OBSOLETE COVID THREAD France and the COVID pass.

[FourSeasons]

A bit premature? Perhaps, but I'm a ducks in a row kind of pilgrim at least during the planning stages. My question/concern is. I read on another thread that France is requiring the booster in order to get the COVID pass. As of today February 15, I read that you have to get the booster at least 5 months after your initial vaccines.

I received my second vaccine end of August 2021 and was told by my pharmacist that I would wait 8 months before the booster if I choose to get one.

My question: I'll be traveling in September and yes, I understand things can change over night but as of now, am I too late to even get the booster and have it qualify for Frances' COVID pass requirements?

Thank you for any information regarding this COVID mumbo jumbo.

 

[legless]

Here are the current French requirements, you will be able to see if you are travelling from a green or orange list country.

French Government COVID travel

 

[henrythedog]

No.

Although nobody knows what the situation will be in September.

The ‘booster’ stipulation is very badly described. I’m shortly going to Italy which (currently) has a similar requirement.

The basic premise is that the time for which you are regarded as ‘fully vaccinated’ - i.e. typically when having had the second of a two-dose vaccine - is now time-limited by certain countries including Italy and France. The motivation appears to be to encourage take-up of the booster.

To be able to enter those countries - if their interpretation of your fully vaccinated status has expired - you currently need a booster.

Confusing terminology being used includes ‘final vaccination’ which in my example above (and on the Italian government websites) refers to the second of a two-dose vaccine.

Not much point in worrying right now - perhaps just get your booster when it’s offered?

 

[FourSeasons]

Here are the current French requirements, you will be able to see if you are travelling from a green or orange list country.

French Government COVID travel

Yes, I've seen this, thank you. I'll try to find the article that said: As of February 15 a booster will be required at least five months after the initial vaccines.

 

[Kathar1na]

I received my second vaccine end of August 2021 and was told by my pharmacist that I would wait 8 months before the booster if I choose to get one.

You don't live in France, right? Then you follow the advice of the health service where you live. You get your booster any time between now and the middle of April 2022. If you then fly to France, say in May 2022, you present your most recent certificate. You are boostered. You are ok.

What you quote does not mean that everyone in the world who does not get their booster within 4 months from the second jab will forever be unable to get a valid vaccination certificate.

Now, if you live in France, your current vaccination certificate which you got for your second jab in August 2021 will become invalid because it's been more than 4 months since then and that's what French law says for people living in France. As long as you don't get your booster jab you will not have a valid pass vaccinal and you have to manage your daily life without such a document. Get a booster jab today or next week or in two weeks and you have a valid certificate again in France.

It would be a mistake to think: There's more than 4 months between my 2nd jabs and my booster jab and therefore I cannot travel to France. It would be a misreading of what the French regulations say.

Currently, to my knowledge, there is no maximum time set between 2nd jab and booster jab. Meaning: Whenever you, as someone with a completed primary vaccination (2x Pfizer or 2x Moderna), gets a booster your immunisation level corresponds again to legal requirements (anywhere).

 

[FourSeasons]

"What is the vaccine pass?​

The pass vaccinal (vaccine pass) indicates that the holder has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In France, people over the age of 18 must now have a booster shot to keep their pass active. That means they must get their booster no more than seven months after receiving the second dose of an AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or no more than two months after a Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

From February 15, the rules will change again and the seven-month window will be reduced to four months.

Tourists will need to show proof of a booster shot if they are over the age of 18 to enter venues where the pass is required."

Okay, so I reread the article and read that only in France do you have to have a booster within a certain time frame. Tourists only need show proof of a booster. The article doesn't give a time frame on when to get the booster for tourists.

Whew!! and yes thank you @henrythedog no idea how things will be in September. Just hoping and praying COVID will be on it's way out.

 

[FourSeasons]

You don't live in France, right? Then you follow the advice of the health service where you live. You get your booster any time between now and the middle of April 2022. If you then fly to France, say in May 2022, you present your most recent certificate. You are boostered. You are ok.

What you quote does not mean that everyone in the world who does not get their booster within 5 months from the second jab will forever be unable to get a valid vaccination certificate.

Now, if you live in France, your current vaccination certificate which you got for your second jab in August 2021 will become invalid because it's been more than 5 months since then and that's what French law says for people living in France. As long as you don't get your booster jab you will not have a valid pass vaccinal and you have to manage your daily life without such a document. Get a booster jab today or next week or in two weeks and you have a valid certificate again in France.

