If you need the health “Pass Sanitaire” and necessary QR Code but don’t know where to go, there is only one place we found that will help American tourists… and it’s quick and easy. Visit Pharmacie Bader at 10 Boulevard Saint-Michel, which is open every day. In less than 30 minutes you will have your code and be on your way for under €25.

The official Covid testing centers that have been set up in tents all around Paris will not give out the code unless you have a French cell phone. Who has that? Most pharmacies don’t even offer the testing! It’s very frustrating, so just go to this location instead and you’ll be very happy.

All of this could have been avoided of course if our French QR codes for being vaccinated had come through the official website but alas we waited 30 days to no avail. We flew here with nothing and went looking for the Covid testing right away and were lucky enough to stumble upon the pharmacy mentioned above.

Happy and safe travels, Dean and Andie.

To those who are fully vaccinated: you no longer have to take and prove a negative Covid test in order to enter the United Kingdom. They do ask visitors to take a test once there (within two days of arriving) to make sure that Covid is not being brought in. Their “passenger locater form” is still required as well.

Baby steps, but things are getting better for travelers. Safe and happy travels, Dean & Andie

That’s right. Italy now requires travelers wishing to enter Italy to present a pre-departure, negative Covid-19 test (taken within 48 hours of the flight) even if they are vaccinated! Self-tests do not qualify for this so be aware.

Safe travels, Dean & Andie

Spain has just changed its entry policy for visitors from the US. New Covid-19 restrictions now require travelers be fully vaccinated if they are coming for tourism. The vaccines they recognize are the usual: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Sinovac and Covishield. Full doses required, of course.

Visitors to Spain must now register their personal details through the Spain Travel Health portal. Once that’s successfully completed, their website will generate a QR code which must be shown upon arrival on your mobile phone (or printed.) The Spain Travel Health portal can be downloaded from the App Store.

Unvaccinated children under age twelve who are traveling with vaccinated adults are allowed to enter Spain without any additional requirements. Be aware that young people between age twelve and eighteen do have to be vaccinated.

Spain is not alone in making changes to their Covid polices: US citizens traveling to Italy must now present a negative PCR or antigen test taken in the 48 hours prior to their flight, even if they can provide proof of vaccination.

This applies to U.S. citizens traveling to Spain from the United States, including if they transit through a third country.

The new digital health pass with QR Code is now available to American citizens traveling to France but the method of application has changed. This has just been announced on September 3, 2021. Read on for more information.

First, there is some good news today. The new French ‘digital health pass’ is now recognized and accepted for scanning in all of the European Union countries!

A new online application for non-European citizens must now be accessed and submitted through their new website, even if you already sent in a request by email. It seems they were so overwhelmed by emails that they had no choice but to create a website to manage it all. Below is the official letter to travelers inviting them to create a profile on the new site which is indicated there through the link below. Once that’s done, you then begin the official submission of your proof of airline tickets, passport, and CDC vax card:

Dear Sir or Madam,

We are sorry to inform you that we are currently receiving a very large number of requests and will not be able to process them all. We remind you that a negative result of an antigen test taken at a pharmacy, available all over France, grants the user a health pass that is valid for three days (72 hours).

We inform you that a new application is available online for foreign citizens here: https://www.demarches-simplifiees.fr/commencer/passe-sanitaire-etrangers

Have your three pics ready before your start: Passport / CDC Card / screenshot of your airline tickets

Safe and happy travels, Dean & Andie

Not all American citizens go directly from the US to England… we’re going there after a few weeks in France and Italy. If you were vaccinated in the US and are going to London anytime soon (from home or abroad) take note of this current info from the UK government. It includes any necessary links. We hope it’s helpful. This will all be behind us soon!

UK info for arriving travelers:

Before you travel to England you must take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test (“pre-departure test.”) You must do this even if you’ve been fully vaccinated. You could be fined £500 if you arrive in England without proof of a negative COVID-19 “pre-departure test.” 

Rules if you’re fully vaccinated:

If you’re coming to England from an amber list country and have been fully vaccinated, you must take a COVID-19 pre-departure test AS WELL AS a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 after you arrive in England. Your arrival day is counted as day “0.” You do not have to quarantine.

Proving you’ve been fully vaccinated: You’ll need to show your travel operator and border control proof you’ve been fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine. You’ll also need to confirm that you’ve been fully vaccinated on your passenger locator form. US Citizens must show their CDC card proving the full course of an FDA-approved vaccination along with proof of residency, such as a US passport. 

Booking your Day 2 test: You must book and pay for a day 2 test before you travel. Make sure you leave enough time for it to be delivered to your address in England. (You could be fined if you do not take the required test.)  It does not matter how long you’re visiting England, you must still book and pay for the Day 2 test.  You must then put the booking reference number into your passenger locator form.

If your Day 2 test is positive, you must quarantine. Even if you’ve been fully vaccinated, you must quarantine for 10 days.  You must travel directly to the place you’re staying. And not leave until 10 more days have passed. If you’re traveling to England for less than 10 days, you will need to quarantine for the whole of your stay. In this event, you must still book your day 2 and day 8 travel tests, even if you will no longer be in England on the dates of the tests!

[Test to Release clause: You can end your quarantine early through the Test to Release scheme – you’ll find details below in the ‘Ending quarantine’ section.]

