Europe holiday rules: The key date to check before you travel to these FOUR countries

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British travel rules are set to ease once again from Friday, February 11, though the same cannot be said for other European countries. An increasing number of destinations across Europe are cracking down on Covid certificate expiry dates for travellers, tightening the requirements for partially vaccinated visitors. France, Spain and Italy are just three popular spots that could turn away unwitting Brits – but there’s one simple way to avoid it.

What do the expiry date restrictions mean?

February half-term is a popular time for Brits heading abroad, with a one week break on offer to school and college pupils across the country.

While Covid vaccine certificates are a standard requirement for most countries already, tighter expiry dates are threatening the holidays of thousands of semi-vaccinated travellers.

Under the latest rules, individuals who have had their second dose of the vaccine too long ago will be turned away from a host of popular European destinations.

Leaving a prolonged period between your second vaccine and booster will invalidate your Covid certificate, forcing Brits to miss out on their holiday.

What are the new requirements for partially vaccinated travellers?

People seeking out a half-term break in Spain or France will be subject to a 270-day expiration date on vaccine certificates.

This means that Brits who received their second dose prior to May 2021 and have not yet been boosted will be deemed unvaccinated.

The booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine should be administered at least three months (12 weeks) after the second jab.

Luckily, there is still time for keen travellers to get boosted before travelling, so long as the booster jab has been administered within 14 days of travelling.

Where else are expiry restrictions in place?

Travellers to Italy and Austria are facing an even stricter expiry period, with just 180 days allowed since receiving the second dose.

With just a six month window allowed between the second vaccine and outbound travel, the popular spots will be working hard to make sure travellers have an in-date certificate before arriving.

Brits heading to either of these destinations will need to have had a booster by the time they travel if they received their second vaccine before August 2021.

According to the NHS, those aged 16 and over can book a booster vaccination appointment online, or attend a walk-in site without needing an appointment.

Eligible children aged 12 to 15 can also go to a walk-in vaccination site or wait to be contacted by a local NHS service.

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How are children affected by the expiry restrictions?

Families heading to these European hotspots will need to make some extra checks before they travel, with many additional challenges posed for unvaccinated children.

Varying requirements across the continent means there is currently no blanket rule for unvaccinated children travelling to Spain, Italy, France or Austria.

While some destinations require all children aged six and over to be fully vaccinated, others allow those under 18 to travel unvaccinated as long as they are with a fully jabbed parent.

It is best to check travel requirements for your destination before travelling this half term.

How effective is the vaccine without the booster?

The booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine helps to improve the existing protection the body already has from the initial two vaccines.

Offering long term protection, the booster is considered vital for preventing serious illness caused by COVID-19.

According to the ZOE Covid Study, protection from the second dose of the vaccine can fade significantly around five to six months after it is administered.

The study found that:

• Initial protection against infection a month after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine was 88 percent, while after five to six months this fell to 74 percent.
• AstraZeneca fell from 77 percent protection a month after the second dose, to 67 percent after four to five months

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