France Travel: Covid Testing To Be Removed As An Entry Requirement

The French government has announced that the requirement of Covid-19 testing to enter the country will be dropped shortly for travelers who are fully vaccinated.

The testing was brought in during December to combat the Omicron variant of Covid-19 for all travelers entering from outside the EU (including the U.K.). However, Europe Minister Clément Beaune told France 2 TV that “in the coming days we will announce that tests are no longer needed for vaccinated people.”

Beaune also said that there are likely to be new EU travel rules announced this week, saying “there will probably be a new European protocol for vaccinated people arriving from outside the EU, with eased measure” as reported by The Local.

It comes as many EU countries are in the process of relaxing Covid-19 restrictions around travel, mask wearing, public gatherings and working from home mandates.

The Guardian reported that Portugal and Greece have both announced that vaccinated tourists no longer need to show a negative test result to enter. The move to loosen European travel restrictions will time nicely with many school holidays across the bloc and in the U.K.

Currently, all vaccinated individuals entering France from inside the EU/EEA do not need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test result.

Unvaccinated travelers are subject to ongoing travel restrictions, which vary depending on if their country is labeled as red, orange or green. If they are allowed to travel under these categories, they must enter the country with a negative Covid-19 test result, which can be either a PCR or a rapid antigen test.

France has now legally mandated the need for a Vaccine Pass to access ski lifts, theme parks, restaurants (even to eat outside) and public events and spaces, which means showing a QR code to prove you are vaccinated, recovered or medically exempt.

France is following the EU guideline that to be considered fully vaccinated as a tourist, people must have had a booster shot within 9 months of the final dose of the first phase of vaccinations.