COVID-19 Vaccination Passport issued by North Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine will be accepted for travel to the EU and Schengen Area countries starting from today, August 20, after the EU Commission adopted three equivalence decisions for these countries.
The decision was taken yesterday, on August 20, and means that the relevant authorities in these three countries will be connected to the EU’s system, and the COVID-19 certificates issued to their citizens will now be accepted in the EU, under the same conditions as the EU Digital COVID Certificate.
“At the same time, North Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine have agreed to accept the EU Digital COVID Certificate for travel from the EU to their countries. Their participation in the EU’s Digital COVID Certificate will thus facilitate safe travel to and from the EU,” the EU Commission noted in a press release announcing the decision.
Commenting on the decision, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, showed his belief that the EU is setting standards internationally with the EU Digital COVID Certificate while also asserting that the agreement with North Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine would help to facilitate safe travel, beyond the block.
The EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, also appraised the agreements, noting that more countries in Europe would soon join the gateway.
“As we fight the pandemic together, our partners are also an integral part of opening up safely together. I welcome Ukraine, North Macedonia and Turkey in our Digital COVID Certificate system and look forward to more of our neighbours connecting soon,” Commissioner Várhelyi said.
The EU Digital COVID Certificate is a document established by the block in a bid to restore the freedom of travel throughout the member states for EU citizens by removing entry bans and other restrictions as quarantine and double testing for its holders.
While the idea for the creation of such a document was first presented in March, the first countries connected to it on June 1, and by July 1, all EU/Schengen countries but Ireland were already issuing/verifying the document.
The certificate is a one-piece document that can be obtained in both a paper and digital format. It is issued to those who have been fully vaccinated against the Coronavirus, with one of the COVID-19 vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency. It is up to the Member States to decide if they want to issue the document to those vaccinated with vaccines other than those approved by EMA.
The certificate is also issued to those who have been infected with COVID-19 recently and recovered from it, as well as those who test negative for COVID-19 before their departure.
