Travel to France and back again, 2 vaccinations

[notrub]

16 09 2021

 

I have to go to France to prove my residency status there (thank you brexit) on 21 10 2021.  I have had the sinovac +  astra vaccines in recent weeks.  Any comments about this adventure?  Knowledge about getting into France and coming back to Thailand is what I am looking for.  I need to be there for a 20 minute appointment to identify myself, get finger printed and handed a 10 year residency permit. Then I walk out and come back home here in Thailand. I see that there are lots of flights to Paris and connecting flights to Grenoble too. 

 

I hold a UK passport and have a retirement visa and have no Thai immigration issues.

 

I don't know if the Sinovac vaccine is recognized there (France).  Any ideas about how I can get an astra shot b4 I go?  And is it safe to do so?

 

Thanks very much for any comments.

[BKKTRAVELER]

I am not 100% sure, but I don't think Sinovac + Astra is recognized by French authorities. Also, you may need to prove that your motive is urgent to avoid quarantine and probably have a PCR test done 72h before arrival.

 

Your best option would be to contact the French embassy in Bangkok to have the proper details. So far, Thailand is classified as "orange" but things change fast and you may not get the most accurate answer here.

 

Good luck!

[mrmicbkktxl]

2 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I am not 100% sure, but I don't think Sinovac + Astra is recognized by French authorities. Also, you may need to prove that your motive is urgent to avoid quarantine and probably have a PCR test done 72h before arrival.

 

Your best option would be to contact the French embassy in Bangkok to have the proper details. So far, Thailand is classified as "orange" but things change fast and you may not get the most accurate answer here.

 

Good luck!

https://visaguide.world/news/vaccine-checker-proof-of-immunity-for-travel/

 

[BKKTRAVELER]

1 hour ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

https://visaguide.world/news/vaccine-checker-proof-of-immunity-for-travel/

 

Thanks but it doesn't mention about Sinovac + Astra which is what the OP got. It doesn't say how long he needs to have been vaccinated before arriving and no mention of PCR test or not.

 

That's why he better get the info straight from the French embassy to avoid any mistakes.

[cardinalblue]

Fully vaccinated = 14 days after receiving the 2nd dose…

[sawadee1947]

No chance! Wait until you can get a second Astra in Thailand. Then wait for 4 weeks and start again.

Good luck ????

[EricTh]

@notrub

 

Even if you had two shots of Astrazeneca in Thaland, it's still not recognised in some countries in Europe if the vaccine is produced in Thailand.

 

It has to be produced and administered in EU.

 

The brand of Astrazeneca in Thailand is different from the one in EU.

 

Sinovac is the same brand but it is not recognized in France.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2021 by EricTh

[EricTh]

2 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

Thanks but it doesn't mention about Sinovac + Astra which is what the OP got. It doesn't say how long he needs to have been vaccinated before arriving and no mention of PCR test or not.

 

That's why he better get the info straight from the French embassy to avoid any mistakes.

Astrazeneca produced in Thailand is different from the ones in Europe. It's not recognised.

 

There is a previous thread on this. forgot the link,

 

 

 

 

[geisha]

Hi, I’m in France, just checking, vaccins reconnus par la France, Pfizer,moderne,AZ, Janssens, , covisshield , from consulfrance.org

i suggest calling the French embassy, or get family to call from France for you. Are you sure you need to be vaccinated ?
You also need to take with you some sort of proof you are a French resident, EDF bill, Ameli attestation , last tax return if you have them. for the arrival at airport. And proof that you’ve applied for the residency. When you applied, you got a document, and you’ve also got your rdv . Print them out. 

customs can be difficult and many Brits have had problems avoiding a stamp ( tourist) in your passport which you DO NOT need.
For whatever reason you can’t arrive at your appointment, let them know by post , email , to change the rdv. Glad to help if need be. 

[bluemoon58]

Speak to the people who can probably give you the 100% correct answer, the French Embassy. 

[geisha]

Look at diplomatie.gouv.fr  Coronavirus Advice for Foreign. Nationals in France. It’s the English version .

[vVDB]

For drugs (including vaccines)  the drug must be approved, the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is approved.  

But also that the production site must be. unfortunately the factory in Thailand It is not because it is not intended to export to Europe.  

