• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

OBSOLETE COVID THREAD PCR Test in SJPP

OBSOLETE COVID THREAD
Status
Not open for further replies.

Brian66

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances (2013),Norte (2014),Ingles (2014)
Primitive (2015) Portuguese (2015) Via de la Plata (2016)
Is it possible to get a PCR test in St Jean Pied de Port before crossing into Spain?
Thank you
 
Last edited:
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I would also ask at the Pilgrim office. Maybe there might be alternatives if the lab is closed or a less expensive option. I have no idea if this is true or not and also for all I know the test could be very inexpensive at the lab. So the bottom line is I just don't know:)
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
I've seen this lab (axbioocean) mentioned a few times by people currently walking.

For example this advice was given by someone who had the test in SJPP this month: Make an appointment beforehand or go directly to the lab. The pilgrim in question had the test sample taken late in the morning, paid 54€ and received the result the next morning.

Knowing where to go and making an appointment before arriving in SJPP is obviously better than trying to find out when you are already there.
 
Here is the official link to https://www.sante.fr/cf/centres-depistage-covid/departement-64.html. SJPP is in Department 64. The only test centre mentioned is again LBM AX BIO OCEAN in the Rue du Jara, close to the railway station in SJPP.

There are PCR test centres in Saint Palais (30 km) and Oloron Sainte Marie (70 km; fast walkers only ;)) for those who are walking towards SJPP, and there are several PCR test centres in Anglet, Biarritz and Bayonne, addresses in the list linked above.

You don't need to have your PCR test or similar test done in SJPP. Rapid antigen tests are not admissible. You need to be in possession of a negative test result when you cross the border into Spain, and the time that has elapsed since you had the test taken must not be more than 72 hours (3 days).
 
Last edited:
Is it possible to get a PCR test in St Jean Pied de Port before crossing into Spain?
Thank you
I read recently that France will provide COVID-19 testing free to all, even foreigners. Perhaps someone can verify this.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
I read recently that France will provide COVID-19 testing free to all, even foreigners. Perhaps someone can verify this.
That's what it says on this and other websites:
 
I read recently that France will provide COVID-19 testing free to all, even foreigners. Perhaps someone can verify this.
Nope. Either you read it on an official French Government site or it wasn't worth reading...

You have to present a negative test when you arrive. Not arrive and figure you'll just wing it and receive a pro-bono test gratis.
 
That's what it says on this and other websites:
And the only relevant paragraph is this one: The only categories eligible to enter from these areas are French nationals, their spouses and children, fellow European Union nationals, and third-country citizens holding a valid French residence permit.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
I read recently
That was a TV interview given by the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clement Beaune, two weeks ago. I think I know what this is about but I will listen to the interview. It's on YouTube and you will need VPN to access it. I am certain of one thing already now: the French government is not going to pay for your PCR test so that you can walk from SJPP in France to Roncesvalles in Spain.
 
Last edited:
Perhaps someone can verify this.
It is not verifiable. Such as measure has not been put in place and there are no plans to do so.

I've listened to the interview now. It's what I thought it was. To cut a long and boring story short: nothing to do with the current requirement for a PCR test when travelling from SJPP to Roncesvalles. Foreign pilgrims have to pay for a test in SJPP that is required by Spain for entering Spain.
 
Forgot to add: Obligatory Covid-19 tests related to travel are free or will be reimbursed, whether you have to take them in France or in another EU country, if you are covered by the French sickness insurance system. You may need to fill in forms or present membership cards to prove that you qualify.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Thank you for the informative replies. I will be travelling from Ireland to Pau. I will get a PCR test here which will cover me for entry into France. Then I plan to walk to SJPP which will take a week approx so I'll need a new PCR for entry to Spain. So it's great that I can get one in SJPP. Thank you again.
 
