Two weeks later, from 1 February, new rules on the validity of covid vaccination certificates will enter into force in the EU. Those over 9 months old will not be able to travel within the union. The European Commission changed the rules at the end of last year due to the large differences in the validity of vaccination certificates in different countries, reminds BNT.
Those who do not have a booster dose will travel as before – using other forms of covid certification – PCR test or proof of recovery after covid.
The new rules were adopted because there were large differences between countries over the validity of vaccination certificates. Now it will be the same for all countries when it comes to travel.
In practice, this means that if:
– you have been vaccinated more than 9 months ago
– you do not have a booster dose
– after 1 February you are traveling to another EU country
when checked, your vaccination certificate will be reported as expired and you will need to provide a valid PCR test.
This does not mean that you will be considered unvaccinated, but simply that your vaccination certificate cannot be used for travel if it is older than 9 months.
The nine-month validity period of the certificates issued after the primary vaccination will provide security when planning trips within the EU, according to the European Commission. It will also encourage states and citizens to set booster doses.
For now, the certificates issued after the third dose will not expire of validity because there is still no scientific evidence of how long protection lasts after booster vaccination.
As before, individual countries will be able to determine for themselves the validity of covid certificates when they are used for internal purposes – such as access to restaurants, museums or other public places.
But Brussels is urging countries to comply with the new validity of the vaccination certificate when introducing internal rules, so as not to cause chaos.
We continue to follow closely the measures taken by the Member States and call on them to take coordinated action. The Kovid certificate has proven to work well across the EU and has proven to work across Europe in all its forms – vaccination, test and post-disease recovery certificates. When we have more information about the new option, we will better coordinate the measures of the parties regarding it, said Christian Wigant, spokesman for the European Commission.
As before, the period of validity of post-vaccination certificates will not be indicated in the documents.
Instead, from February 1, all mobile applications used to verify digital certificates will be adapted. If the date of vaccination is earlier than 9 months or 270 days, the mobile application used for verification will indicate that the certificate has expired.
In our country there are already almost 500,000 people with a booster dose, for them there will be no change in the rules for traveling to the EU after February 1.
Important clarification: The green certificate for vaccination on the territory of Bulgaria has an unlimited term.
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