What does this mean for Russians vaccinated with both domestic and WHO and EMA certified foreign vaccines?
The EU Council supported the extension of the digital covid certificate until the end of June 2023. We tell you what this means for Russians vaccinated with both domestic and WHO-certified and EMA foreign vaccines.
EU DIGITAL COVID CERTIFICATE WILL BE VALID FOR ANOTHER YEAR
The EU Council on Friday, March 11, supported the proposal of the European Commission to extend for another year, until 30 June 2023, validity of the EU COVID-19 digital certificate (EU DCC).
The decision was made in connection with the current epidemiological situation: despite the decrease in the number of new cases of covid, coronavirus infection is still common in the EU countries. Therefore, the EU DCC, which facilitates the free movement of people during a pandemic, will be maintained for the time being.
As a reminder, the EU DCC is effective July 1, 2021 The digital certificate contains not only information about vaccination against coronavirus, but also about past COVID-19 and negative tests for covid.
The EU recognizes vaccination certificates issued by over 30 countries as equivalent to EU DCC. Among them are Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro.
WHAT CHANGES WILL THE EUROPEAN COVID CERTIFICATE
According to the latest decision of the Council of the EU, the digital certificate is waiting for several changes. Thus, the EU DCC will list all doses of vaccines, regardless of where they were given. This will facilitate the issuance of vaccination certificates to those who are fully vaccinated or revaccinated after nine months, regardless of where the previous vaccination was received.
Travelers who have EU DCC will also be eligible for post-express recovery certificates – antigen test. Previously, this required a molecular PCR test.
The feasibility of further extending EU covid certificates will be discussed in early 2023 after a detailed report by the European Commission. This report should be ready by February 1, 2023.
WHAT IS THE EXTENSION OF THE EU DIGITAL CERTIFICATE FOR RUSSIANS
We explain what the decision of the EU Council means for Russian travelers.
For those who are vaccinated with Sputnik V or other Russian vaccines or have a certificate of a recovered person from the site Public services, European innovation does not matter.
Domestic documents with QR codes do not correlate in any way with the EU digital COVID-certificate system. Russia is not on the list of countries whose vaccination certificates are considered equivalent to the EU DCC, while the likelihood of Sputnik V being recognized even by the WHO (not to mention the European EMA) is apparently close to zero due to the geopolitical crisis.
Russian vaccination certificates (mainly Sputnik V) are currently recognized at the national level only by individual countries European Union (Cyprus, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Greece).
But changes in the EU vaccination policy are important for those Russians who have been immunized with a drug approved by WHO or EMA and received their digital European certificate. Previously, the validity of their certificates as a document for entry, regardless of the date of vaccination, would have ended in June 2022, now they don’t, as the period has been extended for another year.
However, it is possible that in the next year a vaccination certificate for trips to Europe will not be needed at all.
More EU countries or and completely cancel anti-covid requirements (Norway, Iceland, Hungary, Romania) or allow entry upon presentation of PCR tests or antigen tests. Those. they simply no longer require mandatory vaccination from the traveler. For example, Russians can already enter with a negative test result even in countries such as Austria or Italy.
