Health Alert - U.S. Embassy Paris, France (August 9, 2021)

Location: All of France

Event: Health Pass Requirements Expanded

As of today, August 9, a pass sanitaire (health pass) is now required in France for entry into restaurants, cafes, bars, retirement homes, and hospitals and medical providers (except in case of emergency), as well as on long-distance forms of transportation, including planes, trains, and buses, for those 18 and older. Children ages 12-17 will be required to show a health pass starting September 30. The requirement to show a health pass to enter cultural events and sites, including museums, monuments, cinemas, and theatres; athletic facilities including gyms and swimming pools; festivals, amusement parks, nightclubs and many other establishments continues, and now applies regardless of the number of people present.

Note that this pass is NOT required for grocery stores. It is up to local prefects to decide whether the pass will be required at shopping centers larger than 20,000 square meters, based on current COVID conditions within their jurisdictions. The pass is also not required for religious services, but is required for cultural events held at churches. Finally, the Minster of Health told a French newspaper that the pass is not required to visit an internist or family doctor.

Generally, while France is permitting the use of a U.S. vaccination record (the white CDC card) for entry into France, this record is not generally accepted otherwise as a health pass.

The U.S. Embassy CANNOT provide a French health pass.

Currently the French government has not provided an official solution to obtain the health pass for non-French citizens vaccinated outside of France. The Embassy has been told the French government intends to provide a solution in August for non-French citizens vaccinated outside of France with vaccines that are approved for use in France. As of the time of this alert, we have no update. Once we receive official word on this, we will post the information to our website, https://fr.usembassy.gov.

Any willing French pharmacy or doctor has the ability to enter the foreign vaccination information into the French system, but many are unwilling to do so. We do not have a list of pharmacies willing to provide this service, and our information is that such lists that can be found online are subject to frequent and rapid change. Please be aware that some pharmacies and medical centers have begun referring people to the Embassy to obtain the health pass, although the Embassy has no ability to provide this French document.

As an alternative, temporary solution, a negative COVID-19 test, whether a PCR test or an antigen test, will provide a temporary health pass and QR code good for 72 hours from the time of the test.

French citizens, including dual French-U.S. citizens can request a health pass from the relevant French consulate by following the instructions indicated here. This is only available to French citizens.

Actions to Take:

Please remember to bring a health pass or negative COVID test if trying to access many establishments open to the public.
French authorities require people who test positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate for 10 days and alert those with whom they have been in contact. Please refer to this link for instructions from the French Ministry of Health.
Consult a medical professional if you have been in direct contact with an infected person within the past three weeks and have symptoms.
Please note that regardless of vaccination status, all travelers to the U.S. age 2 and above must have a negative antigen or PCR test conducted no more than three days prior to the departure of their flight into the U.S. People who test positive for COVID-19 test should self-isolate and contact their airline to delay until they have recovered from COVID-19. Airlines must refuse to board anyone who does not present a negative test result for COVID-19 or documentation of recovery.
Please refer to the CDC website for requirement for proof of negative COVID-19 test or recovery from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving in the United States. Antigen tests are acceptable.
Visit the CDC’s website for more information.