It would be a mistake to think: There's more than 5 months between my 2nd jabs and my booster jab and therefore I cannot travel to France. It would be a misreading of what the French regulations say.

Currently, to my knowledge, there is no maximum time set between 2nd jab and booster jab. Meaning: Whenever you, as someone with a completed primary vaccination (2x Pfizer or 2x Moderna), gets a booster your immunisation level corresponds again to legal requirements (anywhere).

Thanks!! Right, I don't live in France. Just a simple American. I know why I shy away from asking questions here. I sure do feel stupid.

 

[Kathar1na]

Thanks!! Right, I don't live in France. Just a simple American. I know why I shy away from asking questions here.

It's good to ask these questions. The way these rules are described, both in news article and on websites, are often not very clear and confusing, especially when they are written with mainly the own population of the country in mind.

I wish that they would at least have the same rules everywhere in the EU. Nearly two years of not only constantly changing rules but rules changing differently in 27 countries ... We've just learnt that for travel within the EU, the maximum time limit between 2nd vaccination and booster must not be more than 9 months, now France comes along with this internal 4 months rule. That's why I wanted to establish whether you live in France or not.

 

[Apotropaic]

This thread has been incredibly helpful to me and I thank everyone for contributing. I fly for SJPdP via Paris in twelve days. I'm vaccinated and received the booster 6 months after my second dose. When I land in France my booster will be just over 4 months old. I'm considering getting an additional booster just to fill the last blank on my American CDC card. But this thread talked me down. If my arrival is anything but smooth I'll post my lessons learned on this thread.

 

[JabbaPapa]

It is WAY too early to talk about the situation in September, or even if any of these mandates will still be extant at that time.

 

[Kathar1na]

I replied even though the OP and I both knew that September is a long way away. There are forum members who plan to travel soon, it is of interest to them. I’m not making any public or personal health recommendations but for a hassle free trip my advice would be: make sure you have received the required jabs and bring or get an EU compliant version of your certificates and Bon Voyage.

 

[Kathar1na]

If you manage to access it, here is a good article: Your questions answered on France’s new 4-month booster shot rule. Dated 14 February 2022 and published by The Local for France. Both www.thelocal.fr and www.connexionfrance.com are based in France and write for a British and for an English-speaking audience. They present current rules in a more comprehensible language than official government websites. They also try to get clarification from the French administration that is of interest to foreign tourists.

Explained is also the somewhat odd rules that, in many cases (depending on your vaccination dates) you can enter France without a booster shot but can then run into problems when you want to use public transport or go to restaurants. Here's a quote:

What if my country doesn’t offer a booster after four months?​

​

Not all countries offer booster shots within four months of getting the second dose, with some people having to wait for up to six months until they are eligible.​

​

The Local has raised this issue with the French government, but the answer appears to be ‘tough’ – not being eligible for a vaccine in your home country doesn’t mean that the French four-month limit does not apply.​

​

The American Embassy has issued a travel warning over this issue, advising anyone travelling from the US to check carefully before departing that they will be eligible for the French vaccine pass, or face a severely constrained holiday.​

​

IOW: You may be authorised to fly to France and enter on the basis of proof of your primary vaccination (2 shots) but you will not be able to convert your proof into a French vaccination pass when more than 4 months have passed since your second shot and therefore you may have problems when in France without having received a booster shot back home.

​

​

 

[Kathar1na]

By way of an illustration: I have been vaccinated in an EU country and have 3 EU DCC certificates. They are dated April, May and December. I know, because it is the law, that for travel between EU countries, my May certificate is valid until the end of February (nine months validity). For the same reason and for the same purpose, my December certificate (1st booster) has an open ended validity.

I have a number of official apps from various countries to store and verify my certificates. I play around with them to check my understanding of the whole thing. Now, when I store my certificates in the French app, it says

• for the certificate about my 2nd jab (in May) that, inside of France, it has already expired. It was valid from June to Dec (7 months according to French law at the time)
• for the certificate about my 3rd jab (booster in Dec), that inside of France, it is valid from December and it has no expiration date.
  Time between my 2nd and my 3rd shot: 6 1/2 months. It does not matter. What matters is the fact that I am boostered.

