Health pass: how to transform it into a vaccination pass?

[Mis à jour le 28 janvier 2022 à 10h52] The health pass is, since January 24, 2022, replaced by a vaccination pass. Nevertheless, it is still used in certain contexts and for certain people: for example, for 12-15 years old, age group for which the vaccination pass is not applied, and for all, to access medical and medico-social establishments (Ehpad, hospital, retirement homes…). For whom is it still valid? What are the differences with the vaccination pass? How to get a vaccination pass when you already have a health pass? In which cases does one have a deactivation of his health pass?

Definition: what is a health pass?

the sanitary pass is a document (paper or digital) which entered into force in France on August 9, 2021. This device is proof:

• either the vaccination certificateprovided that people have a complete vaccination schedule
• either a negative RT-PCR, antigen or self-test performed under the supervision of a healthcare professional less than 24 hours maximum.
• either a positive RT-PCR or antigenic test attesting to the recovery of Covid, dating back at least 11 days and less than 6 months. It indicates a limited risk of reinfection with Covid-19.

A medical certificate attesting to a medical contraindication to vaccination can be presented instead of the 3 aforementioned documents and replaces a health pass.

The health pass integrates two tools :

► The national health pass (also called the activity health pass): it is necessary to access certain places, establishments, services and events bringing together the public. On January 24, it is replaced by the vaccination pass.

► The European health pass (also called the travel health pass): it has been compulsory for travel outside mainland France since July 1, 2021.

What are the differences with the vaccination pass?

Unlike the vaccination pass, implemented on January 24, 2022 in France for people over 16 (publication by decree in the Official Journal on January 22, 2022), the health pass includes the additional possibility of presenting proof of a negative test of less than 24 hours. In other words, the vaccination pass does not take into account the result of a negative test to access certain places. The result of a negative test (neither antigen nor PCR or supervised self-test) will no longer allow you to have a valid pass.

In practice, there is nothing to do. Your vaccination pass will be automatically valid if you have a complete vaccination schedule or if you have a Covid recovery certificate attesting to the recovery of Covid-19, dating from aat least 11 days and less than 6 months. If you benefit from a complete vaccination schedule, it is issued one week after the second injection for double injection vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca); two weeks after the first injection for people who have already had Covid-19 and four weeks after the first injection for single-dose vaccines (Janssen).

Covid positive, is the pass still valid?

After having Covid, a person has a certificate of recovery (i.e. the result of a positive PCR or antigen test dating back at least 11 days and less than 6 months), which acts as a pass health or valid vaccination. The period of validity of the health/vaccination pass is 6 months.

For whom is the health pass still in effect?

The health pass is still used in certain cases:

• For 12-15 year oldsage group for which the vaccination pass is not applied, places of leisure and culture : performance halls, amusement parks, concert halls, festivals, sports halls, games rooms, libraries and documentation centers, cinemas, bars and restaurants, fairs and exhibitions , interregional public transport (domestic flights, TGV, Intercity and night train journeys, interregional coaches), department stores and shopping centers over 20,000m², by decision of the prefect, campsites and holiday clubs, services and health, social and medico-social establishments…
• For everyone, to access medical and medico-social establishments (Ehpad, hospital, retirement homes…)
• For access to interregional transport (trainsTGV…) for all travelers who do not have a vaccination pass and in the event of a compelling reason family or health.

To recover your health pass, everything depends on the health proof chosen:

• Vaccination certificate: just scan the QR code to import it and store it locally, in your phone, with TousAntiCovid;
• RT-PCR and antigen tests : they generate proof as soon as the result is entered by the healthcare professional in SI-DEP, which can be printed directly and which is also made available to the patient via an email and an SMS to pick it up on the SI-DEP portal. On TousAntiCovid, the import of the proof into the application is done by the patient: from the document in paper or PDF format from SI-DEP and which accompanies the test result, by scanning the QR code on the left on the document ; by clicking on the link in the SI-DEP portal, which allows you to directly import the test result into TousAntiCovid;
• The process to retrieve proof of a positive test, also called proof of “recovery”is the same as for negative tests via SI-DEP.

