After months of rumors and questions, the EU 27 have agreed on a “EU health pass”, a Covid-19 passeport to be instated from June 15, 2021.
For several months now, the world has been deprived of travel because of the health crisis. A situation that could soon change with the implementation of the vaccination passport. Intended to simplify our next trips abroad, while avoiding the progression of the epidemic, this European health certificate was presented in outline in Brussels a few days ago. It will include an up-to-date vaccination certificate, or failing that, for all those who could not or did not want to be vaccinated, the result of a recent negative PCR test. For former patients, a certificate of recovery should also be available. Asked by RTL, European Commissioner Thierry Breton explained “We thought it was very important, from the moment we could be sure that every European who wishes to be vaccinated will have equitable access to the vaccine (…), that at that time it would be good if we could have a mechanism (…) which demonstrates your state”.
For now, this certificate has not been announced as being mandatory, and even less for people who have never contracted Covid -19 and / or its variants. It is still unclear whether or not the latter will be mandatory to leave the territory in the future.
Available in mid-June, this vaccine passport will be offered in digital format on smartphones, and in paper version. As on the new French digital identity card, a QR Code will attest to the validity of the documents presented. The goals for this device is to allow Europeans to move around freely again, especially as the summer period approaches.
In concrete words, this Covid-19 passeport will include several personal details including “your date of birth, pass number, certified with a QR code and if you’ve been vaccinated, the type of vaccine given, and if you have antibodies. For those not vaccinated nor sick, it will show your PCR test result”, the EU Commissioner said.
“An airline will be able to ask it, and if you don’t have it, you’ll be asked to take a test”, he added. The document – available on each EU country’s health ministry’s websites might be also asked to take part in a “major event” or enter a public place.
Please do not hesitate to check our category “Latest Travel News“. Read our latest blog post on this topic: What will travel look like in a post covid world.
