France to allow UK tourists to enter if fully vaccinated

France has announced it will allow fully vaccinated UK travellers with proof of negative antigen tests to enter the country without needing a “compelling reason”.

A new document released on Friday called Strategy for Reopening Borders says people who are fully vaccinated – which is understood to mean two weeks after having the second dose of an EU-approved vaccine, which covers all jabs currently in use in the UK – can use the NHS app as proof of their status, the Daily Mail reports.

Children accompanying fully vaccinated adults will not need to have a vaccine but must prove a negative test result. While there is no specific age cut-off point, according to the French government, travel rules currently do not apply to children under 11.

Tourists with only one dose of a vaccine, or who are unvaccinated, must isolate for seven days, provide proof of a negative test result on arrival and have a “compelling reason” for visiting.

The French government announced earlier on Friday that it was removing the need for coronavirus tests for vaccinated Europeans and allowing vaccinated tourists from most of the world, including the US, to visit, provided they had a negative test.

The Associated Press has reported that the new rules will come into effect on 9 June when the border is set to reopen and allow other European tourists into the country.

The announcement comes as the European Commission prepares to issue digital travel certificates to allow Europeans to travel freely across the bloc. However, the French government’s travel relaxations come a day after the British government imposed more substantial travel restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19.

France remains on the amber list, which means Britons, regardless of vaccination status, will have to quarantine for 10 days on their return and take two Covid tests, and test negative before arrival.