EU Digital COVID Certificates now live, opening door to American tourism
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There is major news in the push to open Europe to tourism: Seven European Union countries have unveiled and are already using EU Digital COVID Certificates (formerly called “green passports“) as of Tuesday, June 2, 2021.
The New York Times reporting today that seven countries are using these passports. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland made the certificates available to their citizens today. They are reportedly already being used for travel. All 27 member nations of the EU should have the vaccine passports available as of July 1, 2021. The European Commission is in talks with the United States about allowing Americans to also have access to the EU Digital COVID Certificate, but details on that have not been finalized.
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Also called “Digital Green Certificates (DGC),” they are designed to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19, that the user has received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19.
Related: Country-by-country guide to Europe reopening
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The DGC will allow citizens of EU countries free movement around their own country, as well as travel abroad to other countries within the EU. The European Commission has also said it will include non-EU Member States, such as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland but not the United Kingdom. The DGC is supposed to be available for free in digital or paper format.
The European Union government is also asking member countries to waive testing and quarantine requirements for those who are vaccinated, have recently recovered from coronavirus or have negative test results. Each member country can set its own rules.
Related: I was one of the first Americans on a COVID-tested flight to Italy
The EU is calling June a “warm-up phase,” where the certificates are voluntary, with July 1 being the official kick-off. For that reason, Americans should probably wait until the rules and requirements are formalized before making any last-minute plans. The alternative is to book a European trip with a country where we know Americans are already being welcomed, such as Greece, Croatia or Italy.
Related: Where you can go if you’re vaccinated
Featured image of the Acropolis at sunset, Athens, Greece by sborisov/Getty Images
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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