I am sharing this for those of you who are interested in this topic. Everybody expects that obligations for domestic use of vaccination passports will be lifted in the coming months because incidence rates are falling again. The obligation - and convenience! - to use vaccination passports for travel into EU countries and between EU countries may last much longer. When your vaccination data are converted by a French pharmacy or by a Swiss canton, your data will be treated in exactly the same way as mine.

When you have a non-converted foreign vaccination certificate that is not linked to the EU DCC gateway and therefore cannot be read and verified by our checking apps, then anecdotal evidence says that you may be allowed access or you may not be allowed access to restaurants, albergues, museums or trains wherever you happen to be. It is difficult to predict how staff who, by law, must check your proof of vaccination, for example your waiter, will handle this.

 

[Viva Terlingua]

I replied even though the OP and I both knew that September is a long way away. There are forum members who plan to travel soon, it is of interest to them. I’m not making any public or personal health recommendations but for a hassle free trip my advice would be: make sure you have received the required jabs and bring or get an EU compliant version of your certificates and Bon Voyage.

I'm going in May and am wondering if this is EU Compliant?

Note from the Mods: We have removed the image. @Viva Terlingua has a US CDC card showing two doses of Moderna and a booster.

@Kathar1na has answered the question.

 

[Kathar1na]

I'm going in May and am wondering if this is EU Compliant?
View attachment 118655

Erm ... let me phrase it like this: You can fly on the basis of this CDC card from the US to numerous if not nearly all EU countries and can do so as belonging to the category of vaccinated travellers. Certainly to France and Spain.

It is not "EU compliant". "EU compliant" is my shortcut for the EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC), available in both digital form and print form, and for certificates issued by foreign countries that have applied for and been granted access to the EU's IT gateway for these certificates. Currently, about 30+ countries belong to this group, among them the UK and New Zealand. The USA is not in this group.

Pharmacies in France are able and willing to convert this card into an EU DCC.

From a more academic point of view, this card also lacks all the data that are stipulated in EU law as necessary for foreign vaccination certificates to be recognised as valid vaccination proof. Some EU countries appear to take this requirement more seriously than others.

From a practical point of view, this card is just not terribly convenient for use in EU countries or regions where you may have to show it. Less and less so in coming weeks because infection numbers are falling rapidly everywhere. Unlikely to be required on Caminos in May.

 

[CA_Pilgrim]

I received my second vaccine end of August 2021 and was told by my pharmacist that I would wait 8 months before the booster if I choose to get one.

Eight months? It was only 6 months for me and if I'm not mistaken, the CDC lowered that to 5 months. Might want to check the CDC site for current recommendations. I would be interested to know what you find.

 

[CameraHiker]

Hi all!

I have a slightly different question. I travel to Barcelona on March 15th and plan on taking the train to Pamplona and a taxi to SJPdP on the 16th. I've had 2 doses of the Janssen (J&J) vaccine but my first dose was March 5th. I worked for a health care company at the time and felt lucky to get the shot on the first day it was opened up to non front-line workers. Due to availability and scheduling my second dose was 287 days later in Dec. Which is more than the maximum 9 months (even though Janssen isn't an mRNA dose)

Since February 1, 2022 , for their vaccination schedule to remain recognized as complete, persons aged eighteen or over wishing to enter the national territory must have received a dose of complementary messenger RNA vaccine no later than 9 months following the injection of the last required dose.​

It doesn't sound like they (France or the EU) have straightforward guidance for the Janssen vaccine like they do for the mRNA ones.

The booster dose for people vaccinated with Janssen page appears to show that after the necessary Janssen doses you still need an mRNA dose between 4 and 8 weeks after your last J&J dose to keep the sanitary pass. Which does show it's a dated website because the sanitary pass has been replaced with the vaccine pass in January, so I'm not certain if it's relevant or not.

Has anyone had issues receiving a vaccine passport in France after having the Janssen vaccines or Has anyone had any issues if their booster is outside the first dose to booster window (IE if someone had a second dose 9 months or longer after the first)

I'm just outside the 8-week window as described in the above link. In the US I've seen stories of people being turned away if they are trying to get what is deemed "extra" doses since the CDC has no guidance yet on any doses after the first booster as far as I know.

