In Europe, thanks to the growing diffusion of vaccines and the attention paid by the tourism sector employees to hygiene and social distancing procedures, tourism could resume as early as summer 2021, in conditions of safety for both travellers and local residents. The travel certificate could be the key to re-open Europe.

The travel green list for summer holiday 2021

In addition, some countries are compiling a “green list” of destinations abroad where it will be possible to go on vacation, thanks to the low number of Covid-19 cases and the success of their vaccine rollout.

People in England, for example, from 17 May are allowed to take holidays abroad in a small number of countries, without having to quarantine when back home. Travellers will need to take a Covid test in their holiday destination before returning home, fill in a online form and than just take a PCR test on or before day two of their arrival in England. There will be no need to quarantine or take additional tests, unless the post-arrival test is positive.

Portugal is one of the 12 permitted destinations on the English government’s Green list.

What is a travel certificate?

• been vaccinated against COVID-19;
• received a negative test result;
• recovered from COVID-19.

How to get a travel certificate?

The travel certificate will give proof that a person has had two doses of any Covid-19 vaccine authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). However, vaccine will not be a pre-condition to free movement, which is a fundamental right in the EU. The travel certificate is an opportunity for Member States to adjust the existing restrictions on public health grounds, and to take this proof of people’s COVID-19 status into account to facilitate travel. In fact, the Digital Green Certificate can also prove the results of testing, which is often required under applicable public health restrictions.

The Re-open EU tool provides an overview of the health situation in European countries, based on data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The tool also provides information on the various restrictions in place, including on quarantine and testing requirements for travelers.

This should help you plan your travel in Europe while staying safe and healthy. The information is updated frequently and available in 24 languages.

Does the travel certificate protect privacy?

For verification purposes, only the validity and authenticity of the certificate are checked by verifying who issued and signed it. In fact, each issuing body has its own digital signature key. All of these are stored in a secure database in each country.