France's Covid ‘pass sanitaire' is not a document, so how do I get it?

Reader question: I do not see WHERE I can get my pass sanitaire….I have the papers from having both Pfizer vaccine jabs, but these are not the pass sanitaire as I understand it? I need to get the paper form of the pass but I don’t know where to go?

This is a common problem caused by a justifiable misunderstanding of what France’s health pass (pass sanitaire) is, due to its confusing name.

The ‘health pass’ in itself is not a separate physical document.

It is the way France refers to proof of your Covid-19 status and this can be achieved with any of the following:

• A Covid-19 test (rapid antigen or PCR) showing a negative result and taken within the past 48 hours
• A Covid-19 vaccination certificate showing full vaccination
• A Covid-19 test (rapid antigen or PCR) showing a positive Covid-19 result, taken between 11 days and six months prior

These documents can be shown in paper format, digitally, or through the phone application TousAntiCovid.

Our reader can therefore use their vaccination certificate as proof of their Covid status.

France’s vaccination certificates have been updated several times in recent months. The most up-to-date versions have a QR code that can be verified across the EU.

Getting the most up-to-date copy of your vaccination certificate depends on if you have a social security number in France.

If you have a social security number, you can download the latest version of your certificate from Ameli here: attestation-vaccin.ameli.fr.

People without social security numbers can still get updated vaccination certificates in France.

The best method is to ask at the place where you were vaccinated, whether at a vaccination centre, with your GP or at a pharmacy.

The healthcare worker will search your details on their system and issue you with a certificate.

You may need to provide information such as the date and time of your final vaccine dose, the arm you received the vaccine in and your address and postcode. This is to help the healthcare worker find you on the system.

There is also a free helpline that you can call: 0 800 08 71 48, open seven days a week between 09:00 and 20:00.

For people who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19, you can use a test to prove your vaccination status. This can be either a rapid antigen test or a PCR test taken within the past 48 hours. All tests issued in France now will have a QR code on it that is compatible with the EU verification system.

Finally, if you have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past six months, you can update your test certificate to one with a QR code compatible with the EU verification system.

If you have a French social security number and have tested positive within the past three months, you can get an updated test certificate through the government website sidep.gouv.fr.

If you tested positive more than three months ago and/or do not have a French social security number, France’s national health insurance website Ameli suggests that you ask the health professional who carried out your test for an updated certificate.

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