So I might be stuck. I'd still like to start in France, so the current plan is to go to SJPP and try to get a vaccine pass since I'd like to travel a little in France before I catch my flight home.

Thanks, any advice is appreciated!

 

[chef]

I replied even though the OP and I both knew that September is a long way away. There are forum members who plan to travel soon, it is of interest to them. I’m not making any public or personal health recommendations but for a hassle free trip my advice would be: make sure you have received the required jabs and bring or get an EU compliant version of your certificates and Bon Voyage.

How do you get an EU compliant version?

 

[Kathar1na]

@CameraHiker, I never get tired of this (I am laughing about myself and my voluminous output, not about those who ask a question). Here is my unqualified comment.

They do have instructions for encoding your case. Let's hope that the staff in the French pharmacy are familiar with what they need to enter into their computer. I've not researched it thoroughly. This link which was the first one that turned up in a Google search may tell you enough. They will/ought to encode your jab from December as 2/1 (2 of 1 - yes, odd). The checking apps will read it in the same way as 3/3 - two basic jabs and one booster which is the most common Covid-19 vaccination program.

That's it. The time between your two jabs does not matter. It would only matter if you had only the one jab from March 2021. Then you would not be able to obtain a valid French/EU certificate because your March jab was more than 9 (7, 5, 4 whatever it is currently) months ago.

You 2nd Janssen/J&J shot is classified as a booster, and boosters currently do not have an expiry date in the EU DCC system. Buen Camino and bon voyage!

PS: Not sure if I am explaining this well. The warnings about time limits on French gov websites are about continuing to keep your pass. They are a warning that their current pass will expire if people don't stick to these deadlines. They say nothing about getting a new pass when they go and get their booster.

 

[trecile]

How do you get an EU compliant version?

You can get one at a pharmacy in France.
This post from @WanderlustingLawyer has a video describing the process. Note - not all pharmacies offer this service.

 

[CameraHiker]

Currently it looks like there are two pharmacies in SJPdP Pharmacie Okabe and Pharmacie Fournier where we can convert vaccination cards to the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

 

[FourSeasons]

Eight months? It was only 6 months for me and if I'm not mistaken, the CDC lowered that to 5 months. Might want to check the CDC site for current recommendations. I would be interested to know what you find.

Five months it is currently. I never checked the booster time line for here in America because I wasn’t planning on getting it. Looks like I may have to for international travel, but still have time to wait and see.

 

[BlackRocker57]

A bit premature? Perhaps, but I'm a ducks in a row kind of pilgrim at least during the planning stages. My question/concern is. I read on another thread that France is requiring the booster in order to get the COVID pass. As of today February 15, I read that you have to get the booster at least 5 months after your initial vaccines.

I received my second vaccine end of August 2021 and was told by my pharmacist that I would wait 8 months before the booster if I choose to get one.

My question: I'll be traveling in September and yes, I understand things can change over night but as of now, am I too late to even get the booster and have it qualify for Frances' COVID pass requirements?

Thank you for any information regarding this COVID mumbo jumbo.

So, from what you are saying you can get your booster shot in April this year or thereabouts ... therefore you should be good-to-go come September [when the rules may well have changed] ... apols, perhaps somebody else has already said that

 

[FourSeasons]

So, from what you are saying you can get your booster shot in April this year or thereabouts ... therefore you should be good-to-go come September [when the rules may well have changed] ... apols, perhaps somebody else has already said that

From what I’m reading on this thread. As long as I’ve been boosted anytime before I travel to France I’ll qualify for their pass. If it’s still required in August, I’ll boost then.

Anybody, correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[MelissaKay]

All of this is very confusing. I am supposed to arrive in France in March. Here in the US, I won’t have even met the required wait time for the booster (my second shot was in November). So unless I’ve received the booster, I won’t be able to receive the pass?

 

[Molly Cassidy]

All of this is very confusing. I am supposed to arrive in France in March. Here in the US, I won’t have even met the required wait time for the booster (my second shot was in November). So unless I’ve received the booster, I won’t be able to receive the pass?

If it is less than 5 months since you received the second jab, you will be able to get the pass. But it will expire when you reach the 5-month limit - by which I mean it will not be accepted in France under current rules. However, it may still be accepted in other countries according to whatever rules and expiry timescales they put in place.

However, many countries are relaxing restrictions so it may not be need by then.

