If you plan to travel this summer to France or abroad, you will probably need to present a health pass.

But how do you get this sesame? The health pass can take three forms:

• a negative test (PCR or antigen) less than 48 hours,
• a certificate of reinstatement which proves that you have been infected and that you have recovered from covid. In this case, it is a positive PCR or antigen test of at least 11 days and less than six months,
• a complete vaccination schedule, ie seven days after the second dose for France but 14 days for other European countries.

QR code on paper, in photo or in TousAntiCovid

For each of these documents, you can present a QR code on paper, in photo, or recorded on the TousAntiCovid app, without worrying about the language of the certificate even when traveling abroad.

The initial document bearing this QR code is given to you at the vaccination center or on the health insurance website attestation-vaccin.ameli.fr for the vaccine. It is given to you at the laboratory that carried out your test or on the platform. si-dep for testing.

Mandatory in August

From when will it be compulsory? The pass should come into effect for long-distance transport “certainly after the weekend of August 1st“, according to the Minister for Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari. The precise date has yet to be announced by the government.

All travelers over 12 years old using one of the means of transport concerned will be subject to this obligation. But for travelers aged 12 to 17 inclusive, as well as for employees of transport operators, this obligation will only apply from August 30.

Its use is legally planned until June 30, 2022.

Read also: Covid: a test of less than 24 hours mandatory for non-vaccinated returning from Spain and Portugal

What types of transport will be affected?

All “long distance” transport will be concerned: plane, train, coach or ferry.

You will therefore need to have a valid pass before boarding an interregional or international coach, a TGV (Inoui and Ouigo), an Intercités or an international long-distance train departing from France. TER and Transiliens are not affected.

The pass control methods have not yet been finalized. SNCF is working on the implementation of a “physical control deviceA health check could also be integrated in the long term as soon as the ticket is purchased online.

No pass, no boarding

Regarding airplanes, it was already necessary to present an immunity certificate or a negative test to travel by plane to Corsica, overseas or abroad. It will now be impossible to take an interior line without the sanitary pass.

In practice, Air France has set up a platform on which its customers can transmit their documents online in advance so that their boarding card includes a health registration for faster boarding. Those who have not submitted their documents will have to present them at the airport.

Finally, the ferry companies were already asking for a negative test or vaccination certificate and will therefore continue to do so.

No obligation for carpooling

What about carpooling? Blablacar cannot impose the pass on journeys between individuals. But the platform prepares “a feature that will allow carpoolers who so wish to declare that they have a health pass, in order to reassure people who want to travel with them“.

In Europe: the European pass

To travel in Europe, you can use your sanitary pass converted to European format, to be collected on attestation-vaccin.ameli.fr. It allows travel in all the countries of the European Union as well as in Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Monaco and Andorra. These rules also apply for overseas.

Check the formalities of each country

Before traveling abroad, check the formalities specific to your destination country. In particular, the maximum date for the required tests may vary from one country to another.
For travel within the EU, see Re-open EU which lists the conditions applicable in the various European countries.
For trips outside the EU, go to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs diplomatie.gouv.fr to know the rules in force. For some nations such as Brazil or Russia, for example, it is still necessary to justify a “compelling reason”.

The mask remains in place

Does the health pass replace wearing a mask? No, wearing a mask will remain compulsory upon entering the station, platform and on board the train throughout the journey, just like in airports, planes, coaches and ferries.