Travel to Paris during the 2024 Olympic Games will be conditional on the presentation of a games pass, based on a QR Code. This pass will be required in certain areas of the capital and Île-de-France. The registration platform to collect it is now online. Here are the main points of how it works.
The hosting of the Olympic Games in Paris, from July 26 to August 11, will have notable repercussions for Ile-de-France residents, but also for all people wishing to travel in the capital and around sports sites. Public transport promises to be congested, for example.
Several areas of Paris and competition venues will also be subject to provisional rules — which will continue during the Paralympic Games, which will run from August 28 to September 8. We have also known this since November 2023: a QR Code will be required in the event of a check by the police in these secure areas.
This QR Code is officially named Games Pass and it has its official website, online since May 10 and partially operational since then (registrations are currently possible for the opening ceremony, but not the rest). This is where the public submits their request for a digital pass to access areas under special regime.
Who should have a QR Code for the 2024 Olympics?
All people wishing to go to the areas linked to the Olympic Games and their security must have this QR Code, and this, during the Games period. This includes residents whose homes fall into it (including barges), traders, people who work in these sectors, delivery people, visitors, etc.
This obligation applies regardless of the means of transport. Pedestrians will be controlled, as will motorists (you need an exemption to use your vehicle in certain areas) and two-wheelers. Generally speaking, from the moment you enter one of these zones, you will have to show your credentials.
Checkpoints are to be expected around these perimeters, to filter passages and control comings and goings. Laurent Nuñez indicated last fall that “ access, entry and exit points will be defined. » Of the four restricted zones planned, the Games Pass will not be necessary for the blue perimeter. The other three, yes.
What are the dates for the 2024 Olympics?
From July 26 to August 11 for the Olympic Games.
From August 28 to September 8 for the Paralympic Games.
Where will this certificate of access to the Olympic Games apply in Paris and Île-de-France?
The sites where the competitions take place are integrated into security perimeters of different sizes, with constraints that are increasingly strict the closer we get to the sports areas. Conversely, they become lighter with distance. The perimeters are organized according to a color code: gray, black, red and blue.
On the Paris police headquarters website, details are given for all security perimeters, in the capital, but also in the inner suburbs (Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Yvelines). Several maps are available in PDF files, to visualize the situation zone by zone. The color code is included.
The QR Code must only concern the red zones (and, therefore, the black and gray zones, which are systematically inside). There are no plans to use it for blue zones, for pedestrians or for cyclists. For motorists, these blue zones cannot be crossed — except in the case of an exemption and proof.
When will the QR code be needed to travel?
The opening ceremony of Paris 2024 will take place on July 26. However, according to Gérald Darmanin’s interview given to Le Parisien on April 8, the QR Code will become necessary one week before. This is when the security perimeter will become watertight and checks by the police will begin.
Depending on the circumstances, the size of the perimeters may change – this will be the case for the opening ceremony, with a much larger red zone, along the Seine. Concerning the tests, the activation of restrictions will take place 2.5 hours before each session and will be lifted 1 hour after the last. Exceptions cannot be excluded, depending on the circumstances.
How do you collect the 2024 Olympic Games Pass? And or ?
The dedicated platform has been online since May 10 and partially active since May 13. This is pass-jeux.gouv.fr (note the use of an address in “gouv.fr”, which is the official address of the French government). Since May 13, you can collect your personal pass for the opening ceremony. Sports venues are not yet offered.
What information must be provided?
Concerning the Games Pass, the following information is required:
- First and last name ;
- Date of birth ;
- Place of birth ;
- Email address ;
- Address ;
- An identity photo ;
- A copy of proof of identity.
If it is a vehicle pass, it must include:
- Registration;
- A copy of the vehicle’s registration document.
The government warns that depending on the nature of the exemption, the Pass Jeux site will request various supporting documents. This includes in particular:
- Proof of address ;
- Proof of temporary accommodation;
- Proof of employer or mission;
- Proof of visit;
- A professional card;
- Proof of parking in the area.
Completing the form will also ask you for the status with which you are requesting your Games Pass (resident, worker, visitor), and the associated sub-status. For example, there are permanent residents (owner or tenant) and temporary residents (secondary residence, one-off rental, etc.).
It is possible to check different reasons during a request and, for each of them, several times according to needs. Explanations are sometimes added to clarify the meaning of a request. Thus, a reservation can cover a museum as well as a restaurant or a hairdressing salon. An FAQ is also provided.
When are Game Passes sent?
The generation of Game Passes is not immediate. “ The Games Passes will be sent once your request has been validated », Specifies the official website, due to the administrative investigations carried out on the applicants. This screening will concern hundreds of thousands of people, and even perhaps a million, according to the Minister of the Interior.
“ If you register after the perimeters have been set up, it is not certain that you will receive your Games Pass on time given the processing times. Remember to anticipate your request », Adds the official website. The average time to receive your digital pass is not indicated; it is also requested not to multiply requests.
What about people who don’t have access to the Internet?
Setting up a platform involves access to the Internet so that one can register. For people living in these areas, and who do not have access to the Internet, communication is planned with the support of Paris town hall. Gérald Darmanin spoke about door-to-door and mailbox hauling
“ We will help people register », According to the Minister of the Interior. “ The police will make discernment: if a 95-year-old man arrives with his identity document, we will do the work with him “, he added. Atypical scenarios remain plausible, such as a visitor not living on site, and without access, but wanting to attend the Olympics.
According to 2021 figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), more than 99% of the population aged 15 or over has a telephone, landline or mobile. 95% have a mobile phone and 77% a smartphone. In most cases, a plan with Internet data is associated with the phone.
With which smartphones will the QR Code be compatible?
The government has declared that it would be possible to present the Games Pass and the QR Code on your mobile, which implies that the chosen solution will be compatible with OS and Android, the two main mobile operating systems. Their combined market share is almost hegemonic — other mobile OSes are virtually non-existent.
Receipt of this QR Code will not be done through a mobile application. Rather, it is a question of receiving a confirmation email in which you will find the pass. We find this mechanism when we take cinema tickets, for example: the confirmation email includes a QR Code to pass through the access gates to the cinemas.
Can we print the QR Code on a sheet of paper?
Yes. As in the days of travel certificates, in the times of the Coronavirus pandemic, everything necessary can be produced on paper.
How does a QR Code work?
The general principle of how a QR Code works is the subject of a dedicated article. Its role and interest are explained there, as is its origin.
Do you want to know everything about the mobility of tomorrow, from electric cars to e-bikes? Subscribe now to our Watt Else newsletter!