 

[Kathar1na]

All of this is very confusing

It must be confusing when you have never seen how it works in practice.

Perhaps this helps: neither the pharmacy that can convert your vaccination history into French/EU certificates nor border/health control checks whether your vaccination program is conform with their own national Covid-19 vaccination program. They just want to verify that your last jab corresponds to their current rules about validity.

Also, the French/EU vaccination pass is not a single certificate. It consists of as many certificates as you had jabs. Each certificate is numbered, like 1/3 or even 2/4 when someone already had a 2nd booster. It is the date of your last vaccination and this number that the verification apps check to establish whether your current vaccination status is considered valid or not. Checking staff just needs to see “ok” or “valid” on their scanning app, and not the reason why your certificate is valid or which course your individual vaccination history had taken.

My French/EU certificates are currently numbered 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3. When asked for a checking scan, I show certificate 3/3.

The poster with the Janssen/J&J program may get two French/EU certificates, one labeled as 1/1 and the other as 2/1 (yes, unusual). He would present certificate 2/1 when asked for a check.

 

[Viva Terlingua]

If it is less than 5 months since you received the second jab, you will be able to get the pass. But it will expire when you reach the 5-month limit - by which I mean it will not be accepted in France under current rules. However, it may still be accepted in other countries according to whatever rules and expiry timescales they put in place.

However, many countries are relaxing restrictions so it may not be need by then.

So is my booster expired after 5 months? At this point, I'm not interested in getting a second booster.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

So is my booster expired after 5 months? At this point, I'm not interested in getting a second booster.

No. There is no expiry for the booster.

 

[MelissaKay]

So is my booster expired after 5 months? At this point, I'm not interested in getting a second booster.

Thank you. My second dose was November 10th and I am hopeful that I will be able to travel to France as planned without any difficulty. I asked my physician today if they would administer the booster a month early and was denied.

 

[MelissaKay]

It must be confusing when you have never seen how it works in practice.

Perhaps this helps: neither the pharmacy that can convert your vaccination history into French/EU certificates nor border/health control checks whether your vaccination program is conform with their own national Covid-19 vaccination program. They just want to verify that your last jab corresponds to their current rules about validity.

Also, the French/EU vaccination pass is not a single certificate. It consists of as many certificates as you had jabs. Each certificate is numbered, like 1/3 or even 2/4 when someone already had a 2nd booster. It is the date of your last vaccination and this number that the verification apps check to establish whether your current vaccination status is considered valid or not. Checking staff just needs to see “ok” or “valid” on their scanning app, and not the reason why your certificate is valid or which course your individual vaccination history had taken.

My French/EU certificates are currently numbered 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3. When asked for a checking scan, I show certificate 3/3.

The poster with the Janssen/J&J program may get two French/EU certificates, one labeled as 1/1 and the other as 2/1 (yes, unusual). He would present certificate 2/1 when asked for a check.

Thank you for your help. Can you answer one more question for me?

Here in the US, we must wait 5 months from our second dose to receive the booster. From the way I'm interpreting France's rules, it appears that France says that date is 4 months after the second dose. Do you know if that is that correct?

 

[Viva Terlingua]

Currently it looks like there are two pharmacies in SJPdP Pharmacie Okabe and Pharmacie Fournier where we can convert vaccination cards to the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

How do you get to SJPdP if you do not have the certificate?

 

[Kathar1na]

Here in the US, we must wait 5 months from our second dose to receive the booster. From the way I'm interpreting France's rules, it appears that France says that date is 4 months after the second dose. Do you know if that is that correct?

That is correct. I see that you mentioned your timeline: second dose in early November and travel in March. You appear to be one of these people who are caught in the middle of it all. See post #12 with the quote from the www.connexionfrance.com news website.

I recommend that you read the full article:
https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Covid-19-Rules-for-travel-to-and-from-France),
especially what they say about the difference between France’s domestic and international definitions of fully vaccinated. I do think that they have a good understanding of the situation and explain it well. Best of luck! There is hope that some of the current restrictions will be lifted by the time you travel in March.

 

[trecile]

Thank you. My second dose was November 10th and I am hopeful that I will be able to travel to France as planned without any difficulty. I asked my physician today if they would administer the booster a month early and was denied.

Perhaps just go to a pharmacy that gives the booster?

