How French Covid-19 vaccination certificates will help with travel Documents have been handed to patients at vaccination centres since May 3 17 May 2021 Covid-19 vaccination certificates are being handed to everyone in France who has attended their appointments – and are the first step to a Europe-wide health certificate. This is intended to make cross-border travel easier and safer. Most countries, even those that have opened their borders to foreign tourists, demand proof of a recent negative Covid-19 test, vaccination, or recovery from the virus. It is also likely, as France continues to reopen, that the health certificates, or ‘passes’, which will integrate all such information in a standardised digital form, will be a requirement to attend certain large-scale events, both indoors and outdoors.