How tourists can get a Covid vaccine QR code recognised in France

[Update November 9 at 15:06 - The procedure that non-EU tourists must follow to obtain a health pass has now changed. We explain the new steps that you must follow in this article.]

France has now put in place a system for foreign tourists vaccinated abroad with a Covid-19 vaccine approved in the EU to get a QR code compatible with its health pass system, France’s foreign affairs ministry has stated.

Read the official announcement here (in French).

Priority will initially be given to tourists who are already in France or who will be arriving by August 15, with requests by people arriving after this date to be considered later.

People who wish to demand a QR code must:

• Be aged 18 and over (under 18s will not need a health pass until September 30, while under 12s are exempt from the requirement altogether)
• Have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency - Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson
• Have been vaccinated in a country outside of the EU, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway and the UK (only England and Wales)

People vaccinated in England and Wales can scan the QR codes on the certificates into France’s Covid app TousAntiCovid and use this as a health pass, the French government states.

Read more: NHS Covid certificates to be fully compatible with French health pass

People vaccinated in Scotland and Northern Ireland will have to use the method outlined below to get a QR code compatible with France’s health pass.

Step 1: Gather necessary documents

To make a request to get a QR compatible with France’s health pass, you will need:

• Your vaccination certificate showing that you have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the EMA
• Your passport (that is still valid)
• Your travel tickets (inbound and outbound)
• A completed application form - you can find one at this link

All the documents should be in the format of PDF, JPG or PNG.

Step 2: Email your documents to the French government

If you are from the US, you should email your request to: area1.covid-pass@diplomatie.gouv.fr

If you are from Canada, you should email your request to:

area2.covid-pass@diplomatie.gouv.fr

If you are from any other country (including Scotland and Northern Ireland), you should email your request to:

area3.covid-pass@diplomatie.gouv.fr

The email should be addressed with a title as follows:

COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE / SURNAME, First name / date of arrival in France (dd/mm/yy)

For example: USA / DUPONT Jean / 12/08/21, or CANADA / DURAND Anne / 10/08/21.

As soon as the request is processed, an email containing the QR code will be sent.

The QR code can be printed and presented on paper or scanned into TousAntiCovid, and there is no time limit on its use.

The content of your email should not exceed 10 MB, the French government states. If it does, you should lower the quality of your images.

Filling out the application form

The application form asks for your surname, first name, home address and the country you were vaccinated in (if different from your home country).

It also asks for the date you arrived in France and the date you will leave France, your email address and your phone number.

It then asks that you confirm that you have gathered the necessary documents (as outlined in detail above):

• A copy of your passport or ID card
• A copy of your vaccination certificate
• Your travel tickets
• The application form

What about French residents who were vaccinated abroad?

The Connexion has contacted the foreign affairs ministry to find out if French residents vaccinated abroad can also benefit from this system, and is awaiting a response.

France recently launched a separate but similar system for its nationals living and vaccinated abroad to get vaccination QR codes compatible with the French health pass. Find out more about that here.

What about people vaccinated in England and Wales?

Covid-19 vaccination certificates issued in England and Wales that contain QR codes should now be operable with France’s health pass scanning technology, according to a statement made by French tourism minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne last week.

It means people with English and Welsh vaccination certificates that have QR codes on them can scan them into France’s Covid app TousAntiCovid, which can be scanned by staff at venues in France requiring the health pass.

Please note that if your NHS certificate does not scan properly into your app, you should try to update the application.

If your NHS certificate does not scan properly when presented to venue staff, you should ask them to force an update of their TousAntiCovid Verif app.

What about people vaccinated in the EU + Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway?

The countries of the European Union, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican City are all part of a common recognition scheme that means that Covid vaccination or test certificates issued in any of these countries can be recognised by all the other countries.

This scheme is called the EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC).

It means that vaccination certificates issued in any of these countries are already compatible with France’s health pass system.

Read more: Can I use my French health pass to travel abroad?

Call for reader experiences

The Connexion is interested in finding out if this system works in practice. If you have tried this and been successful or unsuccessful in obtaining a QR code, please let us know at news@connexionfrance.com

Related stories:

US puts France on highest Covid alert level and advises against travel

France’s health pass: the rules for TGVs and other train journeys

France extends health pass: Rules for residents and tourists

Can I use my French health pass to travel abroad?