1 July 2021: EU-wide “Green Passport” comes into force

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The EU’s digital Covid certificate comes into force on Thursday. It allows a QR code to prove that a person has been vaccinated against Corona or tested negative or has survived an infection.

The certificate will be recognized in all 27 EU countries as well as Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Travel within Europe should thus become easier. However, there are still different requirements for entry into the countries.

The entry regulations of the individual countries differ, for example, in the duration of validity of convalescence certificates and test results, as well as the age of minors for whom a test is required. Also different is the deadline from which a vaccination is recognized. In most cases, this is 14 days after a full immunization (second dose or first dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine).

The EU Council has recently issued a recommendation that recovered persons should only need one vaccination and thus receive a vaccination certificate. This recommendation must first be technically and legally implemented in Austria. In addition, registration is mandatory in many countries prior to travel.

Up-to-date information on travel
Since regulations are constantly and rapidly changing, it is advisable to obtain information before traveling: Detailed information on the requirements of each country can be found on the EU’s Reopen Europa page at https://reopen.europa.eu/de.

Current travel information is also available on the Foreign Ministry’s site. Entry regulations for Austria are listed on the Ministry of Health’s website. Information is also available from transport and travel companies.

In Austria, the “Green Passport” with cell phone signature or citizen card is available at www.gesundheit.gv.at. So far, 3.4 million certificates have already been retrieved, the Ministry of Health told APA on Wednesday. Another way to get the certificate is via the direct link sent after a Coronatest. Through direct links after tests, 9.8 million certificates have been retrieved so far.

In addition, several offline options are available, according to the Ministry of Health: People who are fully immunized by the end of June will receive their vaccination certificate by mail. A printout is also possible at physicians in private practice, pharmacies, ÖGK customer service points and testing centers. If you have any questions, please call the AGES hotline at 0800 555 621.