Foreign pilgrims have to pay for a test in SJPP that is required by Spain for entering Spain.
Since I read conflicting information in the news yesterday I decided to do the obvious: I called the lab in SJPP. I was told to be quick with my questions as they were very busy. Pilgrims need a test; they should come between 11 and 13 hours; and no, it is not free for foreign pilgrims, it will cost around 50 €, I was told.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
Does anyone know if there's a lab in Bayonne or Hendaye that is convenient for pilgrims wanting to walk the Baztan, Norte, or Vasco?
 
Does anyone know if there's a lab in Bayonne or Hendaye that is convenient for pilgrims wanting to walk the Baztan, Norte, or Vasco?
See link:

This is the list of the French government. The note at the top of the list says: Virological (RT-PCR) and antigen screening tests for COVID-19 are now available without a prescription and are fully covered by compulsory health insurance. Please contact the screening location by phone or internet before going there.

Spain requires PCR test results.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Here is the official link to https://www.sante.fr/cf/centres-depistage-covid/departement-64.html. SJPP is in Department 64. The only test centre mentioned is again LBM AX BIO OCEAN in the Rue du Jara, close to the railway station in SJPP.

There are PCR test centres in Saint Palais (30 km) and Oloron Sainte Marie (70 km; fast walkers only ;)) for those who are walking towards SJPP, and there are several PCR test centres in Anglet, Biarritz and Bayonne, addresses in the list linked above.

You don't need to have your PCR test or similar test done in SJPP. Rapid antigen tests are not admissible. You need to be in possession of a negative test result when you cross the border into Spain, and the time that has elapsed since you had the test taken must not be more than 72 hours (3 days).
What puzzles me in this story is that I hear from many pilgrims: There’s no check at all when you cross the border from France into Spain. I heard that multiple times ..
 
What puzzles me in this story is that I hear from many pilgrims: There’s no check at all when you cross the border from France into Spain. I heard that multiple times ..
Why does this puzzle you?

I've heard multiple times that there are no checks when you cross from the Netherlands to Germany or Belgium, in any combination, and yet you still are, or until recently were, required to get a PCR test or to self-isolate or whatever, in one, two or all three of these countries, either when going or coming. Crossing from France to Spain is no different. Or do you think that people will only get a PCR test when they know that they will be controlled at the border? I can assure you from multiple personal experience that they comply without such control at the border.

They also know that they will be in big trouble if it turns out that they get ill or are in a chain of transmission or control when someone gets ill with whom they had been in contact, and the health authority will then find out that they did not follow the rules and did not get their obligatory PCR test before crossing the border.

Anyway, as of today, duly vaccinated pilgrims do not need to get a test in SJPP any longer when they want to walk to Roncesvalles.
 
Last edited:
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
as of today, duly vaccinated pilgrims do not need to get a test in SJPP any longer when they want to walk to Roncesvalles.
They must have their vaccination document with them; if they are not vaccinated, they must have proof of a negative test or of a recent recovery from Covid-19 illness with them. Recently published Spanish law say so clearly:

Decimocuarto. Fronteras terrestres.
Todas las personas de seis años o más, procedentes de [Francia] que lleguen a España por vía terrestre deberán disponer de alguna de las certificaciones contempladas en el apartado quinto.
 
They must have their vaccination document with them; if they are not vaccinated, they must have proof of a negative test or of a recent recovery from Covid-19 illness with them. Recently published Spanish law say so clearly:

Decimocuarto. Fronteras terrestres.
Todas las personas de seis años o más, procedentes de [Francia] que lleguen a España por vía terrestre deberán disponer de alguna de las certificaciones contempladas en el apartado quinto.
Great! My companion and i are fully vaccinated and we can proof it. That saves at least the costs of another pcr test đź‘Ť
 
Great! My companion and i are fully vaccinated and we can proof it. That saves at least the costs of another pcr test đź‘Ť
Super. Buen camino!

If you don't travel within the next few weeks, keep an eye on developments. Within the EU, much depends on how "risk zones" are defined. Spain publishes a list on SpTH that gets updated every 2 weeks or so.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Status
Not open for further replies.

âť“How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top