The Digital Covid Certificate is rolling out in Europe and could soon be available to Americans.
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On Tuesday, the European Commission announced that the EU Digital Covid Certificate was finally live. At launch, seven E.U. countries are using the app and the other bloc countries will roll it out by July 1.
The free mobile app provides digital proof via a QR code that a traveler has been vaccinated against Covid-19, has recently tested negative for Covid-19 or has recovered from the illness.
A European Union spokesperson told CNN yesterday that the app could be extended to citizens from non-E.U. countries, including the United States. In principle, holders of the E.U. Digital Covid Certificate should be exempted from travel restrictions such as quarantine requirements.
“Right now if you’re an American, not living in the E.U., 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 E.U. spokesperson. The decision on whether to allow non-E.U. citizens to use the app would rest with each individual member state.
The Digital Covid Certificate just started rolling out. Each E.U. member state can launch the certificate on a voluntary basis provided it is ready to issue and verify certificates, and have the necessary legal base in place.
The commission is calling the month of June the “warm-up phase.” So far, only seven European member countries are using the pass. They are:
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Germany
- Greece
- Poland
Sixteen other E.U. countries plus Switzerland have finished the testing phase and are technically ready to begin using the pass at any time. These include:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Cyprus
- Estonia
- France
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Romania
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
In addition, seven more countries — four in the E.U. and three outside the bloc — are currently in the testing phase.
- Finland
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Norway
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
The E.U. Digital Covid Certificate includes limited information such as the traveler’s name, date of birth and relevant information about the vaccine received, Covid test results or recovery from Covid. This data remains on the certificate and is not stored or retained by visited countries.
All three vaccines available in the United States—Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson—will be covered under the E.U. certificate.
Last month, the 27 ambassadors for European Union agreed to open their borders to vaccinated Americans and other non-EU citizens after more than a year of travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some E.U. member states, including Greece, had already started allowing tourists to visit without quarantine requirements if they have been vaccinated.
Next week, Spain and France will open its borders to U.S. travelers on June 7 and June 9, respectively.
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