France eases entry rules for fully vaccinated Filipinos

(File) Passengers wait before boarding their flight as a placard displays health measures against the Covid-19, at Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport, outskirts of Paris, on July 20, 2021. (Photo by Eric PIERMONT / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — France has placed the Philippines under its “green list,” which means that fully vaccinated travelers from the Philippines will only need to provide a proof of vaccination status to enter France.

In an advisory from the French Embassy in Manila, the Philippines was classified as a green-list country on Thursday, Mar. 3.

The embassy said a traveler is considered fully vaccinated 28 days after one dose of the Janssen vaccine or seven days after the second dose for other vaccines recognized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The recognized vaccine brands include Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

“For people who have received all the required doses of a vaccine authorized by the WHO (World Health Organization) which has not been recognized by the EMA, 7 days after one additional dose of a messenger RNA vaccine recognized by the EMA,” the advisory added.

“The measures applicable to vaccinated adults also apply to any minors accompanying them, whether they are vaccinated or not,” it further read.

Meanwhile, unvaccinated travelers from the Philippines will need to present a negative PCR test taken less than 72 hours before departure or a negative result of an antigen test taken less than 48 hours before departure.

If the Filipino traveler tested positive for COVID-19 “more than 11 days and less than six months prior to departure,” unvaccinated travelers from the Philippines should present a “recovery certificate.”

“Children under 12 years old are exempt from these requirements,” the embassy said.

These requirements will also not apply to:

trips by residents of cross-border areas (border within a 30 km radius of your residence, and for a duration of less than 24 hours);
work-related trips, the urgent or frequent nature of which makes them incompatible with these tests;
trips by hauliers carrying out their work.

“To avail of the exemptions above, you must have a document proving the reasons for your trip,” the advisory said.

The embassy, however, reminded that usual travel restrictions apply in entering France, such as visas and duration of stay, among others.

“Whatever your place of departure, if you show symptoms of COVID-19 upon arrival in France, you will be quarantined or placed and kept in isolation by the prefect,” the advisory also said.

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