Help! French Covid certificate has maiden name, passport married name

Reader question: My Covid-19 vaccination certificate, issued in France, has my maiden name on it and does not match my passport which has my married surname on it. I am concerned that this will cause problems when I try to travel. What can I do?

Several readers have raised this point and The Connexion has contacted France’s national insurance service Assurance Maladie for a response which is expected later this week.

The website of Assurance Maladie, Ameli, states that from June 3, 2021, only a person’s maiden name is given on vaccination certificates so as to comply with European norms as part of the EU-wide travel pass system.

European health travel pass: People in France can now access it

It does not acknowledge any issues that could arise with people planning to use travel documents that do not have their maiden name on it.

It states only that for people who regret the absence of their married name on the certificate, “it should be noted that, when travelling abroad, this new presentation will facilitate identity checks at the borders, as identity documents show the maiden name first”.

Passports issued in the UK, for example, show the person’s current surname and not their maiden name as well.

Readers who have flagged this issue to The Connexion have said they have been told by their consulates to carry birth or marriage certificates, or a livret de famille, if they are planning to travel using the vaccination certificate.

The Connexion has asked the British Embassy in Paris to confirm this and is awaiting a reply.