testing.org/about-travel and includes the advice shown on the image attached below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solwaybuggier Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 We’ve been looking at the C19testing option. My understanding is that you take the test yourself and simply upload a photo of the result, along with one of your passport. If it’s okay they email you a certificate within half an hour. I can’t see any reference on their site to video supervision of you taking the test, which would presumably necessitate booking a time in advance? This would reduce the claimed flexibility. I may be missing something on the site though? As has been said, plenty of local providers in France - but this system seems to give greater flexibility. There was a thread on another forum asking if anyone had experience of using it in practice, but no replies so far. Trust Pilot reviews are good though, and numerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 Apparently cheaper to buy your test when you are there ' The most expensive test (in England) they found was priced at £575. “This compares with Greece and Italy – who have capped their test prices to £34 and £52 respectively – and France, who provide them for free,” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/10/ministers-face-calls-to-intervene-in-scam-covid-travel-test-system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costaexpress Posted August 11, 2021 Author Share Posted August 11, 2021 John52 - 2021-08-11 10:02 AM Apparently cheaper to buy your test when you are there ' The most expensive test (in England) they found was priced at £575. “This compares with Greece and Italy – who have capped their test prices to £34 and £52 respectively – and France, who provide them for free,” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/10/ministers-face-calls-to-intervene-in-scam-covid-travel-test-system Yes you have to be careful or you will pay through the nose, hearing lots of stories about individuals not doing their homework and being ripped off, however, now that I have started looking seriously there is plenty of competition out there for around the £45 to £70 mark, some just want a photo some want you to do the test under video chat, obviously just need to make sure you book with someone who meets the government specification (although they all seem to). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 John52 - 2021-08-11 10:02 AM Apparently cheaper to buy your test when you are there ' The most expensive test (in England) they found was priced at £575. “This compares with Greece and Italy – who have capped their test prices to £34 and £52 respectively – and France, who provide them for free,” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/10/ministers-face-calls-to-intervene-in-scam-covid-travel-test-system The suggestion in the Guardian article that COVID testing in France is free for UK tourists is incorrect. This used to be the case, but no longer. The going rate for a LFT or PCR test at (say) a French pharmacy should be around £25 or £45 respectively. This was discussed/confirmed in this recent forum thread https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Advice-about-Covid-tests-when-returning-from-France/58640/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 We're going to France in September and have been looking to do the same, I.e., take a UK Govt. approved test with us. As it stands, we need Test to return & Day 2 and there are countless options afforded by Govt website. Anyway this appears to fill our criteria, and is recommended (!) by British Airways too. I have no connection with the business. Do your own research as always. https://www.chronomics.com/travel-bundles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocs Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 LordThornber - 2021-08-11 1:37 PM We're going to France in September and have been looking to do the same, I.e., take a UK Govt. approved test with us. As it stands, we need Test to return & Day 2 and there are countless options afforded by Govt website. Anyway this appears to fill our criteria, and is recommended (!) by British Airways too. I have no connection with the business. Do your own research as always. https://www.chronomics.com/travel-bundles They are still quoting for Day 8 PCR despite it no longer being required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowdriver Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 I have to say that the French Pharmacy €25 euro test we took three weeks ago still seems the best value, and no faffing about. Just fix an appointment within 72 hrs of your return. Turn up an hour per the test and get the certificate and the text notification. The UK testing infrastructure is severely congested if not collapsing. We had to quarantine for 10 days when we returned on the 24th July because then that was the regulation. The day 2 test from Boots came back half way through day 4. The day 8 test result came back on day 11 and the day 5 test came back on day 9 (refunded by Boots) This is mainly because the testing infrastructure has been cobbled together recently. France has had a distributed network of labs for decades which helps with PCR tests. And if you elect to take the Antigen test, which is cheaper and quicker, the pharmacy does it themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 12, 2021 Share Posted August 12, 2021 crocs - 2021-08-11 8:49 PM LordThornber - 2021-08-11 1:37 PM We're going to France in September and have been looking to do the same, I.e., take a UK Govt. approved test with us. As it stands, we need Test to return & Day 2 and there are countless options afforded by Govt website. Anyway this appears to fill our criteria, and is recommended (!) by British Airways too. I have no connection with the business. Do your own research as always. https://www.chronomics.com/travel-bundles They are still quoting for Day 8 PCR despite it no longer being required. This gov.uk link advises on quarantine and testing if you've been in an amber list country (eg. France at the moment) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england There are two scenarios Rules if you’re fully vaccinated If you’re coming to England from an amber list country and have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the bodies listed in this guide you: - must take a COVID-19 pre-departure test - must take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 after you arrive in England – arrival day is day 0 - do not have to quarantine OR Rules if you are not fully vaccinated If you’re coming to England from an amber list country and are not fully vaccinated with an authorised vaccine you must: - quarantine on arrival at home or in the place you’re staying - take a day 2 test after you arrive in England – on or before day 2 - take a day 8 test after you arrive in England – on or after day 8 - The day you arrive is day 0. If your day 2 test is positive you do not have to take the day 8 test. The onus is on the UK-resident traveller to identify what the UK’s Covid-related requirements are when returning to this country and - for France - this will depend on the UK traveller’s vaccination status. In practice, for a fully vaccinated UK traveller returning to the UK from France, the Chronomics ‘Green bundle’ (£98.75) should be sufficient despite France being on the UK’s amber list of countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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