Advertisement

Tell us: Are you visiting France and have had problems with the Covid health pass?

Author thumbnail
Tell us: Are you visiting France and have had problems with the Covid health pass?
This picture taken in Paris on July 20, 2021 shows a mobile phone whose screen bears the EU Digital Covid Certificate. - The French government announced on 12 July 2021 that the Covid-19 health passport is mandatory to access most public places. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)

In theory tourists visiting France this summer, whether from Europe, North America, the UK or beyond, can make use of France's Covid health pass to gain entry into certain venues. But we want you to tell us and our readers whether it works in reality.

Advertisement

France has recently put in place rules whereby only people with a health pass or pass sanitaire can gain access to cultural sites, cinemas or certain sporting venues such as pools and gyms.

The same rules will also be extended to bars, cafés and mainland trains from August 9th.

People in France have been making use of the health pass, which is basically a QR code that proves vaccination status, a negative test or recovery from Covid, to gain entry into venues. Whilst they can use their QR code in paper format most have been using the TousAntiCovid smartphone app.

The codes are scanned by members of staff who use the "TousAntiCovid Verif" app - a system for professionals to scan health passes at the entry to venues.

Advertisement

Once scanned it either shows "Valid" with a green tick or "Invalid" with an orange cross along with the persons full name and date of birth.

But what about tourists?

Anyone from the EU or Schengen zone has it easy. Thanks to the EU Covid Certificate scheme QR codes from across other members states and Schengen countries can be read when scanned by the "TousAntiCovid Verif" app in France.

As for anyone vaccinated from the UK it's slightly more complicated. Whilst NHS vaccine certificates can be uploaded into the TousAntiCovid app, they cannot yet (as of Monday August 2nd) be recognised by the TousAntiCovid Verif app.

French authorities are telling people with NHS vaccine certificates they can still gain entry to French cinemas or cultural sites by showing their paper version. However in reality we have heard reports of people being denied entry mainly by staff who are not aware of the rule.

As for travellers from the US it's even more complicated.

They have to get their vaccine certificates verified by a French health professional - in practice a pharmacist being the easiest one to find - who can then print a French vaccination certificate complete with QR code that can then be scanned by staff using TousAntiCovid Verif.

But what's the situation in reality? We want to hear from anyone who has had issues or find out whether the system is running smoothly.

Please take a minute to fill in the questionnaire.

 

 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

annab869 2021/08/03 13:00
I had no problem getting mine converted at Pharmacie de l'Opera last week. Thanks to tip from Local.fr comment thread.
cstruf 2021/08/03 08:48
Pharmacy won't give me a health pass and say it is only for those vaccinated in France. My American vaccine card did not help.
  • kwendell78 2021/08/06 22:37
    Hotel Dieu will give it to you for free

See Also