FAQ Coronavirus Testing

According to the newest regulations, students who would like to come to France will be able if it is a first entry and according to their vaccination status or if they are travelling for compelling reasons. Students who wish to go back to their home countries will be authorized to but with no guaranteed return to France.

Before coming to France, you will need to confirm what regulations are applied to you. This information is available on the French government website. You’ll also need gather the following documents:

• Your passport
• Your visa
• A travel exemption certificate (available here)
• A sworn statement that you do not have Covid-19 symptoms, that you hadn’t been in contact with a confirmed Covid-19 case in the last 14 days before your travel journey, and that you agree to undergo a PCR test upon arrival in France if requested (available here)
•  A negative PCR or antigenic test carried out less than 48 hours before your travel journey

If a PCR test cannot be carried out in the country of departure, please contact the French Embassy or Consulate in that country. They could provide you with a PCR test exemption certificate. You will need to carry out a virological screening test upon arrival.

International travelers may be asked to undertake a 10-days self-isolation when arriving in France. The isolation requirement will depend on how the country you are coming from is listed by the French Government. If you come from a red or scarlet country, isolation will be required whether you are fully vaccinated or not. You may also be required to do a PCR test after the isolation. More information on where and how to do the test is available in the sections below.

Once in France, please inform your program of your arrival by contacting the school’s academic department. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the International Student Office for more information on the next steps following your arrival.  

Before travelling to Spain, you will need to complete a form on the Spanish government’s website (available here).

Once you have completed the form, you will receive an email with a QR code that will allow you access to your plane.

You will need a negative PCR test carried out less than 72 hours before your travel journey to enter Spain. Upon arrival, you may be subjected to a health check (including documents control). After your evaluation if the health authority believes it is necessary, you may be required to undergo a diagnostic test for COVID-19.

Before travelling to Morocco, you will need to complete a form and carry the printed version with you during your journey (available here).

You will need a negative PCR test carried out less than 72 hours before your travel journey to enter Morocco. 

If you’ve been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and if you haven’t respected barrier gestures, you are considered a high contact at risk. If this is your case, you must immediately notify the infocovid cell for risk evaluation and for the steps you’ll need to follow. You will then need to automatically do a test. An isolation period of 7 days will be mandatory if you are not fully vaccinated. If you are fully vaccinated, you will need to wait for your test results while strictly respecting barrier measures.

This concerns:

• Any person who has been in a closed space without respecting barrier gestures for more than a quarter of an hour with a person who tested positive for COVID-19
• Any person who has been in direct contact (hugs, meals, physical contact,…) without wearing a mask with a person who tested positive for COVID-19

Please also contact the International Department on your TBS campus for more information.

• Toulouse Campus International Department
• Paris Campus International Department
• Barcelona Campus International Department
• Casablanca Campus International Department

If you are at school, immediately contact the PC sécurité (Lascrosses Site: 05 61 29 47 00 – Entiore Site: 05 61 29 46 64). If you are at home, immediately contact the infocovid cell and get tested.

If you have symptoms, such as coughing, fever, have difficulty breathing, a runny nose, a headache or fatigue, we advise you to:

• contact your doctor, who’ll make sure you get priority during testing
• do an auto-test and if it comes back positive, confirm the test with an antigenic or PCR result
• book a test in a pharmacy (antigenic) or a testing center (PCR)
• should you have breathing difficulties, and should you be unable to get in touch with your doctor, we’d highly advise you to contact the emergencies. In France, reach out to the SAMU by dialing 15 on your phone.
• distance yourself from others by staying at home. If you live in a flat-share, try to stay in your room as much as possible and only use the common areas when your flat-mates aren’t there.

Please also contact the International Department on your TBS campus for more information.

• Toulouse Campus International Department
• Paris Campus International Department
• Barcelona Campus International Department
• Casablanca Campus International Department

Students should only get tested:

• when they feel symptomatic, i.e. when they’re coughing, feel feverish, have difficulty breathing, have a runny nose, a headache or feel very tired. If this is the case for you, please contact your doctor before you head for a testing center.

OR

• if they’re a contact at risk, which is the case for:
  • Any person who has been in a closed space for more than a quarter of an hour without respecting barrier gestures with someone who tested positive for COVID-19
  • Any person who has been in direct contact (hugs, meals, physical contact,…) without wearing a mask with someone who tested positive for COVID-19

Students from the Barcelona campus are asked to contact the Spanish Health Services (061) and consult a doctor beforehand.

Toulouse & Paris Campus

Starting October 15th 2021, free tests will be given out only based on the context of those tests. If you are fully vaccinated (or have recovered from covid in the last 6 months), you will be tested for free. You will need to present your vaccination or recovery certificate for the test to be free of charge.

If you’ve auto-tested positive at home, you’ll need to confirm that auto-test with a antigenic or PCR result. That test will be carried out for free, and you will need to bring your autotest with you.

If you’ve received a notification from the French Social Security identifying you as a high-contact risk and asking you to get tested, that mandatory test will be free of charge.

In any other situation, you will be required to pay for your test (it will not be covered by the French Social Security). On average, a PCR test costs 45€ and a antigenic 25€.

Barcelona Campus

Non-EU Citizens

The Spanish social security system is available to citizens that are registered as residents in Spain, mainly working or employed. Non-EU citizens that have a private medical insurance as part of their visa won´t include PCR tests or tests concerning epidemics in their policy, only basic and general medical analysis. Students should consult their policy before taking a test.

