Can I use my French vaccine pass when on holiday in Italy?

Reader Question: We are about to go on holiday in Italy and were wondering: will we be able to use our French vaccine passes for travel and when going to restaurants?

People over the age of 12 visiting Italy currently need to show either a ‘Super Green Pass’ or a ‘Green Pass’ to enter certain venues.

A Super Green Pass, which includes proof of vaccination or of recent recovery from Covid, is generally required in indoor spaces.

It must be used, for example, to gain access to restaurants, bars, cinemas, theatres and concerts taking place inside.

A ‘basic’ Green Pass, which can be obtained using a negative antigen test from the last 48 hours or a PCR test from the last 72 hours if you do not have a vaccination or recovery certificate.

Such a pass is needed for outdoor film screenings, theatre productions and concerts, as well as some public transports.

If you still have a French vaccine pass stored in the TousAntiCovid app, it will automatically work in Italy. All you need to do is click on the ‘Border’ (Frontière) tab on the QR code in your wallet (carnet), you will be presented with your EU Digital Covid Pass, which can be used across EU member states.

You can also use a paper version of your vaccine pass if you do not have the TousAntiCovid app.

It should be noted that fully vaccinated people must receive a booster dose within 270 days of their second in order to retain their ‘fully vaccinated’ status indefinitely in Italy. If they had two vaccine doses and were subsequently infected with Covid, their pass will also become permanent.

French vaccine passes are the equivalent of Italy’s Super Green Pass, and so will also work as a basic Green Pass.

What if I don’t have a vaccine pass?

If you do not have a French vaccine pass, you will need to take a Covid test to obtain an Italian Green Pass. This can be done at most pharmacies as well as at testing centres.

The test provider will print your results and also send you a unique code via email. It will then be necessary to visit the Italian government website and click ‘Utente senza tessera sanitaria’ (User without a health card).

You will then be asked to enter your details and test results and to click ‘Ricupera certificazione’ (Get certificate).

You can upload your result to TousAntiCovid and use it as you would have done in France before vaccine pass requirements came into force.

It should also be noted that if you are over the age of six you must currently wear a mask in public transports, cinemas, concert halls, theatres and at sporting events in Italy. In some venues FFP2 masks are mandatory, while in others surgical masks are accepted.

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