With river cruising abroad resuming, many of us have plans to travel to Europe in the coming months. In fact, we are headed to France in three weeks on separate trips. One vexing issue, particularly for those of us from North America, is how to obtain the European Union Covid Certificate, which effectively provides freedom of mobility while in Europe. While, yes, anecdotally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control vaccination card can suffice in some cases, assuming that you’re fully vaccinated (which in France includes the booster), the paper card is not guaranteed to work when stepping off an international flight in Paris, for example, and hoping to catch the train to the Strasbourg or Bordeaux. From our understanding, doing such will likely require the QR codes representing the EU Covid Certificate or France’s Pass Sanitaire.
The CDC card can be converted to the Pass Sanitaire, but that requires locating a pharmacy and paying 36 euros for the service. It’s the cost so much as it is the inconvenience. When we checked, we found no pharmacies offering the service in the airport. That means hailing a taxi, with luggage in tow, to find a pharmacy near the airport to obtain the pass, and hoping you have a data connection to download the app required to display the QR code.
As we often do, we are reaching out to our community of savvy travelers to see if they can shed insights into how to obtain the QR codes necessary for travel once in Europe. Have you been to Europe recently and obtained the QR code that displays either the EU Covid Certificate or Pass Sanitaire? If so, we’d appreciate your insights. Please leave a comment below or email us using this form. As always, thank you for being part of our river cruise community.
15 Responses
P.S. I’ve sent Rick a query to see what he knows about this.
Ralph, call me at your convenience. One of my best friends, Rick Klau, is California’s chief technology officer. His team built California’s QR vaccination tool and then gifted the coding to several US states and other countries. I can put you in touch with Rick directly if that would help.
Ann
Obtaining QR Code
For US travelers to get a QR code of your vaccinations.
Many states do not have a health app & we don’t have a national app. Since we don’t have an app the work around is contact your health insurance, in my case I have an online Mychart connected to my health insurance. I can go right into the mychart and print out QR codes for my vaccinations which I did not get at my health care facility & got vaccines at different places but they all appear in my chart because I had to show my health insurance card when I got the vaccine. It is important to have all 3 vaccines listed separately with each date it was given.
If you got your vaccine at a Walgreens, CVS etc. they may be able to give you a QR code. I have had to go over this with clients some who don’t know what a QR code is.
Once you have QR code print copies, save copies to phone wallet and take photo then create an album in photos on your phone pin album to the first spot with all travel documents for quick access.
If you did not show health insurance card when you got your vaccine you’ll have to contact who provided your vaccine.
Internationally I’ve been to Peru & Central America, supposed to be in Europe end of May on a river cruise.
Thanks Ed. We’ll keep up the search!
Thanks Kathryn. We’ll look into those.
Thanks Ed.
Thank you. That’s how we understand it also. Good luck with your trip!
Thanks Barbara. Ama does a great job. We’ll look into the Swiss pass.
Sailed with AMA in December for Christmas Markets they suggested the Swiss Pass {Our final stop was in Switzerland}. It was easy to apply for and I am a basic computer user but they gave wonderful directions. The pass worked in all the countries we visited Holland, Germany, France, and of course Switzerland. Loved AMA all all they did to make our trip so great and easy.
Our understanding is you have to visit a pharmacy once on the ground in France. With your CDC vaccination card, including booster if it’s been 6 months or more, the pharmacy will issue you the required pass. I am told there is a pharmacy in CDG but expect to be in high demand. There seems to be no pharmacy within ORY. The French pass is not needed for local transportation. We will be going to Bordeaux straightaway from ORY and plan to use a pharmacy near the Montparnasse station.
See the govt website: diplomatic.gouv.Fr for latest – it seems to change regularly.
I had a communication last week February (February 18, 2022) with an official from the Portuguese Embassy in Washington, D.C. who wrote that the European Digital Covid Certificate is only available if one is a European Union resident. It is not available to Americans at all unless they hold residency in one of the EU nations.
Ralph,
I tried to get the certificate but the US is not one of the 30 non-EU approved for it
Ed
Found an app called Clear that took vaccine info and created a QR code. The company says you can’t use in airports without paying their membership fee but others say they have used it without paying fee and it was accepted. My insurance company (United Healthcare) also gave me a QR code in my health care app. I have no idea if they meet European standards.
Wouldn’t the cruise companies advise in this issue, they are the ones impacted if we can’t travel? Or is this only an issue if you travel but not with the cruises?
We will be in the EU ( Germany, not France) the week after next. I can update my previous reply about pharmacies being in CDG then if I find out anything new.