Overview
On Wednesday, June 9th, the European Parliament endorsed a new Vaccine Certificate that will allow travelers to move between EU states without extra quarantine requirements or coronavirus testing. The certificate will be accepted across all 27 states beginning July 1, 2021.
Key Points
- A Vaccine Certificate issued by EU countries will authorize travel between all EU countries.
- Individual countries will issue the Vaccine Certificates.
- Vaccine Certificates will be issued via a QR code with advanced security features. Personal data will not be shared with other countries.
What has Changed?
Currently, traveling within the EU is challenging given the various individual country travel bans and restrictions in place. Each nation is applying different rules and standards, which makes travel confusing. Yesterday, the European Parliament voted to unite these regulations with a common Vaccine Certificate.
Several EU countries have already begun using the system, including Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Poland.
Beginning July 1st, all EU countries must recognize the Vaccine Certificate for one year. Vaccine Certificates will be issued free of charge. They will certify that a foreign national has either been fully vaccinated against the virus, has recently tested negative or has recovered from the disease.
Vaccine Certificates will be issued by individual nations, not from a centralized European system. Certificates will contain a QR code with advanced security features so that personal data is not shared with other countries. Most countries will be issuing Vaccine Certificates digitally.
Looking Forward
The European Union is eager to streamline and ease travel restrictions during the summer season. All states are committed to reopening their economies as safely and quickly as possible.
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