 

[CameraHiker]

How do you get to SJPdP if you do not have the certificate?

I fly into Barcelona, plan on taking the train to Pamplona and a taxi to SJPDP. SJPDP is my first entry in France this trip. I wish I could get the vaccine card converted to the EU Digital Covid Certificate in Spain. From what I've read, it looks like I'll be able to travel in Spain with my CDC vaccine card. I would like to get the EUDCC because afterwards if I have time I'd like to go to Chamonix to scout out the Tour de Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn later this year.

 

[robinreed]

A bit premature? Perhaps, but I'm a ducks in a row kind of pilgrim at least during the planning stages. My question/concern is. I read on another thread that France is requiring the booster in order to get the COVID pass. As of today February 15, I read that you have to get the booster at least 5 months after your initial vaccines.

I received my second vaccine end of August 2021 and was told by my pharmacist that I would wait 8 months before the booster if I choose to get one.

My question: I'll be traveling in September and yes, I understand things can change over night but as of now, am I too late to even get the booster and have it qualify for Frances' COVID pass requirements?

Thank you for any information regarding this COVID mumbo jumbo.

Thank you for asking the question. Does anyone know if unvaccinated Americans can enter France and walk the Camino without challenges? I’m considering walking end of March/first of April.

 

[Kathar1na]

Thank you for asking the question. Does anyone know if unvaccinated Americans can enter France and walk the Camino without challenges? I’m considering walking end of March/first of April.

Nobody knows what will be at the end of March/first of April. Right now, if you travel from the USA, which is a country on France's orange list, to France and do not benefit from an exemption (like having French nationality) and are not vaccinated you must have a compelling reason that justifies the need for you to come to France. Walking a Camino is not a compelling reason.

Also right now, as an unvaccinated person in France, you are barred from travelling on long-distance trains, interregional buses, domestic flights and from restaurants.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Does anyone know if unvaccinated Americans can enter France and walk the Camino without challenges? I’m considering walking end of March/first of April.

Walking a Camino unvaccinated hasn't been a problem in itself since early last year, despite some occasional problems with bars & restaurants. But bars & restaurants are not necessaries as such on a Camino, and there has always been the possibility of takeaway.

As to getting a coffee, bakery shops are essential foodstuffs establishments, so that those with a greater need of that beverage than others can usually get it there regardless. And many of those establishments offer sit-down meals.

The real difficulty for US pilgrims is getting to France in the first place. The USA has been put back onto the "orange" list, which means that the unvaccinated are subjected to a negative test, and quarantine restrictions, and most restrictively a "necessary motive" for the trip, which the French Government obstinately (!!) refuses to recognise for Pilgrims of the Way of Saint James.

The only real workaround to that is :

1) Travel to another EU/Schengen/3rd country without those restrictions (as far as France is concerned that is, not the US) -- and no quarantine mandate

2) Stay there two weeks, so as to be considered as "travelling from" that country (best near the French border -- or start a Camino with 2 weeks hike or bike or more in that country, then cross the French land border as a Pilgrim)

3) Travel/walk/cycle through France avoiding all long-distance travel means (TGV etc) (except car rental), and preferably crossing the international borders on foot or by bike or private car.

It is very unclear if the internal French political stuff suggesting the end of most mandates in mid-March or earlier will end any particular restrictions on non-EU international travellers.

 

[Former member 99942]

Yes, I've seen this, thank you. I'll try to find the article that said: As of February 15 a booster will be required at least five months after the initial vaccines.

That’s not when you need to get the booster but rather that you must eventually get it if 5 months have gone by from your initial vax status or last booster.

Boosters are based on the alpha version of Covid so if I was you I would just wait until about a month prior to when you go so you can get the latest booster and what little protection it offers will be in full effect while on the trail.

Bottom like if you get a booster now (based on current French rules) you will be good

Obviously listen to your doctor first etc etc

 

[FourSeasons]

That’s not when you need to get the booster but rather that you must eventually get it if 5 months have gone by from your initial vax status or last booster.

Boosters are based on the alpha version of Covid so if I was you I would just wait until about a month prior to when you go so you can get the latest booster and what little protection it offers will be in full effect while on the trail.

Bottom like if you get a booster now (based on current French rules) you will need to get another one before you go. Just wait a while.

