France - COVID Booster Requirement within 7 Months

Here is a thread from yesterday discussing this.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/february-1-2022-covid-requirement

The OP on that thread contacted the French Embassy and was told:

------ Forwarded message ---------
From: admin-francais@consulfrance-sanfrancisco.org admin-francais@consulfrance-sanfrancisco.org
Date: Wed, Feb 2, 2022 at 11:22 AM
Subject: Re: 2 Feb COVID info
To: Me
Even if your booster had been received 11 months after your Pfizer vaccine, this would not have mattered. What actually matters is that you received it before entering France. This 9-month rule implies that a booster is not even required at all if the dual vaccination has been completed less than 9 months ago.
This in response to my question regarding entry to France with a booster 9 months 3 weeks after my final vaccination.

OK, wait. I had my first shot in early January 2021, my second shot in early February 2021, and my booster in late October 2021. We're planning to enter France in late April 2022. So where does that leave us?

My pet pharmacist is trying to see if we can get a second booster before we go, but what if we can't?

Jane I do not think this is going to be an issue.

I hope not. It would be devastating to be turned back at the last minute. We are so looking forward to this trip, as I know many of our fellow Forum friends are.

Not a problem. As long as you have that third shot. We haven't seen expiration dates on the 3rd shots

I am reading this as if you had your second dose more than 4 months ago you need a booster not that booster must be in last 4 months. From US embassy site-
Beginning Feb. 15, a booster dose will be required four (4) months after the second dose.)

I will write this again: if you have your booster you are fine

-- unless your first shot was Johnson & Johnson -- then things get more complicated.

Once again, the issue is if you are seven months (or, as of next week, four months) out from your two-dose "full" vaccination and don't have a booster.

I don't know how many threads I have written this same information on by now !!!

Not intently being dense but just looking for clarification on the wording of the rule - Should I read this to mean that if your 2nd shot is more than 7-9 months old, you must have a booster? Not that the booster must be within 7-9 months?

Sorry to belabor the point, only trying to understand it more fully. I'd hate to fly to France only to be forced to quarantine for 10 days.
Thanks for the help!

To review: the question seems to surround the booster. Let's assume everyone traveling to France has had a booster. Now, does the booster have a time limit? Kim, one more time. For nonessential travel to France does a booster have a time limit?

Nooo, if I may speak for Kim.

Of course it could be different in the future. Note, some restrictions are being lifted. The WHO yesterday said Europe has reached a cease fire with the virus. Very different from the US.

Thank you, Kim and Bets.

I have read everything and got that email reply from the Consulate at San Francisco. Reading European papers it seems to target the unboosted. When I finally got Air France on the line to ask if they had the same understanding, they only read me that scary statement about getting boosted in a 9 month window. I am scheduled to fly out Feb 7 and will let you know. Wish me luck Monday.

daian - good luck. Please let us know what you experience. I have an Air France flight coming up in May so I'm interested to hear how it goes with the airline and their COVID protocols.

Thanks to all for the feedback!

Arrived at CDG Paris February 8 no problem! We needed our 2 vaccines plus booster and a negative COVID test less than 48 hours before takeoff. We submitted these documents to Air France Ready to Fly which showed up on our boarding pass. With this, getting on the plane was easy and entering France just as easy. We got our EU digital Covid Certificate in 5 minutes at the CDG International terminal.

Thanks, daian, for your report.

Daian, yes, thanks for the update! So happy you got there with no issues with the paperwork! Have a wonderful time!

daian - thanks for the speedy report! So happy you made it without any issues. Have a great trip!

Daian- Where in the airport did you get your vaccine pass? We are flying into CDG airport in April on our way to Lyon by plane with a layover 6:10am- 11:10am so thought might be good use of time. Hoping we have the same luck you did.