Travel in EU: Nine-month acceptance period adopted for digital Covid certificate

The European Commission has adopted rules relating to the EU digital Covid certificate, establishing a binding acceptance period of 9 months (precisely 270 days) of vaccination certificates for the purposes of intra-EU travel.
The EU’s executive body wrote in a press release on Tuesday, December 21, that a clear and uniform acceptance period for vaccination certificates will guarantee that travel measures continue to be coordinated, as called for by the European Council following its latest meeting of 16 December 2021. The new rules will ensure restrictions are based on the best available scientific evidence as well as objective criteria.
So far, 807 million certificates were issued in the EU and now 60 countries and territories across five continents have joined the system.
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The new rules for cross-EU travel are intended to harmonise the different rules across member states. This validity period takes into account the guidance of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, according to which booster doses are recommended at the latest six months after the completion of the first vaccination cycle. The certificate will remain valid for a grace period of an additional three months beyond those six months to ensure that national vaccination campaigns can adjust and citizens will have access to booster doses.
The new rules on the acceptance period of vaccination certificates apply for the purposes of travel. When introducing different rules to use the certificates at national level, member states are encouraged to align them to these new rules to provide certainty for travellers and reduce disruptions.
In addition, on Tuesday, the EU executive body also adapted the rules for the encoding of vaccination certificates. This was deemed necessary to ensure that vaccination certificates showing completion of the primary series can always be distinguished from vaccination certificates issued following a booster dose.
Boosters will be recorded as follows:
– 3/3 for a booster dose following a primary 2-dose vaccination series.
– 2/1 for a booster dose following a single-dose vaccination or a one dose of a 2-dose vaccine administered to a recovered person, the European Commission wrote in a press release.