This is how we can travel abroad from July – how will the EU certificate work
It is a common misconception that from July, tourists vaccinated with an EU-approved vaccine will be able to travel anywhere without restrictions, claims Forbes, but at least people from Hungary who want to travel will not have to ask for the English translations of vaccination paper anymore.
“The Hungarian government concludes agreements on the mutual acceptance of protection cards with countries that already allow tourists from the EU, while deliberately not joining the common European system in time to facilitate travel,” says Forbes.
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While the government praises its successful vaccine strategy due to the high rate of vaccination, many countries do not allow people vaccinated with the Chinese or the Russian vaccine to enter without restrictions. There are clear disadvantages to these eastern vaccines when it comes to travel. Sputnik’s European approval is delayed by months, so the situation might not change soon.
According to Telex, the June 3rd government info claimed there is no technical obstacle to the use of the EU Covid card in Hungary from 1 July, and the government is confident that the Hungarian immunity card will also be accepted in the EU.
“For the time being, we can say that there is a Hungarian immunity card, and there is no EU immunity card”
said PM Orbán. However, according to Forbes, this is not entirely true. The EU system was launched, and many countries joined in June, while Hungary is lagging behind.
The essence of the EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) is that the authorities and institutions of the member states upload the necessary data and certificates through a central gateway. So all EU citizens can use a certificate with a uniform look and content, either downloaded to their phone or in physical format.
The majority of member states have already certified and accepted a certificate in the common system. There are only three states that are still in the testing phase: Malta, Finland, and Hungary.
Orbán also claimed that by July, the electronic version of the Hungarian ID card will contain all the information requested by the EU (the type of the vaccine and the dates of inoculation).
An important EU commitment is that if a country is late, its citizens who want to travel will not be disadvantaged.
The EU covid certificate is a simple technical development that proves that its owner has been vaccinated or infected, or has a negative test. The great advantage is that it is adopted uniformly in Europe. However, it is up to the member states to decide how to use it. This means that even after introducing the EU certificate, member states will have the opportunity and room for manoeuvre. If you’re planning a trip, you should start by checking the current entry rules in the given country.
Foreigners presenting the certificate must be granted the same rights as citizens with the same protection. It is mandatory to accept EMA-approved vaccines, and it is up to the member states to decide how to handle Eastern vaccines. It is also up to the member states to determine how to calculate the protection for each vaccine and what test results are accepted.
Many places will likely be less restricted from July, but countries are still entitled to close down, for example, in case of a new variant of the virus appearing within its borders.
Read alsoWant to travel abroad from Hungary? – Here is everything you need to know
Source: Forbes, Telex