What are the Covid requirements for travel from France to Belgium?

Reader Question: Advice please, I am about to travel by train to Brussels from France: do we have to do a Covid test, or do we need just to carry our vaccine passes?

Belgium, like France, uses the EU Digital Covid Certificate, which can be accessed through the TousAntiCovid app and used for travel within the bloc.

The Belgian authorities state that for short stays in the country of less than 48 hours, which do not require a plane, boat, train or bus, no proof of Covid status is required.

As you will be travelling by train this does not apply to you. However, you will be departing from an EU member state, meaning that you will only need to show your travel operator:

• A vaccination certificate
• A certificate of recovery from the last six months

Or

• A negative antigen test result from the last 24 hours or a negative PCR from the last 72 hours.

If you have one of the first two documents, you will not need to take a pre-departure test.

If your vaccination or recovery certificate is uploaded to the TousAntiCovid app, you will simply need to go into your wallet (carnet), choose the relevant certificate and make sure that the QR code is in the Border (Frontière) format when asked to show your documents.

It should be noted that vaccination certificates only remain valid for 270 days after reception of the second dose, meaning that you must receive a booster within that time in order to retain your ‘fully vaccinated’ status.

However, if you miss the 270-day deadline and your certificate expires, you can still reactivate it by receiving an additional vaccine dose and uploading the certificate to TousAntiCovid.

People who do not possess any of the above certificates will be subject to testing and quarantine measures.

Travel within Belgium

Belgium brought its Covid Safe Ticket health pass system to an end on March 7, along with the obligation to wear masks in indoor spaces such as cafés, restaurants and cultural attractions.

Mask-wearing remains mandatory, however, in public transport and care homes, and is recommended in indoor spaces where social distancing cannot be maintained.

You can find out more about travel to Belgium from France through this France Diplomatie page.

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