Is your foreign vaccination status accepted in France?

Is your vaccine received abroad approved in France, and can you obtain a COVID certificate (Health Pass/Passe Sanitaire in French) with it? It depends in the type of vaccine. The French Ministry of Solidarity and Health explains all cases: depending on your situation, your vaccination programme may be considered as complete, or you may need a new shot.

You have received a vaccine accepted in France

In this case, your vaccination programme is considered complete, and you may be issued a COVID certificate (Passe Sanitaire). Vaccines accepted in France are the same as the vaccines approved by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) (Comirnaty/Pfizer & BioNTech, Spikevax/Moderna, Vaxveria/AstraZeneca, Janssen) and the foreign vaccines accepted in Europe (Covishield, R-Covi, Fiocruz  etc.).

Check out the full list on the French Agency for the Safety of Health Products website.

You have received only one shot before arriving in France, you may complete your vaccination programme and receive your second shot in France.

You received another vaccine

If you received another vaccine, you must vaccinate again in France, particularly if you want to receive a COVID certificate. 

You received a vaccine approved by the WHO

Vaccine with the WHO EUL (Emergency Use Listing) include those manufactured by Sinopharm (Beijing Institute of Biological Products or BIBP) and Sinovac (Coronavac).

• If you are fully vaccinated, you must receive one additional shot of ARNm vaccine;
• If you are NOT fully vaccinated, you must receive TWO additional shots of ARNm vaccine;

You received another vaccine

If you have been fully or partly vaccinated with another vaccine (Sputnik V, etc.), not approved by the European Medicine Agency or the WHO, you must receive two shots of an ARNm vaccine.

Organisation of vaccination in France

If you currently in France, you may receive your vaccine: 

• in a vaccination centre;
• at your doctor’s (general practitioner or specialist), in a pharmacy, in a nurse’s practice etc.

All the information on where to get vaccinated can be found at www.sante.fr

To be vaccinated, you can make an appointment:

• Online, directly on the appointment platforms (Doctolib, KelDoc, Maiia and Clickdoc) 
• By phone, by calling the free hotline +33 800 009 110 to be redirected to the switchboard of the nearest centre or directly to the switchboard of a vaccination centre.
• By contacting a doctor, pharmacist, nurse etc. to make an appointment.

On the day of the vaccination, you will need to bring your identity card and your carte vitale (French social security card), if you have one, or a certificate of entitlement with a social security number (NIR), even if it is temporary.

On the spot, you will be asked a few questions during an interview to check that you have no contraindications, and define the vaccination programme to follow

The vaccination consists of an intramuscular shot, usually in the shoulder. You will then be asked to stay there for 15 minutes for safety reasons before you can go home.

After each injection, you will receive a certificate of certified vaccination and the vaccination summary.

Additional information

The following websites offer additional information: 

• Document: How to complete your vaccination programme and receive your COVID certificate after your vaccination programme abroad
• Vaccination strategy on the Ministry of Solidarity and Health website 
• Practical and scientific information on the vaccination-info-service.fr website  
• Vaccines on the sante.fr website 
• Vaccination with vaccines unapproved in France, with the Vaccine Strategy Orientation Board notice
• Rights and processes on the website of the French social security

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