When health restrictions are easing in many European countries, the desire to travel resumes. But how to prepare to leave serenely? We take stock.
I’m going to the West Indies, do I have to do a PCR test?
“What about the obligation of the antigenic test to travel to the West Indies? »asks Roger, from Saint-Samson.
Yes Roger, a test is mandatory to board flights to the West Indies. “ A test (PCR or antigenic) of less than 24 hours is mandatory for all travelers,” vaccinated or not, is it written on the website of the Ministry of Overseas. Remember that if you are not vaccinated, “documents demonstrating the imperative nature of your trip must be presented to the airlines or the border police”.
Read also: Covid-19. What do we know about the lifting of the vaccination pass, scheduled for March?
Is a test necessary to come to France?
“I am a foreigner, I have my visa for France, do I have to carry out the PCR tests before traveling to France? », asks Elias.
Elias, it all depends on your vaccination status. If you are vaccinated, “no more tests are required at the start” of the country from which you will join France. “The proof of a complete vaccination schedule becomes sufficient to arrive in France, regardless of the country of origin”, specify the site France Diplomacy.
If you have not completed a vaccination schedule, the situation changes. If you come froma country on the green list, “the obligation to present a negative test to go to France remains”, but you will not have to submit to the measures on arrival (test or isolation). If you come from an orange list country, you must present a compelling reason justifying your arrival in metropolitan France.
You may also be subject to a random test upon arrival. “Travellers who test positive will have to isolate themselves, in accordance with the recommendations of Health Insurance”, continues the website.
Read also: Vaccination pass. What are the rules for taking the train?
My teenager has just had the Covid, can she travel?
“We were planning to go to Barcelona during the April holidays with my wife and my daughters. One of them has just turned 12 and only had time to have one injection to then be infected with Covid (antigen test). If an infection is worth an injection, then his vaccination schedule would be complete. But how to prove it? We only have two QR codes, one specifying that she had an injection and a second specifying her positive test. Can we merge the two to get a health pass? », worries Anthony.
We contacted the General Directorate of Health (DGS), which reminds us that “the health proofs requested depend on the country of destination”. In Spain, in this case, you will have to present a “RT-PCR test with a certificate of recovery”.
Furthermore, “As of March 2, antigen tests from the list of manufacturers authorized by the EU will be entitled to a certificate of recovery identical to that from an RT-PCR test and therefore with the same validity, at national and national level. at the borders, explains the DGS. The antigen test result of your daughter, Anthony, will therefore be sufficient.
The DGS also reminds us that the rule “one infection = one injection” worth “only in France and if the infection took place in the third episode, with at least one injection among the first two episodes, and at least three months between the second and the third episode”. Your daughter, Anthony, is not in this case.
What validity for a vaccination abroad?
“My daughter who lives in Morocco was vaccinated (two doses) last summer; she will have her third Pfizer dose in Morocco before traveling to France; how should she proceed so that her vaccination pass is validated in France? It is insured with the CFE (Caisse des Français à l’étranger)”, Anne wonders.
Don’t worry, Annie, your daughter should get a vaccination pass without difficulty. As indicated Service Public, “a device […] allows French expatriates vaccinated with vaccines recognized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or equivalent to these vaccines to obtain a valid vaccination pass in France and in the European area”.
Being of French nationality, living in one of the countries benefiting from this scheme, and having been vaccinated with a vaccine accepted by the AEM, your daughter is fully eligible for the granting of a valid vaccination pass in France.
She does not have to wait for her arrival in France to send the request, she can do it via the dedicated form as soon as she knows her date of stay.
Read also: Covid-19. Is a fourth dose of vaccine planned for the entire population?
Is a vaccination schedule with Sinopharm valid?
“Having received two AstraZeneca doses and a Sinopharm reminder, is my pass valid to enter France? », wonders Omari.
The Sinopharm vaccine is not recognized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and does not have marketing authorization from EMA. But this vaccine got a WHO label allowing emergency use.
What does this mean for the validity of your pass in France, Omari? We have contacted the General Directorate of Health (DGS), which explains to us that you will have to “repeat a booster with an mRNA vaccine (PfIzer or Moderna depending on age) to have a complete regimen recognized in France”.
One « urgent » of the DGS details the various procedures allowing you to comply – if necessary – with the French rules, if you have been vaccinated abroad.
Read also: Covid-19. When does the Novavax vaccine arrive in France?
My trip is cancelled, when will I be reimbursed?
“After a trip to New Zealand, we had booked a one-week stay in Sydney from April 6 to 13, 2020. Unfortunately, the coronavirus prevented us from carrying out our project. Our respective travel agencies offered us credit notes. But after two years of waiting, now 80 years old, we can no longer envisage such a trip. If the New Zealand agency has reimbursed all the sums paid, the same is not true for the Australian one. The agency tells us that the law is favorable to companies and at this stage the assets are not refundable. Is this reality? », would like to know Jean-Yves.
The agency has to reimburse you, Jean-Yves. Until September, she was within her rights. Indeed, if European law imposes a refund within 14 days of your trip in the event of cancellation, France had chosen, in March 2020, to give a little air to tour operators.
A order signed then granted them a period of eighteen months to reimburse their customers concerned by “the cancellation of stays between 1is March and September 15, 2020 ». Instead of an out-of-pocket refund, agencies could issue credit notes valid for 18 months.
consumer association UFC-What to choose recalls that the first assets therefore expired in September 2021. From the end of this period of validity, “you can get your credit refunded”. It’s up to the tourism professional “to take the initiative of its reimbursement”, continues the association, which offers on its site a standard email format to be sent to the agency concerned.
“The tourism professional cannot, without your agreement, impose an extension of your credit”, continues the consumer association. According to UFC-Que Choisir, the agency must reimburse you within a period ” reasonable “ ten days after the expiry date of your credit note.
And if nothing works, you can get closer to consumer defense associations, or even, if that does not succeed, take legal action.
Read also: Coronavirus. Can we demand a refund in the event of a canceled trip? Ouest-France answers you
What rules for teenagers traveling to the UK?
“We have to go during the Easter holidays with our grandchildren aged 11 and 13. For arrival in England, there is no longer any obligation for children under 17 years of age. What about returning to France? », inquires Line.
Line, if you yourself are vaccinated, then your grandchildren – as they are minors – are not subject to the compelling reason, whether they are vaccinated or not. These details are provided by the website of theFrench Embassy in the United Kingdom.
On the other hand, the oldest of your two grandchildren, if he is not vaccinated, will be “subjected to the PCR/antigen test before departure”, including if accompanied by a vaccinated adult. The youngest will have nothing to do: “Children under 12 are exempt from all formalities (no test, no sworn statement)”specifies the website of the Embassy.