Where to find your health pass on Ameli?

On the Health Insurance website (Ameli.fr) it is possible to download your vaccination certificate which can serve as a health pass, when the vaccination schedule is complete. For that it is necessary :

• Go on https://attestation-vaccin.ameli.fr/
• Identify with France Connect
• The vaccination certificate can then be downloaded in PDF format. It can be added to the phone by scanning the QR Code on the sheet from the TousAntiCovid application.

Test results are not available on the Ameli website but only proof of vaccination.

Deactivation of the pass: in which cases?

Beyond January 15, to have a valid health pass, you must:

• have done this last shot less than 7 months ago. The vaccines accepted by France are those recognized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA): Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria/Covishield and Johnson & Johnson. The proof of vaccination is only valid if it makes it possible to certify the completion of a complete vaccination schedule, and the time required after the final injection.
• Have done his booster dose within the deadlines set by the government. Since January 15, 2022, the pass introduce booster dose in the vaccination schedule for all French people aged 18 and over. It is necessary have received all doses for the initial vaccination (1 or 2 doses depending on the case) and have received the booster dose under 7 months max since the last dose to keep his pass. This period will be reduced to 4 months from February 15.
• be able to present a negative PCR or antigen test less than 24 hours, or a self-test carried out under the supervision of a pharmacist (be careful, when the vaccination pass is in force, the test will no longer be recognized as proof)
• be able to present a positive PCR or antigen test attesting to the recovery of Covid-19, dating back at least 11 days and less than 6 months.
• be able to present a medical certificate attesting to a medical contraindication to vaccination

In other words, the sanitary pass is deactivated if you do not meet one of these conditions.

How long is the health pass valid for?

On January 15, all French people aged 18 and over who have not taken their booster dose will see their health pass deactivated.

• For an unvaccinated person who gets tested to get a health pass, the test is valid for 24 hours.
• For a vaccinated personthe health pass is valid up to 7 months after the 2nd dose until February 15. After this date, the deadline for making a reminder will be reduced to 4 months. After this period, you must do a booster dose to extend your health pass.

► To calculate the date on which to call back, a service was set up by theHealth Insurance : My Covid Vaccine Reminder. This service allows you to know from when you must take your booster dose against Covid-19 and to know the expiry date of your health pass if you do not do the booster.

► When we call back, a new QR Code is generated and is valid 7 days after injection.

► If the reminder is made in time, the QR code generated at the time of the primary vaccination remains active for 7 days in order to keep a valid “pass”.

All PCR and antigen tests generate proof as soon as the professional enters the result into the database SI-DEP which can be printed live by the person. For the vaccination certificate : Go to the site Certificate-Vaccine d’Ameli.fr and log in with your France Connect credentials. The vaccination certificate with the QR Code can then be downloaded in PDF format and can be printed directly.

Since July 1, 2021, the QR code present on the French national health pass can be read anywhere in Europe, directly in the application AllAntiCovid or in paper format, in French and English. the European health pass is a document that certifies that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19 or is negative for Covid-19 or has recovered from Covid-19. It is free and is valid in all countries of the European Union without exception as well as Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Monaco and Andorraand applicable for Overseas. Nevertheless, however, each country remains responsible for its own entry rules, which are not standardized at European Union level. This means that you have to find out in advance about the rules of entry into force in your country of destination. For example, several countries do not recognize the administration of a single dose of vaccine for people who have had Covid. For French people living abroad, a conversion system was set up at the beginning of August so that vaccinations carried out outside the European Union with a vaccination schedule authorized in France can give rise to an equivalence of vaccination certificate.

Sources: Update on the health pass, Gouvernement.fr / Everything you need to know about the health pass, Service-public.fr