Ticket, QR code, Games Pass or ID. What documents are required to access the opening ceremony this Friday, July 26 and the Olympic sites in Paris?
While the first events of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have already begun, this new Olympiad officially begins this Friday, July 26. The opening ceremony takes place along the Seine, this Friday, for a show organized outdoors and outside a stadium for the first time in the history of the Games. But for a historic ceremony, a historic device. Spectators and local residents have already noticed the presence of security barriers everywhere around the banks of the Seine and to get to the ceremony this evening, several other measures aimed at guaranteeing the security of the event are being put in place.
If the ceremony is not scheduled to start until 7:30 p.m., spectators with a ticket to attend the show are invited to arrive on site 4 to 5 hours before the start of the show. An electronic ticket must be presented to enter the security perimeter of the ceremony, but the QR code is not required. Spectators must still present a valid ID (national identity card, passport, driving license). And only the ID registered on the “France Identity” application is accepted as a digital ID.
The rule is different for those who do not attend the ceremony. Only local residents and professionals (pedestrians or cyclists) with a digital pass will be able to enter the premises. All others, even those with a QR code, will not be allowed to circulate.
Where is the QR code mandatory? And until when?
The perimeter in which the QR code is mandatory changes according to the dates. The security zone is the most extensive between July 18 and 26: it runs along the Seine, from Trocadéro to Porte de Bercy, passing by the Louvre, the Tuileries Gardens and the Île de la Cité. The surroundings of the Olympic Village in Seine-Saint-Denis are also affected. Within this perimeter, motorized traffic is prohibited except with an exemption and for pedestrians or cyclists, the presentation of a QR code is essential until Friday, July 26 at 1 p.m.
After the opening ceremony, which is scheduled to end late on Friday evening, July 26, some gray areas will be maintained and tightened around the venues of the Olympic Games, from July 27 to August 11, and the Paralympic Games, from August 29 to September 8. government website specifies that “these sites will only be accessible to holders of a spectator ticket or Paris 2024 accreditation”, but that the platform issuing the QR code “will soon allow you to request a pass to access the security perimeter set up around the event sites”.
If the QR code is mandatory in the gray zones, what about the red zones? They are accessible to pedestrians and cyclists even without a Games Pass, however they are prohibited to motorized vehicles from July 18 to 26, except in the case of an exemption. An exception is planned for the day of the opening ceremony since from 1 p.m. on Friday July 26, only security forces and emergency services will be able to access this area by motorized vehicle.
How to get the QR code?
There is only one platform to obtain the Games Pass QR code: the official website pass-jeux.gouv.fr. All persons required to travel in a grey zone during the Olympic period can check that they are concerned by the Pass application and complete it. It is necessary to provide several pieces of information such as your name, first name, address, date of birth and provide supporting documents depending on the nature of your application (proof of address, employer certificate, etc.).
But the request must be made several days in advance, because once made a delay is necessary to obtain the QR code due to administrative investigations. Finally, it is necessary to download or print the QR code to present it to the authorities or at checkpoints. In addition to the QR code, exemptions are available for local residents, hotel guests or even professionals.
Is a QR code necessary for Olympic spectators?
The QR code is mandatory to enter the secure areas for the Olympic Games: the areas surrounding the opening ceremony but also the event sites. However, people with tickets to attend the competitions will not need a QR code to enter these secure areas. Olympic tickets act as a Pass: all you need to do is present the QR code on the ticket, as the government website assures. Be careful, however, because only the presentation of the ticket and its QR code in its digital version, in particular with the Paris 2024 Tickets application with your smartphone, will be admissible: “Only the presentation of the ticket from the application will be accepted during access control”, indicates the olympic games help site.