What will it take to travel to France? Today I am going to go over some of what you need to know including definition of full vaccination, and certificate or recovery
Before we talk about France it’s important to understand that travel restrictions are changing all the time, currently we are seeing many countries relaxing restrictions to make travel easier. However, just because something is true today, doesn’t mean it will be true tomorrow. Always consult your Travel Advisor before your trip to make sure you are aware of any changes. Also, subscribe to our channel to stay updated on notable changes. Now, let’s talk France!
Both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers are allowed to enter France. This should be the case as long as the United States keeps its “green” designation for covid risk. Should things change, unvaccinated travelers might not be allowed. When the U.S. was considered higher risk, unvaccinated travelers were not welcome unless they could provide a “compelling” reason. Unvaccinated travelers will also need to provide a negative covid test, both PCR and Rapid Antigen tests are allowed. PCR tests need to be taken within 72 hours of departure, and antigen tests within 48 hours. The test must be molecular and administered by a licensed health care professional. At home tests will not be accepted.
Fully vaccinated travelers don’t need to have a negative covid test as long as they have proof of vaccination. France defines full vaccination has having received the final dose or booster within the previous 9 months. They do not consider you fully vaccinated until 14 days have passed since the final dose was administered. If you are planning to get vaccinated before a trip to France you will need to do so more than 14 days before your departure. The vaccines that are accepted in France are Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZenica. There are a few others, for those watching this video from outside the United States or United Kingdom there is a tool available at visaguide.world (https://visaguide.world/news/vaccine-checker-proof-of-immunity-for-travel/) that will help you check if your vaccine is valid in France, or really any country you might want to visit.
You can use a certificate of recovery in place of proof of vaccination, however this isn’t as well defined and could create confusion while traveling. We recommend against this as a replacement for proof of vaccination. If you are unvaccinated and plan on using proof of recovery to gain entry to foreign countries we recommend you also have a negative covid test with you to avoid any unnecessary delays or problems.
For proof of recovery to be considered valid the original test must have been molecular, such as a PCR test. The rapid antigen test is considered valid. The test must have also been administered by a licensed health care professional, at home tests are also not considered valid. You will need more than the test result, you will need a letter or certificate from a licensed health care professional, or public health official. Unfortunately the French government doesn’t accept antibody tests as proof of recovery.
A quick note about testing time frames. For the test to be valid it must have been administered within the timeframe upon boarding your flight. If there are delays that prevent boarding of the within the timeframe then your test will be considered invalid and you will either be unable to board your flight or enter Italy. Having the test taken as close to your flight as possible is advisable, just make sure you can get the results in time.
Masks are no longer required for most settings. Masks are only required for health care settings or places taking care of elderly or at risk persons.
Every adult traveler will be required to have a completed European Union Passenger Locator Form to gain entry to France. Failure to have this form completed on arrival could result in a denial of entry.
Returning to the U.S. will require a test taken no more than 24 hours before departure. There are many tests that can be done including some self administered tests. Consult your Travel Advisor for more information about testing for your return trip home.
If you happen to test positive for COVID you will be required to quarantine according to the rules of the country you are in. This can get costly. For this reason we strongly advise all travelers, including fully vaccinated travelers to get a Travel Insurance that will cover your costs for quarantine or any other COVID related issues. Just because you are vaccinated doesn’t mean you can’t catch or carry COVID.
