French expatriates abroad: how to return to France at the time of the health pass?
Are you living abroad as an expatriate and wish to return to France? MMC explains here the steps to take in Covid-19 time and with the arrival of the health pass in the country.
A health system dedicated to expatriates
Since Monday 2nd August, it is possible for French expatriates to request a QR Code. The decision taken by the government concerns countries other than :
- Member States of the European Union
- Andorra
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- The Principality of Monaco
- Norway
- United Kingdom
- Switzerland
Please note: for the countries listed above, the European digital certificate is accepted in France. They are not affected by this measure.
The QR Code is available for the moment "to people already present" in France or in the European Union and those "arriving by 31 August".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also specified that "applications concerning an arrival after this date will be taken into account later".
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, health measures for access to French territory remain unchanged. As a reminder, the health pass provides for one of the following situations:
1. Full vaccination schedule
2. Negative PCR or antigenic test of 48 hours
3. Certificate of recovery for persons over 12 years of age with an incomplete vaccination schedule.
How to apply for the health pass
To receive this QR code, each expatriate must send by email a proof of vaccination, an identity document, a proof of residence and fill in the application form.
The documents to be provided for spouses or dependents of French nationals, as well as the e-mail addresses, are indicated on the Diplomatie.gouv.fr website.
The scheme is reserved for people aged 18 or over. For minors aged 12 to 17, the health pass comes into force on 30 September 2021.
If you are vaccinated, only the following vaccines and deadlines are accepted to validate your entry to France:
❖ Johnson & Johnson, for more than 4 weeks
❖ Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, for more than 7 days
In case you have been infected with the Covid-19 virus and have received an injection of one of these 4 vaccines, it is necessary to wait 7 days before applying.
For expatriates who have received injections of other vaccines, Jean-Baptiste Lemoine informed the JDD that "scientific experts have been asked to evaluate under what conditions they could be supplemented by a vaccination with messenger RNA in France".
Finally, the bill provides that "a decree will determine the cases of medical contraindication that prevent vaccination". This concerns people with a rare disease that makes it impossible for them to be injected or people who are allergic to the components of vaccines.