Update: Covid travel rules tighten, US moves to France’s red list

The rules for travel from the United States to France have been tightened from today (January 2, 2022) as the country moves to France’s red list due to the spread of Omicron.

The US was on France’s orange travel list until today. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania also move to the red list under a decree published yesterday January 1.

Travellers from red list countries who have not been vaccinated or whose vaccination schedule is incomplete will have to comply with a ten-day quarantine, which will be monitored by the police. They will also need an essential reason to visit and must show a negative result from a Covid test (PCR or lateral flow) taken within 48 hours of their trip. People travelling from France to the US also need to have an essential reason to make the journey if they are not vaccinated.

Vaccinated travellers do not need to quarantine or to have an essential reason to visit France from the US but they must present a sworn signed statement that they have not shown symptoms of Covid or been in contact with people have the virus. They must also show a negative result from a Covid test (PCR or lateral flow) taken within 48 hours of their trip.

Countries classified as red zones are considered to be areas "characterised by particularly active circulation of Covid-19 or by the spread of certain variants of Sars-CoV-2 presenting a risk of increased transmissibility or reduced immunity."

France’s red countries currently are: Afghanistan, Belarus, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Mauritius, Malawi, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Suriname, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho are on the highest alert ‘scarlet’ list.

Find out more about other countries here.

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