By Andrew Atkinson
The Spanish Government has decided to permit European Union citizens to enter the country – without being subject to COVID-19 test and self-isolation requirements – provided that they hold a Digital Green Certificate from June.
The EU authorities announced that the Digital Green Certificate, also known as a vaccine passport, will be ready by June, allowing tourists to travel freely without being subject to COVID-19 travel restrictions throughout the EU Member States, including Spain.
“It will allow for more people to arrive in a safer manner and facilitate the mobility of people in the European Union, guarantee public health protection and permit social and economic activity to resume free of charge,” said General Secretary of Digital Health Alfredo Gonzales.
Gonzales said the certificate is not a passport or a precondition in order to be able to travel: “It would tremendously help in boosting tourism in Spain during the summer season,” he said.
Gonzales said Spain had commenced the process of certificate implementation, in order for it to be ready in time for June, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The EU Commission explained that each country’s authorities will be responsible for issuing the certificates. It has not been decided yet through which institution Spain will issue them.
The EU Commission was the first to propose creating a Digital Green certificate in March to make it possible for those vaccinated EU citizens to travel without any restrictions throughout the bloc.
The Member states will still be able to require arrivals from EU countries to test or self-isolate. They must inform the Commission and all Member States of their decision, while providing valid reasons.
According to the EU Commission, the Vaccine Certificate will include the holder’s following information:
Name and surname
Date of birth
Issuing Member State
A unique identifying QR code
Vaccine product, manufacturer, number of doses, and date of vaccination for those who took the vaccine
Type of test, time and date of the test, test centre, and test results for tested travellers
Date of the positive test result, the issuer of the certificate, date of issuance, and validity date for recovered travellers
All questions regarding the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine certificate would be issued in two languages, in English and the official language of the issuing country.
The validity of the certificates will depend on the evidence which is to be gathered when they are fully functional and will be adjusted, based on that.
Previously, Spain extended the existing measures for third countries where COVID-19 mutations have widely spread until April 19, 2021.
