EU digital Covid-19 certificates will be open to non-EU international travelers
(CNN) — The EU digital Covid-19 certificate for travel can be opened to non-EU international travelers, including those from the United States, subject to individual member states’ acceptance of proof of vaccination, a negative test result or recovery from Covid infection, an EU Commission spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday.”Right now if you’re an American, not living in the EU, you could get the certificate if you ask the national authorities of a member state to give you that certificate based on some proof that you’ve been vaccinated, or had a recent Covid test,” said the spokesperson with knowledge of the policy.However, he cautioned that such a decision would rest with each individual member state.The spokesperson also said the EU Commission was in talks with the United States on a US Covid-19 certificate which EU states could accept as equivalent.On Tuesday, the EU Commission announced in a press release that seven European countries — Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland — had started issuing EU digital Covid certificates for travel within the bloc.The system will be fully enforced from July 1, but member states can now start using it on a voluntarily basis, the Commission said.”It will be free of charge, secure and accessible to all. Available in digital format or on paper, it will be a proof that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, tested negative, or recovered from an infection,” the EU Commission said Tuesday.”It is important that during the coming weeks, all Member States fully finalise their national systems to issue, store and verify certificates, so the system is functioning in time for the holiday season,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in the press release. “EU citizens are looking forward to travelling again, and they want to do so safely. Having an EU certificate is a crucial step on the way.”Photo: A supermoon sets behind the Eiffel Tower on April 27, 2021 in Paris. Sam Tarling/Getty Images