AstraZeneca vaccine produced in India too ...

That could change because it will cause a lot of worry.  

 

On the other hand, Sinopharm and Spoutnik are not at all approved in Europe.  Sputnik was received in Hungary and returned because not identical to the samples!

Hungary wanted to disobey Europe because Sputnik did not provide the necessary documents for homologation.  

For Chinese vaccines, they did not approach the European FDA.

Edited September 17, 2021 by vVDB
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[daejung]

On 9/16/2021 at 12:42 PM, notrub said:

Sinovac vaccine is recognized there (France).

To my knowledge Sinovac It is not recognized in European Union, excepted in some UE countries, and in France.

 

You will get information there : https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Actualites/L-actu-du-Ministere/Certificate-of-international-travel

Quote

If you are not vaccinated, you must give a compelling reason for travelling to an amber list country.

The indicative list of compelling reasons is indicated on the downloadable certificate to leave Metropolitan France below.

The compelling reason will be confirmed in France prior to departure. In the event of a false statement or an invalid reason, boarding will be denied.

No foreign nationals travelling to their own country will be prevented from leaving French territory (although there is no guarantee that they will be able to return in the absence of a compelling reason).

No French or foreign national wishing to return to their country of residence or origin will be prevented from leaving French territory (without having any guarantee of being able to return there in the absence of a compelling reason). Travellers wishing to go in a amber list country are invited to inquire before their departure about the conditions of entry into their country of destination.

and there :

 

Quote

If you are not vaccinated, you must present to the transport company and border control authorities a certificate of recovery older than eleven days and less than six months or a negative PCR or antigen test not older than 72 hours before departure (departure of first flight in the event of a connecting flights). Some countries in the European area have been placed under surveillance. For unvaccinated travelers from Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands and Portugal, a negative PCR or antigen test of less than 24 hours is required.

Children under the age of twelve are exempt from testing. You must also present a sworn statement attesting to the absence of symptoms of covid-19 infection and contact with a confirmed case of covid-19.

and there : https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/coronavirus-advice-for-foreign-nationals-in-france/ :

Quote

You must pledge to self-isolate for 7 days.

 

Edited September 17, 2021 by daejung

[daejung]

8 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I am not 100% sure, but I don't think Sinovac + Astra is recognized by French authorities. Also, you may need to prove that your motive is urgent to avoid quarantine and probably have a PCR test done 72h before arrival.

 

Your best option would be to contact the French embassy in Bangkok to have the proper details. So far, Thailand is classified as "orange" but things change fast and you may not get the most accurate answer here.

 

Good luck!

Only vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) (Pfizer (Comirnaty), Moderna, AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Johnson & Johnson (Janssen)), or AstraZeneca (Covishield) will be accepted.

https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/coronavirus-advice-for-foreign-nationals-in-france/

Edited September 17, 2021 by daejung

[daejung]

49 minutes ago, vVDB said:

Hungary wanted to disobey Europe

Hungary did not "disobey" : To my knowledge, any UE country can accept any vaccine not on the UE list. They just cannot travel to other UE countries with that vaccine.

[Whale]

16 minutes ago, daejung said:

any UE country can accept any vaccine not on the UE list

I agree, sovereign discretion. The EU is not sovereign. 

[gejohesch]

8 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I am not 100% sure, but I don't think Sinovac + Astra is recognized by French authorities. Also, you may need to prove that your motive is urgent to avoid quarantine and probably have a PCR test done 72h before arrival.

 

Your best option would be to contact the French embassy in Bangkok to have the proper details. So far, Thailand is classified as "orange" but things change fast and you may not get the most accurate answer here.

 

Good luck!

Check this official website : Coronavirus - Advice for Foreign Nationals in France - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (diplomatie.gouv.fr)

As said above, Thailand is currently on the Orange List. This may well be what you have to check particularly, as most likely France will not recognise your vaccination.

[bkk6060]

It is interesting how many did not want the 2 Sinovac and were relieved to get Sin/AZ.  Yet, travel is much easier and accepted in many countries with 2 Sinovac while the SInovac AZ combo is a no go.

[natway09]

I am sure a call to the the French Embassy would be your most reliable source of info.

