Traveling in Europe with a corona pass? This will change this week

But for many travelers it is now confusing. Because although a standard has been agreed for international travel, that does not mean that the rules for, for example, catering visits are the same everywhere. Whoever arrives at the destination must adhere to the local covid rules. That sounds logical, but has consequences for, for example, Dutch people who have been vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine, or who have not been boosted.

In principle, anyone who has had the Janssen vaccine has only received one basic vaccination. If you have subsequently received a booster shot with an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna), you are considered fully vaccinated in the Netherlands. But that is not the case everywhere.

Germany

For example, Germany has required three vaccinations for a valid vaccination pass since January 14, following Austria. According to the German rules you must two have had extra mRNA shots after Janssen to be considered boosted and thus allowed to go to a restaurant or even a shop. These rules lead to many questions among Dutch people who want to go to Germany, according to the Germany Institute Amsterdam.

Minister Kuipers (Public Health) will now ask the Health Council whether people who have been vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine can still get an extra shot. This would mean that they meet the German vaccination requirements.

France and Italy

Then France, where the pass vaccinal has now been officially introduced. Anyone who wants to go there must demonstrate that he or she has been fully vaccinated. That means: two vaccinations + a booster or, in case of a previous corona infection, two vaccinations.

Then there is Italy, which will also limit the validity of the corona pass in the interior on Tuesday. For use within that country, the validity of the vaccination certificates will be shortened from nine to six months.

For many Dutch tourists these measures feel contradictory; after all, many assumed that the EU wanted to harmonize the rules as much as possible. But the domestic rules are intended as measures for their own population, and countries really prefer to do that themselves.

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