25.01.2022

VALIDITY OF CERTIFICATES WHEN TRAVELING IN THE EU FROM 1 FEBRUARY

The European digital Covid vaccination certificates for 93,000 Bulgarian citizens, whose vaccination course was completed more than 270 days ago on February 1, will not be valid for travel to the European Union, reminded by the Ministry of Health.

 The reason is that from 1 February 2022, all EU digital Covid certificates issued proving a completed vaccination course will be valid for 270 days from the date of the last dose.

The Ministry of Health points out that when a booster dose is given, the vaccination certificate is not limited in validity.

The Italian authorities have reduced the validity of the certificate to 6 months, which will also apply to those who have received a booster dose of vaccine. The rule comes into force in Italy on February 1.

However, England eased Covid travel measures.

The Council of the EU announced today that it has adopted a recommendation amending the rules on travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Council recommends that, from 1 February, the restrictions be based on the passenger and not on the place from which he arrives. It is envisaged that anyone with a valid certificate will be allowed to cross the border without additional conditions.

It is recommended that the validity of the certificates for the vaccinated be 270 days, for the sick - 180 days, and for the tested - up to 72 hours from the sampling.

Non-certified passengers may be required to be tested immediately before travel or up to 24 hours after arrival. The Council of the EU proposes that the general rules should not apply to frontier workers, important travelers and children under 12 years of age.

It is envisaged that all these proposals will apply to travel from countries that do not fall into the so-called dark red zone, where the spread of the disease is high. Today, for the fourth time, the EU Council issued general recommendations on freedom of travel since the beginning of the pandemic.