In order to make sure tourists travel safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union has agreed on a brand-new agenda to be much more lenient on movement restrictions. There has been implemented a traffic light system to categorize EU nations (EU 27+ Liechtenstein, Iceland, Switzerland and Norway) as per their epidemiological infection rate which has been put into place.
Among the various nations, Slovenia was also one that joined the EU digital COVID certificate introduction on 1st of July. Presently, you’ll be happy to know that it is a part of the free travel movement in Europe. If you’re a Slovenian, you must have breathed a sigh of relief as the government has declared the end of an epidemic due to the epidemiological state of the country seeming safe and stable.
However, now that the Delta plus variant is gradually spreading through different places of Europe, this too might change. For now, Slovenia has eased off restrictions and given a green signal to tourists. You may check here for more information on the EU COVID digital certificate and how it impacts tourists.
The EU Digital COVID Certificate – Things to know
It was on 1st of July, 2021 that the EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation entered into the market. EU residents and citizens can now have the Digital COVID certificates ready and issued throughout the EU. Keep reading to know more on these.
An EU digital COVID certificate is an online proof whether or not a person has:
- Received a negative RT-PCR test result or
- Been vaccinated against COVID-19 or
- Recovered from COVID-19
The main features of the EU digital COVID certificate are:
- Paper format/digital
- Free of charge
- Comes with QR code
- Secure and safe
- In national language and in English
- Valid throughout all EU countries
How should the citizens get this certificate?
There are several national authorities that are in charge of giving this digital certificate. The eHealth portal or the health authorities or the test centers could directly issue the certificate.
You can store the digital version of this certificate in a mobile device but citizens may also request for a paper version. Both these forms of certificate will have a QR code which has vital details and will also contain a digital signature to ensure that the certificate is authentic.
EU member nations have agreed on one common design which can be used for both the paper and electronic versions to enhance the process of recognition.
How can this certificate help in free movement?
The EU digital COVID certificate is a document that will be accepted by all the member states of the European Union. This document will help in making sure that the restrictions are presently applied but they can soon be lifted in a systematic manner.
While traveling, the EU digital COVID certificate holder should actually be exempted from free movement rules and the member states should keep from imposing any other travel restrictions on the people who own EU Digital COVID certificate.
In what way does the certificate work?
- The certificate comprises a QR code which has an online signature to safeguard against any false claim
- As the certificate is checked, the QR code is scanned and verified.
- Each of the issuing body has its specific digital signature key and these are stored in a safe database in each country
People who are traveling with a negative test and following the format of EU Digital COVID certificate may be excluded from the quarantine requirements. However, if they come from regions that are heavily infected by the virus, they might have to follow the protocol.
Author Bio:
Susan Noel is an experienced content writer. She is associated with many renowned travel blogs as a guest author where she shares her valuable travel tips with the audience.