As the world reopens, the COVID-19 vaccine will be a recent entry requirement for some destinations and travel providers.
Many destinations will accept evidence of vaccination to enable some travelers to skip COVID-19 tests and lengthy quarantines. This proof, in some countries, may come in the form of a vaccine passport or as a vaccination certificate. To finally relieve the nations from the clutches of the Covid 19 pandemic and promote the tourism industry with the safety of citizens and travelers the EU Commission has formulated the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC), previously called the Digital Green Certificate. It will allow travel restrictions to be lifted across all 27 member states – and will be accessible for particular non-EU countries, too. It will contain information about an individual’s vaccination, test, and/or recovery status in regards to COVID-19.
Check out all your FAQs regarding the EU certificates and it’s significance:
What Is the Purpose of EU’s Digital Green Certificate?
The European Commission has formulated the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) which is known as the Digital Green Certificate of Europe and among the public is already comprehended as a vaccine certificate or vaccine passport, in the convenience to enable safe travel for EU citizens and residents throughout the zone. With this certificate, Europe resolves to convince the Member States to reduce regulations on autonomous movement for those carrying such certificates.
They will be vaccinated individuals and those who have recovered lately from the virus. With the formulation of this certificate the EU commission explains that “When traveling, every Digital Green Certificate holder will have the same rights as citizens of the visited Member State who have been vaccinated, tested or recovered.” Commission further announces that
“While the Member States will still be able to continue to oblige arrivals from other EU countries to quarantine or test, they must inform the Commission and all other Member States and provide reason nations for such measures.” This announcement clears the importance of the EU certificates for travel in 2021.
What Information Will a Vaccine Certificate Include?
The vaccine certificate will contain all the information about an individual’s vaccination, test and/or recovery status in concerns to COVID-19. It will be allocated to those who have recovered from the virus, and those who aren’t immunised anyhow, will contain the heeding information of its holder:
- Name& surname
- Date Of Birth
- Issuing Member State a unique identifier (QR code)
- The certificate will consist of a digital signature as well.
- For vaccinated travelers: vaccine product and manufacturer, number of doses, date of vaccination.
- For tested travelers: type of test, date and time of test, test center, and result.
- For travelers who have recovered from the virus: date of the positive test result, an issuer of the certificate, date of issuance, validity date.
The individual travelling can decide to hold up either a digital or paper-based certificate. Every certificate will be issued in two languages, in English and the official language(s) of the issuing country. Hence it has become an essential document to travel.
How Will It Work Across the EU?
The first part of a vaccination passport is the user’s official or authorized electronic immunization document. The certificates will be issued by certified bodies each member asserts, which can be hospitals, test centres, health authorities, etc. Each of them will incorporate its digital signature key, which will be part of the QR code of the Digital Green Certificate. The major explanation why the certificates will encompass a QR code is in order to prohibit their falsification.
Whenever the certificate proprietor is instructed to present it, the QR code will be scanned and the signature validated. The verification will be made feasible through a gateway built by the EU Commission. The gateway will not pass the personal data of the certificate holder. The European Union, China, and Japan are all maneuvering on their digital vaccination certificates for cross-border travel. The U.K., meanwhile, updated its National Health Service app last week to let fully vaccinated users prove their status when traveling abroad, occurring simultaneously with an early easing of travel statutes.
How Much Will a Digital Green Certificate Cost And How Long Will EU Residents Have to Use it?
The Immunity, Test, and Vaccine Certificates will continue to be issued until the World Health Organization (WHO) announces the health emergency resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic. The certificates will be free of charge for all EU citizens and inhabitants. Their expenses will be covered by the issuing member state. The latter will be supported by the Commission. The gateway at the EU level will also be financially covered by the Commission. This is how the Eu commission promotes every citizen and resident to issue their certificates as soon as possible and then travel freely.
Which Vaccines Will Be Accepted?
All COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency will be recognized by the EUDCC. The EU Commission instructs the member states to issue certificates regardless of the type of COVID-19 vaccine the EU citizen has received. These incorporate the stabs developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford/AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. However, where the Member States accept evidence of vaccination to vindicate the traveler from some public health restrictions, containing testing and quarantine, they would be instructed to accept, under similar conditions, vaccination certificates issued under the Digital Green Certificate system.
Member states will also be free to decide for themselves whether to accept other vaccines. To make sure that tests illustrated in the certificates are valid, the Commission has decided that only the so-called NAAT tests (including RT-PCR tests) and rapid antigen tests. A list of these tests has been established based on Council Recommendation 2021/C 24/01. For the time being, this will not include self-tests.
Countries That Require A Covid Vaccine To Travel: Europe
It is not believed countries will deny entry to European travelers without the vaccine. Instead, restrictions could be eased for vaccine passport holders. The following European countries can be considered free for traveling:
- Austria: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Belgium: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Bulgaria: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Croatia: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Cyprus: COVID vaccination will soon be required to enter
- Czechia: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Denmark: Vaccine passport expected to be ready in early 2021
- Estonia: Digital COVID vaccination card in development
- Finland: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- France: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Germany: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Greece: No COVID vaccination is required to enter yet. The government is pushing for an agreement on common vaccination certificates in the EU and has signed a ‘green passport’ deal with Israel
- Hungary: Vaccination card requirement already implemented for returning Hungarian citizens
- Ireland: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Italy: No COVID vaccination required to enter yet
- Latvia: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Lithuania: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Luxembourg: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Malta: No COVID vaccination required to enter
- Netherlands: No COVID vaccination required to enter
How Long Will the Certificates Be Valid?
The validity of certificates will depend on scientific information and will be specified by the verifiers obeying their national regulations, and will be diversified according to that. The Commission has, however, recommended that the certificates published by the other Member States are acknowledged following the equivalent ordinances as the ones pertained to nationally issued certificates. The regulation also acquaints some fundamental principles, for illustration, establishing the maximum validity duration of the certificate of convalescence at 180 days. Yet one can consider the requirement of the certificate for the entire 2021 or unless the world is vaccinated and the World Health Organization relieves the emergency announced due to the Covid19 pandemic.
Feature image courtesy : European Union