At the beginning of March, sanitary restrictions are easing and borders are reopening one after the other. Reservations for your stay are soaring! It’s time to make your long-cherished language study project a reality.

Our priority is to ensure the safety of all and to avoid unpleasant surprises at the boarding. Let’s take a look at the conditions of access and the terms and conditions for travelling with peace of mind.

Travelling abroad: deciphering

Today, the rules for traveling within and outside Europe are well defined. The countries were divided into four lists, of four different colors, according to their health situation and vaccination :

• Green” countries: no active circulation of the virus, no variants of concern identified.
• Orange” countries: active circulation of the virus in controlled proportions, without diffusion
• of variants of concern.
• Red” countries: active circulation of the virus, presence of variants of concern.
• Countries ” scarlet red ” : countries in which a particularly active circulation of the virus and the discovery of a variant likely to present a risk of increased transmissibility or immune escape are observed.

Please note : the lists of countries are subject to change as their epidemic situation evolves. For updates, visit the government website: https: //www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus/deplacements

Travel conditions

The conditions of movement are gradually becoming more flexible and are clearly codified. Let’s see what are the rules to respect when traveling from France to the most popular destinations at Linguifamily which are the United Kingdom,Ireland,Spain,Italy and Malta.

To the United Kingdom

Formalities for vaccinated persons:

• Present a complete vaccination schedule (2 injections + 15 days after the 2nd vaccine)
• Fill in the form ” Passenger Locator Form “

Formalities for non-vaccinated persons :

• Justify a compelling reason to travel to the United Kingdom.
• Present a negative PCR or antigenic test performed within 2 days before departure
• Fill in the form ” Passenger Locator Form “
• 10 days isolation is mandatory once you arrive on site
• Book a PCR test online ” Day 2 ” and ” Day 8 ” before you leave. Please note that proof of purchase will be required at the time of boarding and the tests ordered will be delivered directly to your address in the United Kingdom.

These formalities are applicable since February 11, 2022 for all travelers from 12 years old.

Important : The health situation changes every day, so do the travel conditions. Before leaving, keep yourself informed and consult the website of the French Consulate in London.

To Ireland

Formalities for vaccinated persons

• Fill out the online form ” Passenger Locator Form “
• Show proof of complete vaccination (Health Pass)

Ireland recognizes vaccination with a single dose of vaccine for persons who have previously been ill with Covid-19 ONLY if the administration of this single dose of vaccine occurs within 180 days of a positive PCR test. For more information, consult the latest updates on the website of the French Embassy in Dublin.

Formalities for non-vaccinated persons

• Fill out the online form ” Passenger Locator Form “
• Submit a negative PCR test performed within 72 hours prior to arrival in Ireland or valid proof of recent cure of Covid-19 (positive PCR test result performed between 11 days and 180 days prior to arrival in Ireland).

These formalities are applicable since February 1, 2022 for all travelers from 12 years old.

Important : The health situation changes every day, so do the travel conditions. Before leaving, keep yourself informed and consult the website of the French Embassy in Ireland.

To Spain

Travelers over the age of 12 must present one of these documents, in digital or paper format :

• a certificate of screening test for active infection, with negative result, issued within 48 hours (antigenic test) or within 72 hours (PCR test) prior to arrival on the territory
• a certificate of reinstatement from Covid-19
• the EU digital Covid certificate (= European health pass)

Important: Information valid as of February 4, 2022. The health situation is changing every day, as are the travel conditions. Before leaving, keep yourself informed and consult the website of the French Embassy in Spain.

To Malta

Travelers over the age of 12 must present one of these documents :

• a complete vaccination certificate (health pass)
• or a certificate of reinstatement to Covid-19

For those over 18 years of age, if the first vaccination cycle was performed more than 3 months ago, the vaccination certificate must include a booster dose less than 9 months old in addition to the initial vaccination.

People who have had only one injection after a Covid recovery can since October 1, 2021 be allowed to enter Malta without quarantine provided they present a certificate of recovery.

If you are not vaccinated, you will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine in a hotel chosen by the Maltese authorities and at your own expense (100 euros per night, i.e. 1400 euros in total).

Important: Information valid as of January 17, 2022. The health situation is changing every day, as are the travel conditions. Before leaving, keep yourself informed and consult the website of the French Embassy in Malta.

To Italy

Travelers over the age of 6 must complete the online form Passenger Locator Form and present one of these documents :

• a complete vaccination certificate recognized by theEMA (a complete schedule means 2 doses for a two-dose vaccine (e.g. Pfizer) and 1 dose for a single-dose vaccine (e.g. Janssen). To circulate in Europe, this vaccination scheme is valid for 9 months after the last dose. On the other hand, this period is 6 months to access most services or activities in Italy.
• Proof of cure (positive PCR test at least 21 days old and less than 6 months old). A positive antigenic test is not a valid certificate of cure to circulate in Europe.
• a negative test result (antigenic less than 48 hours old or PCR less than 72 hours old)

Important: Information valid as of February 1, 2022. The health situation is changing every day, as are the travel conditions. Before leaving, keep yourself informed and consult the website of the French Embassy in Rome.

Obtaining your European health pass

The European health pass in force since July 1, 2021 is free and not mandatory. It facilitates travel within the European Union. This pass includes a QR code that can be read by the control authorities of the various countries, as well as an electronic signature guaranteeing its security and authenticity. It is available in the official language(s) of the issuing member state and in English. Remember to download it into your TousAntiCovid application.

Return to France

Any person aged 12 and over entering France must present a negative PCR or antigenic test less than 24 or 48 hours old, depending on the country of origin. The only exception is for people with a complete vaccination schedule who do not need to be tested when they arrive from a member state of the European Union, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, the Holy See or Switzerland.

Book with peace of mind

With our partner AXA ASSISTANCE, we have developed a comprehensive travel insurance specially designed for language stays. This insurance is automatically included with your reservation for all stays of less than 3 months.

In addition, we guarantee a 100% refund if the stay is made impossible by measures taken by the Public Authorities in France or abroad due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stay informed about travel conditions

Linguifamily allows you to see at a glance the travel formalities related to health conditions in order to organize your linguistic stay with peace of mind. This will help you in your travel project without minimizing the importance of these formalities. We therefore recommend that you regularly consult the dedicated official websites mentioned above.

For our friends in Belgium, you can consult the information site on Covid-19 published by the Federal Government.

For our friends in Switzerland, you can consult the recommendations and information of theFederal Office of Public Health (OFSP).

The entire Linguifamily team is at your disposal to answer all your questions, and will continue to accompany you in your language study project. Still hesitating? Contact us for more information.

Contact Linguifamily at 06 76 61 31 52 or send us a message at contact@linguifamily.com