How people vaccinated outside the EU can access the French health passport
France has extended its health passport scheme so it will be required to access a number of everyday venues including cafés, trains and tourist sites - so how can visitors from outside the EU access this?
Please note that this is an old article and the system has now changed - full details HERE
The health passport is required in France to access venues including swimming pools, cinemas and tourist sites, bars, cafés, shopping malls and long-distance train or bus travel.
READ ALSO When, where and why you need a health passport in France
If you were vaccinated in France it is pretty simple to load your vaccination certificate onto the health passport app - here's how.
People vaccinated in the EU have compatible vaccination certificates, while for those in England and Wales the NHS app is compatible with the French health passport app. From September 3rd, Scottish vaccination certificates are also compatible.
But for those vaccinated outside Europe - and those vaccinated in Northern Ireland which is not currently using the NHS app - things are a little more complicated.
However, it's not an impossible problem.
For entry into France, showing a foreign vaccination certificate - either on paper or in a digital format - is sufficient if you are 'fully vaccinated'.
In travel terms that means you have had a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson) are at least two weeks after your second dose (or four weeks if you had the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine).
Those vaccinated with a vaccine not currently approved by the EMA, which includes Sinopharm and Sputnik, do not count as 'fully vaccinated' under French rules and need to follow the protocols for unvaccinated travellers.
Once you are in France, you will need to show the health passport - showing either proof of vaccination, a recent negative Covid test or recent recovery from Covid - to access a number of leisure or cultural venues.
Initially, non-European tourists were told to take their US vaccination certificates to a pharmacy in France, where staff could convert the code into a French one that would be compatible with the app.
However, an online portal has now been set up and since August 27th has been accessible to non-French citizens.
Who is eligible
The system applies to people vaccinated in a country other than the EU Member States, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Switzerland, England or Wales.
EU and Schengen zone countries issue vaccine certificates which are already compatible with the French health pass.
If you were vaccinated in England or Wales, find out how to access the French pass using your NHS certificate HERE.
The full requirements are;
- You must also have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the EMA or equivalent. These are: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca (including Covishield) and Johnson & Johnson.
- It must be four weeks after your dose if you received a one-dose injection (Johnson & Johnson);
Seven days after the second injection for two-dose vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca);
Seven days after the injection if you have recovered from Covid-19 (in which case, only one dose is necessary);
- You must be over 18 (Until 30th September, under 18s do not need to show a health passport. This will be expanded to those aged 12-17 after that date)
You also need to be either in France or intending to travel ‘in the coming days’, although the site does not specify exactly how imminent your trip needs to be.
How to apply
In order to receive a French certificate, you need to prepare the following documents in PDF, JPG or PNG format:
- A vaccination certificate, demonstrating full vaccination
- A valid passport
- Tickets showing your dates of travel into France
Online application
Online applications were initially open only to French citizens, but since August 27th this has now been expanded to anyone who was vaccinated outside the EU – whether they are tourists planning a visit, French residents who got their vaccines elsewhere or people who have recently moved to France from a non-EU country
You can find the portal HERE.
Unless you are a student, in which case you apply HERE.
First you will need to create an account using an email address and password – or if you are a French resident you can sign in using France Connect.
You are then taken to a simple one-page form which asks you to fill in your personal details and the details of when, where and with what dose you were vaccinated. the address required is your address outside France, so your home address for tourists or previous address for people moving to France.
The form also requires you to upload supporting documents; a valid passport, a vaccination certificate and a travel ticket (this can be either a ticket for a planned trip or the way that you arrived in France if you are already here).
Once you have filled in the form click the button to Déposer le dossier.
By email
Previously, visitors were told to apply by email, but since August 27th, new applications have been met with a bounce-back telling them to apply online instead.
Applications should, however, still be processed for people who applied before that date and are still waiting for a response.
READ ALSO Revealed: How easy is it for tourists to access France’s health passport?
At the pharmacy
Many readers of The Local reported long delays when applying on the old email system. We don’t yet know how quick and efficient the online portal is likely to be, but if you do end up waiting for a long time, the other option is to visit a pharmacy in France.
Some pharmacies are able to exchange a non-French vaccine certificate for the French code, although this is not a statutory service so pharmacies are not obliged to do this. Many readers have reported successfully making the swap at a pharmacy, but you may need to shop around to find a pharmacist willing to do this.
Get a test
The other option for people who are still waiting for a French code is to get a Covid test. The health passport can be used with a negative Covid test that is less than 72 hours old, and tests are easily accessible in France from pharmacies or pop-up testing centres – more details here.
READ ALSO How unvaccinated people can use the French health passport
Talks are ongoing between the EU and a number of non-EU countries on harmonising the technology to allow various countries' apps to scan non-EU certificates.
What to do once you have the code
Once your application is processed you will be sent a QR code.
If you don't have a smartphone, you can print out this code and show it at health passport venues.
If you do have a smartphone, you can then download the TousAntiCovid app and scan in your new code. You can then show that at any health passport venue in France for entry.
