Will You Need a 'Vaccine Passport' to Travel?

With the Covid-19 vaccine rolled out in most countries, travellers saw some light at the end of the tunnel for their holidays in 2021. In the UK, most people are predicted to have both their vaccinations by the time international travelling starts again (after the 17th of May).

As countries are still largely trying to contain Covid-19, governments are considering new requirements for travellers such as a ‘vaccine passport’. The question in most people’s minds now is: Will vaccination be compulsory to enter some countries, even as a tourist or to avoid quarantining upon arrival?

You will want to read on if you’re asking the same. The short answer is though; most likely, yes.

What is a ‘vaccine passport’?

A vaccine passport is simply evidence of your Covid-19 vaccination(s) which your destination country accepts. This depends on the country you’re visiting so it could be a document where you declare that you have had both courses of Covid-19 vaccinations, a vaccine card or a signed document by a clinician that details what vaccine was used, when and from which batch.

Who is asking for a vaccine passport?

Some countries have already started to say that they will be welcoming tourists who have been vaccinated, including Denmark, Sweden and Greece.

Others include Estonia and Romania, who said they will allow tourists to enter their country without having to quarantine if they have had Covid-19 in the past few months or have been vaccinated against the virus. Cyprus says they will accept those travelling from the UK who have had their vaccinations without requiring testing from May 1st.

Currently, you only need to have a negative PCR test when arriving in Turkey.

How to get a vaccine passport?

There isn’t an international standardised ‘vaccine passport’ yet, but you almost certainly won’t be needing hundreds of different versions.

European officials are planning on introducing a "Green Digital Certificate" for allowing those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, those who have tested negative or have recently recovered from the virus to travel within the EU. Israel started using a "green passport" that allows people who have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 to attend public events. Denmark will also be launching a pass that allows vaccinated people to travel with fewer restrictions.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has proposed a Travel Pass initiative, which is a mobile app that includes information about testing and vaccine requirements for their journey.
However, as of this moment, an international “vaccine passport” doesn’t exist.

Our advice for those who want to travel in 2021

We advise all our customers to double-check the travel requirements of the country they are planning to visit. At the moment, this will either be a negative PCR test received in a maximum of 72 hours before travelling, or a document proving you have had both doses of your Covid-19 vaccine.

Don’t leave anything to chance, book your holidays with us to keep up to date with all last-minute changes and flexible cancellation options. Call us on 0208 661 1805 to book your holidays for the summer!