How to prove your vaccination status for travel from the UK to France

For proof of vaccination, most people use the NHS app on their smart phone. Once registered, when you open the app it should show your personal details (name, date of birth, NHS number) and gives you various options including viewing your GP health record or ordering a prescription, so it’s a handy app to have anyway.  

The first option is the one you want for travel though: ‘Get your NHS Covid Pass’. When you click on this it gives you two options – Domestic and Travel. Click on Travel and it takes you through to your NHS Covid Pass. If you click on ‘show details’ it then takes you through to a 2D barcode for each of your vaccinations. You will need to show the last one you had (the app has now been updated to show booster jabs too). Note that the barcode expires after a month, but refreshes each time you open the app. 

If you’d rather print out a copy, there are also options to ‘Download a PDF copy’ or ‘Receive an offline copy by email’. This is entirely personal preference; you can show the app version on your phone or a printed copy. You may find it easier and quicker to have all your paperwork in one folder, rather than having to open up apps on your phone. Make sure you print it out within 30 days of travel though or it may be out of date. There’s also an ‘Add to Apple Wallet’ option.  

There’s more information on the NHS website, including a video demonstrating how to show your Covid-19 status using the NHS Covid Pass on the app when planning to travel abroad from the UK. 

Full France travel advice can be read on the UK government website  and on the French Consular website.