For a full explanation on how the app works, click HERE.
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See Also
Please note that this is an old article and the system has now changed - full details HERE
The health passport is required in France to access venues including swimming pools, cinemas and tourist sites, bars, cafés, shopping malls and long-distance train or bus travel.
READ ALSO When, where and why you need a health passport in France
If you were vaccinated in France it is pretty simple to load your vaccination certificate onto the health passport app - here's how.
People vaccinated in the EU have compatible vaccination certificates, while for those in England and Wales the NHS app is compatible with the French health passport app. From September 3rd, Scottish vaccination certificates are also compatible.
But for those vaccinated outside Europe - and those vaccinated in Northern Ireland which is not currently using the NHS app - things are a little more complicated.
However, it's not an impossible problem.
For entry into France, showing a foreign vaccination certificate - either on paper or in a digital format - is sufficient if you are 'fully vaccinated'.
In travel terms that means you have had a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson) are at least two weeks after your second dose (or four weeks if you had the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine).
Those vaccinated with a vaccine not currently approved by the EMA, which includes Sinopharm and Sputnik, do not count as 'fully vaccinated' under French rules and need to follow the protocols for unvaccinated travellers.
Once you are in France, you will need to show the health passport - showing either proof of vaccination, a recent negative Covid test or recent recovery from Covid - to access a number of leisure or cultural venues.
Initially, non-European tourists were told to take their US vaccination certificates to a pharmacy in France, where staff could convert the code into a French one that would be compatible with the app.
However, an online portal has now been set up and since August 27th has been accessible to non-French citizens.
Who is eligible
The system applies to people vaccinated in a country other than the EU Member States, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Switzerland, England or Wales.
EU and Schengen zone countries issue vaccine certificates which are already compatible with the French health pass.
If you were vaccinated in England or Wales, find out how to access the French pass using your NHS certificate HERE.
The full requirements are;
- You must also have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the EMA or equivalent. These are: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca (including Covishield) and Johnson & Johnson.
- It must be four weeks after your dose if you received a one-dose injection (Johnson & Johnson);
Seven days after the second injection for two-dose vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca);
Seven days after the injection if you have recovered from Covid-19 (in which case, only one dose is necessary); - You must be over 18 (Until 30th September, under 18s do not need to show a health passport. This will be expanded to those aged 12-17 after that date)
You also need to be either in France or intending to travel ‘in the coming days’, although the site does not specify exactly how imminent your trip needs to be.
How to apply
In order to receive a French certificate, you need to prepare the following documents in PDF, JPG or PNG format:
- A vaccination certificate, demonstrating full vaccination
- A valid passport
- Tickets showing your dates of travel into France
Online application
Online applications were initially open only to French citizens, but since August 27th this has now been expanded to anyone who was vaccinated outside the EU – whether they are tourists planning a visit, French residents who got their vaccines elsewhere or people who have recently moved to France from a non-EU country
You can find the portal HERE.
Unless you are a student, in which case you apply HERE.
First you will need to create an account using an email address and password – or if you are a French resident you can sign in using France Connect.
You are then taken to a simple one-page form which asks you to fill in your personal details and the details of when, where and with what dose you were vaccinated. the address required is your address outside France, so your home address for tourists or previous address for people moving to France.
The form also requires you to upload supporting documents; a valid passport, a vaccination certificate and a travel ticket (this can be either a ticket for a planned trip or the way that you arrived in France if you are already here).
Once you have filled in the form click the button to Déposer le dossier.
By email
Previously, visitors were told to apply by email, but since August 27th, new applications have been met with a bounce-back telling them to apply online instead.
Applications should, however, still be processed for people who applied before that date and are still waiting for a response.
READ ALSO Revealed: How easy is it for tourists to access France’s health passport?
At the pharmacy
Many readers of The Local reported long delays when applying on the old email system. We don’t yet know how quick and efficient the online portal is likely to be, but if you do end up waiting for a long time, the other option is to visit a pharmacy in France.
Some pharmacies are able to exchange a non-French vaccine certificate for the French code, although this is not a statutory service so pharmacies are not obliged to do this. Many readers have reported successfully making the swap at a pharmacy, but you may need to shop around to find a pharmacist willing to do this.
Get a test
The other option for people who are still waiting for a French code is to get a Covid test. The health passport can be used with a negative Covid test that is less than 72 hours old, and tests are easily accessible in France from pharmacies or pop-up testing centres – more details here.
READ ALSO How unvaccinated people can use the French health passport
Talks are ongoing between the EU and a number of non-EU countries on harmonising the technology to allow various countries' apps to scan non-EU certificates.
What to do once you have the code
Once your application is processed you will be sent a QR code.
If you don't have a smartphone, you can print out this code and show it at health passport venues.
If you do have a smartphone, you can then download the TousAntiCovid app and scan in your new code. You can then show that at any health passport venue in France for entry.
For a full explanation on how the app works, click HERE.
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