The ministers of the European Union have reached an agreement on updating the rules to facilitate safe and free movement in the member countries. Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders explained their proposal on Tuesday 25 January. They stated, “Clarity and predictability for our citizens is key to safe travel success, through our well-established and highly successful EU Digital COVID Certificate.” They added that “more than 1.2 billion certificates issued testify to the success of this tool, which has been deployed throughout the EU and globally. It is a true European success story that has gone global.”

Unique bet for the COVID Certificate

In this way, the Member States have reconfirmed that “possession of a valid EU digital COVID certificate should, in principle, be sufficient to travel during the pandemic. Therefore, this agreement places the EU Digital COVID Certificate EU at the heart and center of our coordinated approach.”

The European representatives argued that “each Member State decides based on the circumstances it faces. But omicron has already spread throughout Europe and it is time to analyze the interruption of the additional travel measures that several Member States have introduced in recent weeks, making travel more cumbersome and less predictable across the EU.

In this regard, they called on all Member States to implement the common rules quickly to ensure coordination and clarity for European citizens and travellers.

viajes europa certificado covid

Recommendations for traveling within the EU

Europe launches the following recommendations so that all countries act in a coordinated manner.

  • If you have a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate, in principle no additional restrictions should be presented.
  • If you do not already have a valid EU digital COVID certificate, you should be allowed to travel based on a pre-arrival or post-arrival test.
  • The vaccination certificate issued for the primary vaccination series will be valid for 270 days.
  • If you are traveling from a ‘dark red’ area and do not have a vaccination or recovery certificate, you may be required to undergo a test prior to departure and quarantine for 10 days after arrival, with the possibility of ending quarantine with a negative test after day 5.
  • Any measure that restricts your free movement must be proportionate and you should not, in principle, be denied entry.