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VACCINE

Reader question: Do I need to show proof of my medical condition to get a Covid vaccine in France?

France has from May 1st opened up appointments for the Covid vaccine to people of any age, if they have one of the listed long-term medical conditions - but what proof do you need to provide of this?

Published: 3 May 2021 16:49 CEST
Reader question: Do I need to show proof of my medical condition to get a Covid vaccine in France?
Younger people can now be vaccinated if they have a medical condition. Photo: AFP

Question: I’m 40 years old, but I have one of listed medical conditions that means I’m eligible for a Covid vaccine, do I need proof of my illness to make the appointment or at the vaccine centre?

On Friday, the French health minister Olivier Véran announced that, from May 1st, all adults who had ‘co-mobidities’ would be able to access a Covid vaccine in France.

Anyone over the age of 55 – without or without health issues – and healthcare workers were already eligible for the jab.

Now people of all ages suffering from a range of medical conditions including diabetes, hypertension or a BMI of 30 or above can book an appointment for a vaccine. Find the full list of qualifying conditions HERE.

READ ALSO How to book an appointment for the Covid vaccine in France

Later on Friday, the health ministry clarified that a prescription from your doctor certifying that you have one of these conditions was not necessary, saying: “In order to facilitate access to vaccination for those concerned, it is not necessary to present a medical prescription.”

But do you need to present any proof at all, such as previous prescriptions for medication or a doctor’s letter?

Over the weekend several people reported that booking platforms were still stating that a prescription was necessary, but this appears to be a question of sites not being updated, and by Monday afternoon most had the new requirements.

There were also reports of vaccine centres asking for proof, but again officials said this was down to a lack of detailed guidance being submitted to staff on the ground between the new rules being announced on Friday and coming into effect on Saturday.

“There is nothing to prevent a doctor from asking for proof in case of doubt, but this is not systematic. The directive is very clear”, the Health Ministry told Le Parisien on Monday.

Officials from the regional health authority for the Paris area added they had “made it clear on Friday to the vaccination centres that no certificate was required”.

The ministry said that a simple ‘declaration’ – usually ticking a box on the booking form confirming that you suffer from one of the listed conditions – will suffice.

So what’s to stop people lying about their medical conditions?

Their honour. You are required to make an attestation sur l’honneur (a sworn statement) that you qualify for a vaccine under the conditions laid out.

READ ALSO What does it mean when you declare on your honour in France?

The ministry also calls on “everyone to be responsible so as not to overload the appointment process”. 

Member comments

  1. Sadly still vaccines being refused – medical condition or not – if you don’t have the right SS number or carte vitale to fill in the box, despite what any ‘decree’ might say….’computer says no….’

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For members

READER QUESTIONS

Does it help with moving to France to be married to a French person?

If you’re a citizen of a country outside the European Union, moving to France to live is administratively much more difficult – but are there any advantages to being married to someone who is French?

Published: 30 May 2024 11:26 CEST
Does it help with moving to France to be married to a French person?

You’ve met, fallen in love with and married a French citizen. Congratulations. 

Unfortunately, that doesn’t give you an automatic right to French citizenship, or even – necessarily – the right to live in France. You will still have some bureaucratic hoops to jump through, even though the process is a little bit less complicated.

You’ll also benefit from having a native French speaker on hand to translate the various forms for you – although unless your Frenchie is actually a lawyer, don’t assume that they are knowledgeable about French immigration law, most people know very little about the immigration processes of their own country (because, obviously, they never have to interact with them). 

Visa

If you were living in France when you did the marriage deed, you’ll have already done the visa thing, anyway. But if you married outside France, and have never lived in France, there are still things to do, including – and most pressingly – getting a visa.

The thing is, being married to a French person isn’t quite the live-in-France carte blanche that some people may think – you still need to go through the visa process and gather documents including your marriage certificate and proof of your spouse’s French nationality.

The main benefit is that anyone who is married to a French citizen can apply for a family visa (sometimes known as a spouse visa). This allows you to come to France without a job and it gives you the right to work.

Residency card

Once you have legally moved to France you can apply for a carte de séjour vie privée et familiale. 

Once your visa (which normally lasts for one year) is nearing expiration, you can apply for the multi-year private and family life residence permit.

You must meet the following conditions  :

  • You must share a common address with your spouse – except in particular circumstances (the government website mentions death of your spouse, or in cases of domestic violence);
  • Your spouse must be French on the day of the wedding and must have retained French nationality;
  • You cannot be married to more than one person;
  • If your marriage was celebrated abroad, then it must be transcribed in the civil status registers of the French consulate so that it is recognised in France.

In either case, you must apply for this document, no earlier than four months and no later than two months before the expiry date of your existing residence document (visa, VLS-TS or permit).

The usual list of reasons for refusal apply: if you have failed to comply with an obligation to leave the country (OQTF); if you have committed forgery and use of false documents; if you have committed a serious criminal offence; if you have committed acts of violence against elected officers, or public officials.

Additional information is available, in French, here. 

The situation is a little different for people who initially entered France without a long-stay visa. Usually, this applies to those from countries who do not benefit from the 90-day rule and are required to get a short-stay visa to enter France. If this is your situation, then when applying for your carte de séjour you will need to prove;

  • You are not living in a state of polygamy;
  • You are married to a French national with whom you have lived together for 6 months in France.

In this instance the first carte de séjour vie privée et familiale will be issued for a year.

Citizenship

Citizenship by marriage is a ‘right’ in the same way that children born in France to foreign parents have a right to be a citizen through the ‘droit du sol’. Yes, it exists – but there are rules, and it’s not automatic.

Applying for citizenship via marriage involves applying for something known as citizenship par Déclaration. This is, arguably, the more simple of the processes available to adults.

It works to the theory that citizenship via marriage is ‘a right’. That, however, doesn’t mean that citizenship will be handed out automatically – there are a number of conditions that you must fulfil, including having a reasonable level of French, and if you either don’t fit the criteria – or, more accurately, do not provide sufficient proof that you do fit the criteria you can and will be rejected.

READ ALSO Are you entitled to French citizenship if you are married to a French person?

If your spouse divorces you, or dies while you are still going through the process then your application may be no longer valid. Equally, if you get divorced within a year of getting French citizenship it’s also possible (although rare) for your citizenship to be annulled.

Divorce

Yes, we’re spoilsports but people who get married do sometimes get divorced and if you are in France on a visa or residency card that is linked to your marital status then getting divorced can affect your right to stay.

This doesn’t mean you will automatically be kicked out of the country if you split up. In most cases it’s simply a question of applying for a new residency permit in your own right – whether you are working, studying or retired.

If you have minor children in France then you have the right to stay even if you don’t meet the criteria for any other type of residency permit.

You can find full information on how to change your status in case of divorce HERE.

What about children?

Any child born to a French citizen has the right to claim nationality, whether or not they were born in France. So, whether you’re French or not has no bearing on that particular situation.

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