Following the EU announcements in December and January discussing future plans to enforce an expiration date for the second dose of the vaccination, the France booster requirement has been added to the list of EU countries adhering to the expiration date.
France has announced this week that they will follow other EU countries and enforce a 9-month expiration date on vaccination statuses. This means that 9 months after the second dose is administered, a booster jab will be required by travelling adults in order to be classified as fully vaccinated by French standards.
If a traveller does not have a booster jab after the 9-month expiration date, they will be required to follow the restrictions of unvaccinated travellers entering France.
For UK travellers this means that any adult whose second dose of the vaccinated was administered on or before the 3rd of May 2021 will be required to have the booster to travel to France as a fully vaccinated individual.
It is important to note that this only applies to those who are 18 or older. 13–17-year-olds will only need the two standard doses to be considered fully vaccinated, and children 12 or under are exempt from any vaccination requirements in order to enter France.
The current (as of February 4th) restrictions for fully vaccinated Brits entering France are as follows:
- All travellers 12 or over must provide evidence of a negative PCR test taken within 24 hours of departure to France.
- All travellers must also provide a ‘sworn statement’ form declaring themselves free of Covid symptoms.
The UK-France travel advice has been updated to follow these changes and now reads, “You’re considered fully vaccinated for travel purposes if you’re aged 18 and over and:
- you received a Covid-19 vaccine booster; or
- you received the second dose of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca) at least a week ago, but no more than nine months ago.
- you received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) at least 28 days ago, but no more than nine months ago.
“Important: If you had your full vaccine course nine months ago or more AND you haven’t had a Covid-19 vaccine booster, you must follow the rules for unvaccinated passengers to enter France.”
We anticipate seeing more destinations, especially in the EU, enforcing this rule for travellers. For this, we highly recommend keeping an eye on the Foreign Travel Advice page and keeping in touch with your travel agent to stay informed.
The France booster requirement is a change that travel will adapt to, and your trusted travel business and PTS member can keep you well informed of what you need to do, so you can still travel with complete peace of mind while remaining prepared.
So, if you’re looking forward to booking your next great holiday, don’t wait, get in touch with a travel business registered with PTS today for 100% financial protection through trust. Or, if you’d like assistance choosing one of the lovely PTS members to book with, you can contact PTS directly at 0207 190 9988.
And if you’d like to learn more about your consumer protection with PTS and how the Package Travel Regulations protect your holiday booking, check out our pages and articles.