Yiu are still stuck at this time with quarantine on your return though

[BKKTRAVELER]

So, as mentioned many times above, contact the French embassy for an accurate answer. Things evolve fast and they are the only ones keeping tracks on a daily basis here in Thailand. You may have to do some quarantine there or pledge to do so. You may not have to. At the moment, you will have to do quarantine or sandbox here when you get back.

 

The choice is yours, but get informed by relevant authorities if you want to avoid any mistakes.

 

Again, good luck.

[notrub]

Thanks very much for your comments.  Here is the latest.  'The Franco British Network' is an organization that does what the name suggests.  They have a paid membership service for business people but also free stuff for people like me.  They helped me out and I have received an acceptance of my status as a French resident entitled to a 10 year residency card (carte de sejour) .  I just have to get to Annecy to collect it.  I have looked on some French government sites and  astra zeneca is noted and sinovac is not.  There is no mention of the requirement source of the astra vaccine.  As far as I know the Johnson single shot vaccine is not available it Thailand.  I will try to get the head man in our village to get me a second astra shot as a first step.  I can change my appointment if I have a good reason and suppose the accepted vaccines being unavailable would be a good reason.  Thanks again for comments, very helpful.   

[brianthainess]

16 hours ago, EricTh said:

if the vaccine is produced in Thailand.

How does one know where a vaccine is produced ? does it state country of origin on the vial ?

[mrmicbkktxl]

22 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

Thanks but it doesn't mention about Sinovac + Astra which is what the OP got. It doesn't say how long he needs to have been vaccinated before arriving and no mention of PCR test or not.

 

That's why he better get the info straight from the French embassy to avoid any mistakes.

Well if sinovac is not approved then sinovac and astra are also not approved

[OJAS]

5 hours ago, notrub said:

Thanks very much for your comments.  Here is the latest.  'The Franco British Network' is an organization that does what the name suggests.  They have a paid membership service for business people but also free stuff for people like me.  They helped me out and I have received an acceptance of my status as a French resident entitled to a 10 year residency card (carte de sejour) .  I just have to get to Annecy to collect it.  I have looked on some French government sites and  astra zeneca is noted and sinovac is not.  There is no mention of the requirement source of the astra vaccine.  As far as I know the Johnson single shot vaccine is not available it Thailand.  I will try to get the head man in our village to get me a second astra shot as a first step.  I can change my appointment if I have a good reason and suppose the accepted vaccines being unavailable would be a good reason.  Thanks again for comments, very helpful.   

I suggest that you take a good read of the following link regarding your planned trip to France:-

 

https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/le-ministere-et-son-reseau/actualites-du-ministere/informations-coronavirus-covid-19/demande-de-passe-sanitaire-en-cas-de-vaccination-a-l-etranger-procedure-pour-64244/

 

And a good read of this one regarding your eventual return trip to Thailand:-

 

http://www.thaiembassy.fr/fr/voyagecovid/

 

It is possible to get them to display in English, thanks to Google Translate. But, if you've been a resident of France, you are presumably reasonably fluent in French!

 

 

Edited September 18, 2021 by OJAS

[BKKTRAVELER]

28 minutes ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

Well if sinovac is not approved then sinovac and astra are also not approved

Probably, that's why he may have to get a 3rd shot of Astra somehow before leaving and then wait 28 days to avoid quarantine. Long planning ahead needed.

[EricTh]

4 hours ago, brianthainess said:

How does one know where a vaccine is produced ? does it state country of origin on the vial ?

 

Some Astrazeneca administered in Thailand are produced in Thailand. On your vacc. cert there is a lot number of the vial printed there, just check with the hospital where it is produced.

 

This is a guide on which country accept which vaccine.

 

https://visaguide.world/news/vaccine-checker-proof-of-immunity-for-travel/

 

 

Yes, AstraZeneca (manufactured in Europe) is valid in France

but it doesn't say manufactured elsewhere.

Edited September 18, 2021 by EricTh

[notrub]

Thank you very much for your comments.  And thanks for the caution geisha.  I have an email inviting me to the prefecture to be issued with a 10yr carte de sejour plus a French DL and tax returns but did not think about stamp or no stamp in passport.  This forum is a very helpful source of information.  Thanks again.