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Article - Traveling to France as a Vaccinated American

Kathy

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Since I'm planning to travel to France in mid-August (and hopefully to welcome a small group of travelers for a week in Provence in mid-September), I've been following very closely the developments in France as it opens up to foreign tourists. This article from The Points Guy website is the first-person experience of someone who traveled over to arrive on June 9, the first day this kind of travel was possible. Of course, a lot can change over the coming months, but this article may be helpful to others considering a trip to France.

Traveling to France as a vaccinated American citizen — my experience and what to expect

 
Thanks for passing that on Kathy!

My wife and I are fully vaccinated. The one item that makes me hesitant to book a flight at this time is taking a covid test right before the flight. If it's positive you're not going to be able to make the trip.
Our daughter traveled to Paris in mid-January. (She is living in France for a year+ doing research for her PhD dissertation.) She did a test BEFORE the test she needed the 72 hours before her flight. So you could do an earlier test just for your own peace of mind.

If you are worried about this, you could then minimize your contact with others (especially non-vaccinated people), avoid any crowded situations, and wear a mask when you are in public settings in the two weeks before your trip. Along with your vaccination, I think at that point your risk of testing positive for COVID is less than the risk that you might get any other illness that might cause you to not go on your trip.

Just my thought. I've now got several friends who have traveled to Europe (Italy and France) in the last few months.
 
I downloaded the France Covid app, TousAntiCovid, on my iPhone. It now accepts the QR codes from the UK NHS app to prove vaccination status. I did this today, generating an email from the NHS app with the QR codes and scanning them with the TousAntiCovid app and it authenticated them.

Starting next week France is requiring the app to show you are vaccinated for entry to restaurants, cafes, museums, public transportation, etc. We leave on Aug 17 for France and I'll post when I've used it.

For Americans, I've read that you can take your CDC document to a pharmacy and they validate it for the app. Make sure you have the app installed on your phone before you leave (to make things easier).

 
Americans can definitely take their CDC document to a pharmacy in France to get a QR code to use the app. However, the pharmacies aren't obligated to do this. It's recommended to go at a time that the pharmacy isn't busy and to be very polite and appreciative. You'll need to have your photo ID (passport).

This article might be helpful for those visiting Paris. https://parisbymouth.com/how-to-transform-your-american-vaccination-card-into-a-french-health-pass/

I'll be arriving in France on August 18 and will then travel by train to Caen. I'll report in as well.
 
An update for vaccinated Americans needing the health pass for France. You can now send in an application by email, with a few documents, and they email you a QR code to scan into the app.

 

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