The Continuing Adventure of Covid documentation, the Pass Sanitaire, and the French health system – Part Two.

 According to information on the US Consulate’s website, Americans can obtain a Pass Sanitaire by going to a French doctor or pharmacist, with satisfactory proof of Covid vaccination.  He or she will then enter your information into the French system and – Voila! – print out your own official Pass Sanitaire.

Big problem – the French system is set up for French residents, who are already in the system.  There is no provision for people who are not already entered into the database.  And, since we are not in the system, there is really no incentive for a doctor or pharmacist to take the time or to make the effort to create these records for people like us.  So, some doctors and pharmacists are understandably taking the position that it ‘cannot be done’.

So, as we often do when we get into a bind – we call on Estelle, our French daughter, to rescue us.  And of course, she saved us again.  What an adventure that was!  Good thing we have a French daughter who knows a pharmacist and knows us and we have, of course, all our US vaccination documentation.  Otherwise, we would be in the position of being unable to travel by train or plane, as in unable to leave the country almost, and unable to eat in a restaurant, visit a museum, etc, etc.

Even with our documentation and with Estelle advocating for us, not to mention a VERY accommodating pharmacist who went to great lengths and spent 40 minutes trying to fit us American square pegs into the round holes of the French system, it still took a great amount of effort to obtain the needed documents.

The Pharmacy, with green crosses at the bottom

Afterwards, the three of us immediately repaired to the Café Juliette nearby for celebratory, [and thank-you Estelle], Champagne!

Café Juliette

We returned to the pharmacy the next day with a thank-you note and two boxes of Sève Macarons, a favorite French confection, for the staff.

Sève Macarons for the pharmacy staff

Regarding US documentation - we would advise having more than your CDC covid vaccine card.  The state of Washington should have your vaccination info on the Department of Health's website and you should be able to print off a covid vaccine cert or at least a print-out of your vaccinations.  Residents of other states should try to obtain official vaccination records from their state of residence or, possibly from their physician. 

 The good news is that it has been announced that a Pass Sanitaire will shortly be available for qualified tourists – details as yet unknown.  Some folks have reported success using US vaccination documents, but that will not always work.  Many places, some big, some small, use the approved scanning method to check the validity of the Pass Sanitaire QR code, which links to the French Government's vaccination database.  They absolutely will not accept any substitute.  And, this is during the announced 'break-in' period this week.  Things will get more strict next week.

Check the US Consulate in France's website for the latest information.  It will have a link to the French Ministry of Health's website for even more information.  Just be aware that things change almost daily - be sure you have the most up-to-date information, and then be prepared for changes - current as of August 13, 2021.

Anna's Coveted, and Hard-Won, Pass Sanitaire

One more note, some small businesses have shut down rather than try to cope with this system.