Obviously listen to your doctor first etc etc

Once you get a booster, that’s it. No more jabs. Boosters don’t expire. But since I don’t want a booster, I’ll wait and see if it’s still require in August, then get one if necessary. See my comment in #24. Thanks

 

[FourSeasons]

Boosters do expire in Spain. Or they did recently. 270 days.

All the more better for me to wait then.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Once you get a booster, that’s it. No more jabs. Boosters don’t expire.

They "expire" in the EU for (international) travel purposes after 270 days.

They "expire" in France for restaurant/TGV/cinema/etc purposes after 4 months.

Boosters are based on the alpha version of Covid

Actually, on the original WU-H1 strain, though alpha, beta, and gamma were almost identical to it.

 

[Kathar1na]

Boosters do expire in Spain. Or they did recently. 270 days.

No. Unless you can quote an official source? Currently no expiry date for booster shots. Expiry date only for final jab of basic / primary vaccination series.

Or rather: The vaccination doesn't expire. The vaccination certificate does. For domestic use: depends on EU country. For cross-border travel purposes: 270 days. All of EU.

 

[Former member 99942]

No. Unless you can quote an official source? Currently no expiry date for booster shots. Expiry date only for final jab of basic / primary vaccination series.

Or rather: The vaccination doesn't expire. The vaccination certificate does. For domestic use: depends on EU country. For cross-border travel purposes: 270 days. All of EU.

No you are right and I apologize for bad data. However we both know that eventually a timeframe will be put on boosters. Data shows they diminish after about 4 months. Just a matter of time but that’s purely my opinion. Thanks for the correction and getting good data out there.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

No you are right and I apologize for bad data. However we both know that eventually a timeframe will be put on boosters. Data shows they diminish after about 4 months. Just a matter of time but that’s purely my opinion. Thanks for the correction and getting good data out there.

Most European countries are reducing all restrictions. Some have already said they won't be offering a 4th vaccine dose to the general population. There simply isn't enough support for more boosters.

 

[Former member 99942]

Most European countries are reducing all restrictions. Some have already said they won't be offering a 4th vaccine dose to the general population. There simply isn't enough support for more boosters.

Thanks molly! Everyone is different and should do what’s best for them but for me this would be great news.

 

[Apotropaic]

This thread has been incredibly helpful to me and I thank everyone for contributing. I fly for SJPdP via Paris in twelve days. I'm vaccinated and received the booster 6 months after my second dose. When I land in France my booster will be just over 4 months old. I'm considering getting an additional booster just to fill the last blank on my American CDC card. But this thread talked me down. If my arrival is anything but smooth I'll post my lessons learned on this thread.

Hello everyone, I arrived in Paris yesterday and had no problem getting the vaccine passport as described at the top of this thread. I presented my CDC vaccination card and passport and It took about ten minutes. I am vaccinated and boosted with Pfizer. I got a covid test 48hours before flying (as recommended by my airline) and was not asked for it by anyone. My traveling partner was UNABLE to get her covid passport because she had two Janssen/J&J shots, which I understand means immunized and boosted for that shot series. The airport pharmacist was incredibly polite but said it would not satisfy the requirements. She said in essence it would be a waste of 35 euro to get the covid passport since the QR code, after being scanned, would come up with a ‘not vaccinated’ indication. We showed her the verbiage of the ministry of interior website and she politely said that it was wrong/things change. She suggested that my partner to get a third covid shot offered in another terminal in the airport and she would accept that for the covid passport (in contravention to the ‘7 day policy’) but we elected to just head to the hotel to drop bags and see how things went.

We were ‘carded’ at one of three restaurants we went to, the catacombs, and the train station departing Paris. In all instances my partners CDC card worked. The restaurant *might* of let her in because I had the covid passport / QR code on my phone.

On the train to Bayonne, see you in SJPdP.

 

[Kathar1na]

Hello everyone, I arrived in Paris yesterday

Thank you for this up to date, clear and detailed feedback and for sharing your experience. The forum software allows me to acknowledge it with only one emoji while I would like to put this under it:


Enjoy the train journey from Paris to Bayonne and Buen Camino!

 

[JabbaPapa]

It's ending on March 14th for indoors activities such as bars, restaurants, cinemas, museums, etc.

It will persist for long-distance travel and Hospitals and other healthcare clinics.