US to end Covid-testing requirement for travellers from France
Authorities in the USA have announced the end of the Covid-testing requirement for arrivals from France, meaning that fully vaccinated people will soon be able to travel between France and the US without needing pre-travel tests.
France and much of Europe had dropped the testing requirement for fully-vaccinated arrivals in the spring, but the US still has maintained the requirement to show proof of a negative test for all arrivals.
However on Friday, the Biden administration announced that it would not renew the testing requirement.
The new rule is expected to come into effect at 12.01 Sunday EDT, until then passengers will still need to show a negative Covid test before they can board a plane to the US.
The US currently bars unvaccinated travellers from entry - although this does not apply to US citizens, US residents or those travelling for essential reasons - there was no announcement on lifting this restriction.
The CDC said that testing requirements could be reinstated if new variants of Covid emerge, and added that it continues to recommend pre-travel testing.
French rules now state that fully vaccinated travellers from the US do not need a Covid test, neither do they need any extra paperwork such as declarations or passenger locator forms.
Unvaccinated travellers from the US do still need a negative Covid test in order to enter France - a PCR test taken within 72 hours of boarding or an antigen test taken within 48 hours of boarding.
Once in France, the vaccine pass is no longer required to access venues like cafés, bars and tourist sites.
France counts as fully vaccinated those who:
- Are vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson)
- Are 7 days after their final dose, or 28 days in the case of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines
- OR Have had a single vaccine dose after previously recovering from Covid. Travellers must be 7 days after their dose
- Have had a booster shot if more than 9 months has passed since the final dose of your vaccine. If you have had a booster shot there is no need for a second one, even if more than 9 months has passed since your booster
- Mixed dose vaccines are accepted
Comments
See Also
France and much of Europe had dropped the testing requirement for fully-vaccinated arrivals in the spring, but the US still has maintained the requirement to show proof of a negative test for all arrivals.
However on Friday, the Biden administration announced that it would not renew the testing requirement.
The new rule is expected to come into effect at 12.01 Sunday EDT, until then passengers will still need to show a negative Covid test before they can board a plane to the US.
The US currently bars unvaccinated travellers from entry - although this does not apply to US citizens, US residents or those travelling for essential reasons - there was no announcement on lifting this restriction.
The CDC said that testing requirements could be reinstated if new variants of Covid emerge, and added that it continues to recommend pre-travel testing.
French rules now state that fully vaccinated travellers from the US do not need a Covid test, neither do they need any extra paperwork such as declarations or passenger locator forms.
Unvaccinated travellers from the US do still need a negative Covid test in order to enter France - a PCR test taken within 72 hours of boarding or an antigen test taken within 48 hours of boarding.
Once in France, the vaccine pass is no longer required to access venues like cafés, bars and tourist sites.
France counts as fully vaccinated those who:
- Are vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson)
- Are 7 days after their final dose, or 28 days in the case of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines
- OR Have had a single vaccine dose after previously recovering from Covid. Travellers must be 7 days after their dose
- Have had a booster shot if more than 9 months has passed since the final dose of your vaccine. If you have had a booster shot there is no need for a second one, even if more than 9 months has passed since your booster
- Mixed dose vaccines are accepted
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 here to leave a comment.