     -You must quarantine at the address you provided on the passenger locator form. This can include a hotel or other temporary accommodation. Amber list arrivals (like Italy, France, & US) cannot quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel – these are for red list arrivals only. You must quarantine in one place for the full quarantine period, where you can have food and other necessities delivered.

    -Unless you’re at risk of harm, you cannot leave the premises where you’re in quarantine. You must not go shopping. If you need help buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, you should ask for help from NHS Volunteer Responders.

Getting or posting your UK tests: You can leave to go and take your Day 2 and Day 8 tests.  (or to post them for delivery in a Royal Priority street mailbox. (This is for self-administered tests that you may have purchased here or brought with you.)

What to do if you get COVID-19 symptoms: You should order a test if you develop at least one of these 3 COVID-19 symptoms: high temperature, continuous cough, loss of smell or taste.  (The people you’re staying with do not need to quarantine, unless they traveled with you.

Ending quarantine: If you’ve quarantined for 10 full days and received a negative result to both your day 2 and day 8 tests, you may leave the place where you’re quarantining.

Make sure you’re following quarantine rules: While you quarantine, NHS Test and Trace will contact you daily to confirm you’re following quarantine rules. You may also be visited by staff carrying out in-person checks on behalf of Test and Trace to make sure you’re complying with your legal duty to quarantine. Read more about the checks carried out to make sure you’re following quarantine rules. If you break the quarantine rules, you may face a penalty of up to £10,000.

Changing the place where you’re quarantining: You are not allowed to change the place where you’re quarantining except in very limited circumstances, including where it’s necessary and permissible for you to stay overnight at accommodation before traveling to the place where you will be quarantining for the remaining period. If this happens, you must provide full details of each address where you will quarantine on the passenger locator form. If, in exceptional circumstances, you cannot remain where you’re staying, you can move to a new place to quarantine and you must complete a new passenger locator form as soon as possible.

Ending quarantine early using ‘Test to Release’ Under the Test to Release scheme you can choose to pay for a private COVID-19 test on day 5. If the result is negative (and the result of your day 2 test was negative or inconclusive), you can end your quarantine!  You must still book and take your mandatory day 2 and day 8 travel tests, even if your ‘Test to Release’ result is negative. (The Day 8 testing can be skipped if you have left the UK.) Find out more about “Test to Release”  ßincluding providers offering this special test.

Quarantining can be difficult… NHS Volunteer Responders are available if you need help with shopping or medication, or if you’d just like a friendly chat.  Call 0808 196 3646 (8am to 8pm) to arrange support. You can arrange one-off support, or schedule more regular help while you’re quarantining.

Circumstances not covered by this guidance: If you’re intending to travel to the UK in the next week and are facing a set of circumstances that are not covered by this guidance, email your enquiry to:

dhsctesttrace.customerfeedbackteam@nhs.net.  (Be sure to include your date of travel.)

Immunity from having the disease does not count.

All restaurants, bars, clubs, gyms and larger indoor venues will be required to obtain proof of vaccination from patrons and employees to protect against the continued spread of Covid-19.

Here is the official declaration:  “We know that for our city to bounce back from the pandemic and thrive, we need to use the best method we have to fight COVID-19 and that’s vaccines,” said Mayor Breed. “Many San Francisco businesses are already leading the way by requiring proof of vaccination for their customers because they care about the health of their employees, their customers, and this city. This order builds on their leadership and will help us weather the challenges ahead and keep our businesses open. Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic, and our way back to a life where we can be together safely.”  

It seems that you need only show your CDC Vaccination card to enter.

Hope this helps! Dean and Andie

See new updated info posted on our September 3, 2021 blog post. Thank you!

Immunity from having the disease does not count.

New York State’s “Excelsior Pass” is probably about to get very popular. NYC’s mayor has declared that beginning September 13, enforcement will begin requiring visitors at some venues to prove their “health” status. They can do so using this new digital pass through the app on their smart device, or by simply showing their CDC paper vaccine card. Most people should probably leave that delicate paper card at home where it’s safe and just access the app instead. We’ll see what happens. In the meantime, here’s what you  need to know:

Beginning August 16, indoor dining, indoor fitness and indoor entertainment venues, such as movie houses, theatres, concert halls and night clubs must check for vaccination status. The requirement will apply to both customers and workers. Enforcement will not begin until Sept. 13, so businesses will have a grace period to figure out how to follow the new mandate. The problem we see is that the mandate does not include the thousands of people who have had Covid and recovered with antibodies. The official mayoral word is that these people must also go and get the vaccination if they want to enjoy New York City. (CITB’s thinks this is ridiculous. The Excelsior app should have a way to include these people!)

The Excelsior Pass app verifies potential users with the state’s own vaccination records.  Three million New Yorkers have downloaded it -or printed it out- since its debut, according to the state department of health.  It can be downloaded from both the Apple and Android app stores.

August has seen a major expansion of Italy’s new “green health pass.” Europeans will need it in order to access a wide range of sights including bars, cafés, museums, cultural sites, and bus and train travel. How can visiting Americans get it? Fortunately they won’t have to!

Italy has suddenly decided to accept the CDC card of vaccinated folks from the US in lieu of the digital green pass. You must carry it on you at all times along with your passport to prove your identity that matches the card. That’s it. So what are you waiting for? Plan that trip!

(Example of this update -from Venice’s Peggy Guggenheim Museum- is shown below.)

Happy and safe travels, Dean and Andie

-See recent blogs for other Covid travel info