Accessing the French pass sanitaire with a non-French administered vaccine
If you were vaccinated outside of France, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a system by which you can obtain a QR code that is valid as a pass sanitaire, regardless of your country of residence.
Currently the pass sanitaire is required to enter public spaces such as restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums etc… for anybody over the age of 18.
From the 30th September, this will be extended to cover everyone over the age of 12… 12 years and 2 months to be precise?!
No need for further action
If you have a complete vaccination profile from one of the following countries, you can present the QR code of the EU digital certificate or the NHS certificate for UK based vaccines. You can also scan them into the TousAntiCovid app (also available in English).
- European Union Member States;
- Andorra ;
- Iceland;
- Liechtenstein ;
- Monaco;
- Norway ;
- United Kingdom (England and Wales);
- Switzerland.
| Note: France DOES recognise the AZ-Covishield vaccine, as long as it is complete. |
Other countries
If your vaccines were administered in a country not on the list, you can apply for a pass sanitaire via the new system if you also meet the following criteria:
- You are from a country outside the European Union;
- You are 18 years of age or older (until 30 September 2021, when this drops to 12)
- You have been vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency or equivalent
- more than 4 weeks after the injection for one-dose vaccines (Johnson&Johnson) ;
- more than 7 days after the second injection for two-dose vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca);
- more than 7 days after the injection if you have recovered from Covid-19 (in this case, only one injection is necessary);
- You are already in France or you plan to go there in the next few days.
| Note: this service only allows the recognition of the vaccination abroad. That means that you cannot access a certificate of recovery. |
How to apply?
If you meet the above criteria, you can apply for the pass online here. Log in or create and account and then follow the instructions (in English!).
For foreign students the application process is similar, just via a different portal: here.
Whichever way you apply, ensure that you correctly enter your email address because, as soon as your application has been processed, you will receive an email containing the QR code.
This can be printed and presented on paper, or added to the TousAntiCovid application.
Alternatives
Whether you are waiting for the QR code to come through, or if you do not meet the above criteria, there is another solution… a negative PCR or antigen test, although these are no longer free for foreign nationals.
You get your QR code from the NHS login site. All your vaccination details are on that if you were vaccinated in the UK. Download touscovid look for adding documents – then scan the QR code from the details that you have previously printed out from the NHS site. Every time you log into the NHS site will generate a new QR code and they are time limited. So keep an eye on the date and scan another when needed. Paper copies are fine and will be scanned in France. This system has been up and going for a while now; so all glitches have been ironed out.
Thank you Amanda.
You wrote: “If you were vaccinated outside of France, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a system by which you can obtain a QR code that is valid as a pass sanitaire, regardless of your country of residence.”
I cannot find the site where I could obtain QR code based on out of EU vaccination (also approved in EU). Can you publish the link, please?