Students can call 061 and contact their private medical insurance provider to see a doctor at a Private Health Centre. PCR tests cost around 120 EUR depending on the medical Centre and in most cases cannot be reimbursed, unless they need further treatment in a hospital after the test. They can also go to a public hospital or public emergency health Centre CAP but will be charged for the test as well. Turopark is a private medical centre which provide services in various languages. Students can make an appointment at Turopark over the phone or by following the instructions online here.

Students can also download the STOP COVID 19 APP , provide their personal details and receive advice about their symptoms. The emergency medical services can monitor and give advice regarding their case. Students must choose the language, provide their NIE or passport details, contact number and information about their age, location and answer questions about their health situation. Please note Non-EU Citizens cannot complete a PCR test using this app.

E.U Citizens

Students can be tested after consulting a doctor and calling the health services 061. Students that have an EHIC can go to the emergency department of a public hospital, CAP (Centre Atencion Primaria) or a private Health Centre such as Turopark. Students that have been advised to take a test by a doctor can take the test for free. In order to visit a CAP, students should be registered with their nearest center beforehand. However, in case of emergency they can go to the nearest one. Students should call 061 and follow the instructions of the medical services according to their symptoms.

Students can also download the STOP COVID 19 APP , provide their personal details and receive advice about their symptoms. The emergency medical services can monitor and give advice regarding their case. Students must choose the language, provide their NIE or passport details, contact number and information about their age, location and answer questions about their health situation.

Toulouse & Paris Campus

• If you have French social security:
  • Passport or ID card
  • Health insurance card or proof of social security
  • Your vaccination or recovery certificate OR a positive auto-test OR a text from Social Security or notification in the Tous Anti Covid app asking you to get tested in the frame of risk detection
• If you do not have French social security:
  • Passport or ID card
  • For EU students: EHIC card
  • For non-EU students: Student visa, OFII confirmation and TBS enrollment letter to explain that you are still awaiting for your social security attestation
  • Your vaccination or recovery certificate OR a positive auto-test OR a text from Social Security or notification in the Tous Anti Covid app asking you to get tested in the frame of risk detection

Barcelona Campus

• Non EU Citizens
  • A copy of your private insurance policy or insurance card
  • Passport or ID card TIE
  • TBS Enrollment Letter
  • Certificado de empadronamiento (not required for private treatment)
• EU Citizens
  • EHIC card
  • Certificado de empadronamiento
  • TBS Enrollment Letter
  • Passport or ID card

In order to be tested in the safest environment, please wear a mask and respect barrier measures.

Toulouse Campus

Antigenic tests are being carried out in pharmacies. In order to get an anteginc test, you’ll need to book an appointment with a pharmacy close to you. Tests results are issued with 30 minutes.

PCR tests are done in test centers, hospitals and labs. You can book a PCR appointment with a lab close to your home. PCR tests at Purpan Hospital are carried out without appointment. Tests resulss are issued within 24 hours.

Should you need additional help, don’t hesitate to contact the Toulouse Campus International Department

Paris Campus

The City of Paris has created a website that allows you to click on your “arrondissement” to find the testing centers that are closest to you when you scroll down. It also contains links to the labs’ websites and phone numbers so you can schedule your test. You’ll find the website here:

Should you need additional help, don’t hesitate to contact the Paris Campus International Department

Barcelona Campus

Casablanca Campus

In collaboration with the National Institute of Hygiene (INH), the Moroccan Ministry of Health has published a list of the different structures that offer COVID-19 testing services. The cost of PCR tests varies between 500DH and 1,000 DH/person. Results may take up to 48h to come in. Regional and University Hospitals are at the disposal of the Moroccan State to conduct national testing campaigns and in-company testing. Some therefore do not offer testing services to the general public and may reorient you towards private establishments.

Prior to testing, we advise our students to get in contact with the hospitals, institutions or laboratories in their neighborhood and request more information about their testing policy.

Please inform the covid cell and your program by contacting the school’s academic department. Whether you’ll need to isolate or not during the time you’re waiting for the results will depend on your vaccination status.

If you are fully vaccinated, you’ll need to strictly respect barrier measure. We also ask you to try to limit contacts until you receive your tests results. If you have symptoms, please contact the covid cell and your doctor if you start feeling worse.

If you are not fully vaccinated, you’ll need to self isolate while wainting for your test results. If you have symptoms, please contact the covid cell and your doctor if you start feeling worse.

You will need to quarantine at home and stay or move to an exclusive online learning module . Should you still feel feverish after your quarantine, please contact your doctor and stay in quarantine for 48 hours after your fever has ended.

To be moved to online learning, please email your program and infocovid19@tbs-education.fr stating:

• when you got tested
• which people you were in contact with at TBS in the 7 days prior to your test.
• if you have symptoms

Your isolation time will depend on your vaccination status:

If you are fully vaccinated, you will need to isolate for 7 days. After 5 days, if you havent been experiencing any symptoms for the last 48 hours, you can get tested again. If your test comes back negative, you can end your isolation on the 5th day. If your test results are still positive, you’ll need to continue your isolation until the 7th day.

If you are not fully vaccinated, you will need to isolate for 10 days. After 7 days, if you havent been experiencing any symptoms for the last 48 hours, you can get tested again. If your test comes back negative, you can end your isolation on the 7th day. If your test results are still positive, you’ll need to continue your isolation until the 10th day.

If you live in a flat-share, please try to stay in your room as much as possible. Wear a mask and use hand-sanitizer when using the common parts. You will also need to inform your flat-mates of your result. If they are TBS students, please inform the infocovid cell.

If you’ve asked to get tested because you experience symptoms or are a contact at risk and your test came in negative, you may return to school while respecting applicable safety measures.

To do so, send you test results to the infocovid cell and inform your program that you’ve tested negative.