Rules for 13 year old travelling to France

[celestebellman]

For context, all adults in my family are double vaccinated and boosted. I have been hesitant about vaccinating my 13 year old, however, as I am not convinced it is necessary or in her best interests. She has (like most children!) had covid in the last few months.

We have a holiday booked to France in the summer. I have been a bit confused about the guidance, however recent guidance appears to be that teenagers under 16 can travel with vaccinated adults if they have a negative test within 24 hours prior to travel - however also looks like many venues, eg restaurants in France also require proof of vaccination or negative test on day.

I have actually booked the vaccine, though am vacillating. It sounds like at the moment it is not necessary, although would potentially be a lot of hassle if not vaccinated, also the guidance could well change.

Just wondering if I have interpreted all this correctly? Anyone else due to travel to France with young teenagers and have any clearer understanding, or experience of the current situation?

In a similar situation. I am uneasy about vaccinating my children. I’m fully vaccinated myself.
That may/will most probably change in a couple of years time when when there are further tests and research.
I will not vaccinate them just to travel.

Thanks @Youcansaythatagainandagain that's exactly how I feel about vaccinating just to travel. Vaccine booked for tomorrow, just having cold feet!
The only other thought which influences me is the possibility of a new, worse variant I guess, when it might turn out more advantageous to have had vaccine.
Holiday was booked originally for 2020, so has been postponed twice already!

Here is the latest guidance:

uk.ambafrance.org/COVID-19-rules-for-travel-between-France-and-the-UK-28918

You probably need to crack on and get your teen jabbed.

What does she want to do? At 13, she must be able to understand the benefit and risk of vaccine.

My 13 years old just had his 2nd, It was his choice to get it.

@rainrainraincamedowndowndown she is not keen! However this is entirely because she has a bit of a needle phobia, which hugely colours her decision and perspective. We have discussed this quite a bit, as I have told her that covid vaccine aside there are vaccines she is going to have to get, eg HPV. Also, I really don't want her to go through life avoiding injections/ blood tests, so it would be helpful to address it.

Otherwise, I don't think she has strong views. She is now agreeable to having it.

However, aside from her views, she is only thirteen and therefore it's something that I still think needs careful parental consideration too (in terms of whether the vaccine is in her overall best interests).

I am in exactly the same situation, booked France for August. Was holding off getting DD vaccinated as I wanted to wait until I had seen how others had got on.
After hearing that over 12's needed to be vaccinated we chatted and decided to get her done.
She had hers last Saturday, DH took her as I tested positive that day. She breezed through the injection and never flinched, which really surprised me. She had a slight headache for the next day and sore arm, but that was it.

@Theothersideofforty I think will end up doing it - had decided but having last minute second thoughts, hence wanted to double check the guidance. It's such a hard decision. I had also wanted to wait a bit, but at the same time don't want it to impact on their childhoods any more than it already has in terms of missing holidays etc.

We did the second dose for our teenagers for travel purposes only many of us are. Foreign travel is also important and they’ve missed 2 years of it

This is for summer? it's entirely possible that things will change before then... that's the only constant these days!

ATM travel rules and pass sanitaire rules (getting into restaurants, bars, museums etc) are different.

For travel into France, your 13 year-old is judged by the vaccination status of the adult that she travels with. If the adult is fully vaccinated (by French standards i.e. 2 jabs plus booster) then she is treated as being fully vaccinated irrespective of her actual vaccination status. So no quarantine etc.

For the pass sanitaire once she's here, she needs to be either:
fully vaccinated (by French standards for 12-17 yr olds, which means 2 jabs or Covid (with proof) + 1 jab. the booster is not obligatoire for teens atm)
OR take a PCR / pharmacy test to show negative and it's only valid for 24 hours
OR have positive proof of having had covid in the last 6 months

The pass sanitaire very soon turns into a pass vaccinale but that's for 16+ yrs only.

My 14 yr-old will get his booster (third jab) this weekend. My 11 yr-old has his first tomorrow, and his second in 3 weeks time. For a supposedly vaccine-hesitant country France is storming on with vaccinations for teens.

@workwoes123 that's helpful, that is pretty much what I understood but you've explained more clearly than the official documents! Taking a pcr or pharmacy (lateral flow? ) test every 24 hours to get into any restaurants/ venues etc sounds like it will be difficult (eg, who verifies the test?!) This is why I think it would be difficult to go without her being vaccinated. I know the guidance might change by summer, but can't really bank on that happening.

Yes - France is one of the last countries I'd have imagined having stricter vaccine rules than the UK.

The test has to be done in a pharmacy, but a medical health professional. The results are available in 15 minutes or so. Self tests are in limited use here, and don’t count for the pass sanitaire unless you bring your own auto test and do it in front of the pharmacist who then verifies the result.

Thanks - was thinking might be something like that. Does not sound very practical!

My DC1 13 has had their first vaccine & will have another in 3 months so should be able to travel in summer.

What’s the score for my primary aged DC in visiting France?

It’s annoying getting that the ability for children to travel is being dictated by vaccine status from a disease they are personally very unlikely to get very ill from.

DH & I are triple vaccinated by the way - I’m just wary of giving children vaccines for something that doesn’t have a big risk to them (see JCVI initial advice)

@22itsallnew I don't disagree with you, but the French government does and that's the rules for teens.

They can travel unvaccinated BTW - under 18 they can enter the country with you as a fully vaccinated adult, and be treated as full vaccinated themselves. Once in France, they need a pass sanitaire (up to the age of 15) to get into restaurants etc and for that they don't have to be vaccinated: they can test every 24 hours instead. So yes, massively more inconvenient but still an alternative to not getting vaccinated.

@workwoes123 we’ve gone ahead with vaccinated older DC but is the pass sanitaire the only option for Dc aged 10? As they are unable to be vaccinated in UK? Thanks

Pass sanitaire is 12 yrs and 2 months and up only - younger than that, no pass sanitaire and vaccination is optional.

[quote 22itsallnew]@workwoes123 we’ve gone ahead with vaccinated older DC but is the pass sanitaire the only option for Dc aged 10? As they are unable to be vaccinated in UK? Thanks[/quote]
There is no requirement for children under 12 for a pass sanitaire in France.

Thanks that makes things much more straightforward

My Dniece and Dnephew live in France.
Aged 14/15.
Frankly you will find it a right pain if your DC is not double vaxxed.

Just saying