France entry requirements change

[Toyark]

Heads up for holders of British passports.
France, from the 5th of December 2021, require you to have printed evidence of your Covid vaccinations INCLUDING THE BOOSTER. No booster-no get in policy for peeps arriving overland from UK.
Source Gov.fr

I have seen first hand at the Eurostar check in issues with the scanners not being able to read some covid vaccinations on phones.

Also
If you are using the NHS app, after getting my booster jab, I was told the evidence in the app seems to go in a different area of the app but it is there allegedly. It takes 48 hrs to show up so I cannot say exactly where in app it shows- will update.

Also
UK gov. requires you have booked a day2 flow test prior to travelling out which must be taken on your return and you must provide the codes on your carrier booking form and register it. Day of return counts as day zero.
No code = no travel

p.s please don't shoot the messenger!

[Tomkat]

At the moment the official position from France is you only need to have been fully vaccinated (no mention of booster or time since vaccination). If you have a link to the contrary (as opposed to word of mouth) I'd be interested to see it. Not saying you're wrong, because it makes sense, I'd just like to see it for myself.

https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/co...nals-in-france

This corresponds to advice from the UK govt.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-requirements

[Tim Cullis]

The UK NHS app currently does not include booster doses in the 'Covid Travel Pass', however the government is “reviewing the implications and requirements of boosters for international travel certification” and “looking at whether and how booster vaccinations could be included in the NHS Covid pass for travel”.

[Toyark]

Originally Posted by Tim Cullis

The UK NHS app currently does not include booster doses in the 'Covid Travel Pass',

Errr wrong statement.
If you have the NHS app, you will find the booster information under 'immunisations'. How do I know? see screenshot.
(N.B. it can take up to 48 hours since nurse data entry to show up.)
Your first and second vaccinations will be under 'Get your Covid Pass' option. It's all in the app.
Have a lovely week-end everyone

[Tim Cullis]

I am aware that you can access and display your immunisation record under the medicines section of the NHS app, but it is not a valid Covid Travel Pass as it does not include a QR code. Why otherwise would the government make the statement that it is "reviewing the implications and requirements of boosters for international travel certification” and “looking at whether and how booster vaccinations could be included in the NHS Covid pass for travel”.

The reason for the need for the QR code is that Morocco has joined the EU Covid Vaccine Passport scheme that the UK has agreed to align with. This is why the Foreign Office has issued a statement saying that all UK travellers should download or print fresh certificates generated after 1 November 2021.

The UK Foreign Office travel pages for France mention this need for a vaccination certificate that conforms to the EU Digital Covid Status Certification framework. It also mentions the requirement for over 65s and says this will come into effect on 15 December (not 5 December) and that information will be updated when it becomes available.

[Tomkat]

Where is the section where this shows then? Presumably under "View your GP health record"? If so I don't have online access. Which means it's useless as a means of demonstrating booster status quite apart from what Tim pointed out.

BTW I think the OP may have read a bit too much into the recent statements of Macron that the over-65s and the immunocompromised must have a booster to maintain their "Health Pass". This applies to French citizens only.

[TheWarden]

If you're travelling to france, do yourself a favour and bin the nhs app and use the french one, its much better, easier to use and accepts the NHS certs

[backofbeyond]

Originally Posted by TheWarden

If you're travelling to france, do yourself a favour and bin the nhs app and use the french one, its much better, easier to use and accepts the NHS certs

Can you do that? If you can I wish we'd thought of it when we were there a couple of months back. The only restaurants we could get into were the ones attached to our hotels. The UK one wouldn't work on my (old) phone and was less than useless on my wife's posh new one.

[edwardbgill]

Originally Posted by Toyark

Heads up for holders of British passports.
France, from the 5th of December 2021, require you to have printed evidence of your Covid vaccinations INCLUDING THE BOOSTER. No booster-no get in policy for peeps arriving overland from UK.
Source Gov.fr

I have seen first hand at the Eurostar check in issues with the scanners not being able to read some covid vaccinations on phones.

Also
If you are using the NHS app, after getting my booster jab, I was told the evidence in the app seems to go in a different area of the app but it is there allegedly. It takes 48 hrs to show up so I cannot say exactly where in app it shows- will update.

Also
UK gov. requires you have booked a day2 flow test prior to travelling out which must be taken on your return and you must provide the codes on your carrier booking form and register it. Day of return counts as day zero.
No code = no travel

p.s please don't shoot the messenger!

I don't think this is correct for all travellers - seems to be only for the over-65s, which is where I suspect the confusion is occurring.

See here - https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-b1956410.html

There's nothing on the UK FCDO website.

Ed

[Tim Cullis]

Well all seems to have been sorted, as from today the NHS Covid Travel Pass now includes details of booster jabs (this could otherwise have been a problem when in countries that demand booster verification) and I've viewed mine which of course displays the required QR code.

UK vaccination details can also be transferred to apps of other countries to provide a seamless experience.

[anonymous3]

Tim is right, the NHS C19 Pass can be transferred to other countries apps.
I got the vax in Scotland and get the booster next week. I it was accepted by the French Health Service app. I also am using my Irish passport to travel in the EU and had no problems getting an Irish Health Service QR Code-I like a bit of back up. You have to plan ahead and be organised and complete the track and trace 48 hours before you return to the UK. I plan to be in Paris in December so I'll let you know if it worked, I also made hard copies of everything just in case...got the lateral flow test today ready for my return to the UK.
Take care all.
Best wishes
J

[TheWarden]

Originally Posted by backofbeyond

Can you do that? If you can I wish we'd thought of it when we were there a couple of months back. The only restaurants we could get into were the ones attached to our hotels. The UK one wouldn't work on my (old) phone and was less than useless on my wife's posh new one.

Yes, really easy to set up and use.

The French have set up a pretty slick system, when I got a pcr test there they send a txt message with a link that also loads the test results straight into the app.

[eurasiaoverland]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I am a bit worried about my travel plans driving fronm the UK into Europe.

I am a UK and EU dual national.

I received both my vaccinations in Brunei.

I have a paper booklet as a vaccinatrion certificate - two shots of AstraZeneca duly recorded, last shot administered more than two weeks ago and less than 6 months ago.

I also have a Bruneian national health app which can generate a QR code containing vaccination information. I also have a printed version of this.

I have just read that I need to be able to show an NHS covid pass app or whatever it's called to board a ferry to France.

Am I going to have problems?

Is this issue specific to France? I could just as easily take the ferry to Netherlands instead.

Thanks

EO

[Toyark]

IMHO, keeping things European, would be to download the French TousAntiCovid app onto your dog 'n bone and use the app to scan all your QR codes.
If valid and successful, the app will make a 'confetti shower'.
Sorted. Happy travels EO

p.s it is worth knowing the current UK legislation, IF you wish to return to the UK:
is to have an independant covid flow test booked- Eurotunnel/ferries will ask you for this code number when you make your booking and it is issued by an approved tester once you have bought their day2 test kit and without may refuse you.
I've not tested the 'going only one way scenario'-
The only constant sound I seem to have been able to hear is the gentle hum of politicians going about feathering their own nests...
Covid rules appear to have the horizontal hold of a fruit machine.

[Tomkat]

The FCO site is quite helpful, and covers all travel to France, not only UK citizens: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-requirements

They don't go into detail of what France regards "acceptable proof" but if you have a 2D-barcoded vaccination certificate you may be abled to scan that into the French app as suggested above.

The French government website is a little harder to work with, but is more comprehensive: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/co...nals-in-france