You are returning to France this summer and, with the new government measures to combat the spread of Covid-19, you are wondering whether the vaccine you received in your country of residence is valid in France. Here is some information taken from the diplomatie.gouv.fr website. There are two cases:

• If you were vaccinated in an EU member state, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, the digital certificate from any of these countries is valid and accepted in France. Consequently, you will not need to take any specific steps to receive your health pass;
• If you were vaccinated in a country other than those mentioned above: In this case, the French government has established a procedure to facilitate the return of its nationals and their dependents to France this summer.

Let us take a closer look at the details of case number 2. It is important to know that this health pass was introduced as part of the national reopening plan. This pass makes it possible to verify a PCR test result, a person's vaccination status, or a person's certificate of recovery (post-Covid-19). The purpose of this system is to limit the spread of the virus and reduce the risk of transmission while allowing the population to live "normally." In France, the health pass is intended for anyone who has tested negative and for anyone vaccinated with vaccines recognized by the European Medicines Agency or equivalent vaccines.

Who can apply for a French health pass?

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has established an exceptional system to allow its nationals and their dependents to obtain a vaccination-equivalent health pass valid throughout France. The health pass will be issued to you if you meet the following conditions:

• You are of French nationality, or a dependent of a French national;
• You are 18 or older (until September 30, 2021, the health pass is not required for minors aged 12 to 17. Minors under 12 are not subject to the health pass requirement);
• You have been vaccinated with a vaccine accepted by the European Medicines Agency or an equivalent for:
  1. more than 4 weeks after the injection for one-dose vaccines (Johnson&Johnson);
  2. more than 7 days after the second injection for two-dose vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca);
  3. more than 7 days after the injection if you have recovered from Covid-19 (in this case, only one injection is required);
• You were not vaccinated in one of the following countries: EU member states, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, the United Kingdom (England and Wales only), or Switzerland. These countries allow people to obtain the EU Digital Covid Certificate, which is accepted in France;
• You are already in France or the European Union, or you will arrive in France before August 31.

How do you apply for and obtain the health pass?

Applications must be submitted online and by email only. The email subject must use the following format: COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE / SURNAME First name / Date of arrival in France A set of supporting documents must be provided:

• The application form, completed and signed (download it here https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/formulaire_demande_passe_sanitaire);
• The vaccination certificate issued by the authorities of the country where you received the vaccine. The vaccine type must be clearly stated;
• A valid identity document. A passport or identity card is sufficient;
• Proof of residence abroad: bills, lease, driver's license, etc.;
• If you are not French but are the spouse or dependent of a French national, you must send a copy of the valid identity document of the country whose nationality they hold, as well as a copy of legal proof (marriage certificate, family record book, civil solidarity pact, birth certificate, etc.).

PS: Any document written in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certified French translation. All these documents must be sent by email in PDF, JPG or PNG format only (documents sent in ZIP format will automatically not be processed). Each region of the world has its own email address, so you must send your documents according to your region. The submission addresses are as follows:

• Zone 1 (Canada): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde1@diplomatie.gouv.fr;
• Zone 2 (United States East Coast: Bahamas, United States East Coast, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde2@diplomatie.gouv.fr;
• Zone 3 (United States West Coast): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde3@diplomatie.gouv.fr;
• Zone 4 (Central and South America: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde4@diplomatie.gouv.fr;
• Zone 5 (Europe, Central Asia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories: Albania, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, United Kingdom (Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Gibraltar only), Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Palestinian Territories, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Ukraine): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde5@diplomatie.gouv.fr;
• Zone 6 (Algeria - Tunisia): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde6@diplomatie.gouv.fr;
• Zone 7 (Morocco): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde7@diplomatie.gouv.fr;
• Zone 8 (Africa - Middle East 1: Angola, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Guinea, Lesotho, Malawi, Niger, Saint Helena, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde8@diplomatie.gouv.fr;
• Zone 9 (Africa - Middle East 2: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Uganda, Qatar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Chad, Togo, Yemen and Zambia): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde9@diplomatie.gouv.fr;
• Zone 10 (Asia - Oceania: Australia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, China, South Korea, Cook Islands, Fiji, Solomon Islands, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Nepal, Niue, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Ross, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, East Timor, Samoa, Tokelau, Vanuatu and Vietnam): Certificat-vaccin-covid.fde10@diplomatie.gouv.fr.

To facilitate the application, you are asked to send only one email per case and per person (if there are 10 of you, 10 separate applications will be required), not to send follow-up messages, to include all supporting documents, and to ensure that the total size of the submission does not exceed 10 MB.

What happens next?

Once your documents are ready and signed, send them to the email address corresponding to your place of residence. Applications are processed in the order in which they are received. Once your application has been processed, you will receive an email containing a QR code (remember to check your spam folder). It can be printed and presented in paper form, and you can also add it to the TousAntiCovid app to provide proof of your vaccination status.

I applied for a health pass as indicated above, but I have not received it and I am already in France. What should I do?

Don't panic: there is a second solution for obtaining your French health pass with a vaccine received abroad. The procedure is simple and applies only if you are already in France. Here are the steps to follow:

• Prepare your foreign vaccination card, an identity document, and your French social security number if you have one;
• Visit a doctor or pharmacist who has access to the "vaccin covid" platform of the health insurance system. In France, every healthcare professional authorized to administer vaccines has access to it;
• The healthcare professional must enter your social security number into the system. If you do not have a number or it is no longer active, the healthcare professional must enter "patient not affiliated with the French health insurance system";
• The healthcare professional will enter your personal information, including your physical address in France and abroad, as well as a telephone number;
• They must then enter all the information concerning your vaccination.
  • For the location: choose "other," enter department 99, and then select the country from the drop-down menu. For the vaccination center, choose "information unavailable";
  • You must also enter the batch number. In this case, choose "other batches" to enter the batch number manually;
• Once these steps have been completed, the QR code will be generated and can be used as a health pass and imported into the TousAntiCovid. app.

Have a great vacation!