The EU vaccination certificate officially starts on July 1st.
This makes a lot of things easier on vacation - provided the countries have made sure that it can be read out.
There are reliefs in the room, but could also be slowed down.
Brussels - Shortly before the official start of the EU vaccination certificate on July 1st, all 27 EU countries are connected to the common technology required for this.
Just in time for the summer holidays, this means that proof of vaccination, a fresh test or survived infection issued in Germany can be read across Europe via a QR code.
Each country determines where the certificates facilitate vacations, shopping trips or weekend trips.
According to current figures from the Ministry of Health, 37.3 million EU vaccination certificates have already been issued in Germany alone, with a certificate for both a first and a second vaccination.
The number of certificates can therefore exceed that of the vaccinated.
An agreement between the EU states, however, stipulates that, depending on the infection situation in a country, restrictions can be introduced again even for fully vaccinated people, so you should always find out about the corona situation in the respective country shortly beforehand. Germany has the strictest rules in Europe for so-called virus variant areas such as Portugal, Great Britain or India, in which the delta variant is widespread, as Chancellor Helge Braun emphasizes. Anyone who comes back to the Federal Republic from such countries has to be in quarantine for 14 days and cannot be tested.
The EU Covid certificate can nevertheless make travel easier, especially in areas with a low spread of virus mutants. The EU agreed on the design of the evidence in an unusually fast pace of just a few months. Only a handful of states have not yet issued them. These include Sweden, Malta and Ireland. However, non-EU countries such as Norway and Iceland are also included. The official start is July 1st, from then on all EU countries should be connected to the necessary common technology. That succeeded.
A corresponding certificate should make things a lot easier for German holidaymakers abroad.
The German Travel Association (DRV) recommends to take the yellow vaccination booklet and the digital proof with you to be on the safe side.
If you travel to Greece and are older than twelve years, you need proof of a fresh test, a vaccination at least two weeks old or an infection that you survived less than nine months ago.
In Italy, according to government sources, people can use the vaccination certificate to go to public events.
Proof is also important for travel within Italy, namely if you go to a region that is considered to be a corona zone with a higher risk of infection, or if you come back from there.
In neighboring Switzerland, only people with proof of vaccination can take part in major events with more than 1000 people.
Discotheques can also request such certificates.
However, the provisions are different in the cantons.
In some places bars and restaurants, trade fairs, sports facilities, theaters or museums are free to decide whether they require vaccination certificates.
The QR code makes it much easier to access bars, hotels, leisure facilities and events in the Alpine Republic of Austria.
It applies everywhere that guests have to be recovered, vaccinated or tested.
If the validity of a test expires while on vacation, tourists can also use official test roads free of charge.
France's European Minister Clément Beaune announced on Monday via Twitter that the French health passport on the TousAntiCovid app now has a European format.
From July 1st, the code will be recognized everywhere in the EU in order to be able to "travel freely" - vaccinated or with a test.
The evidence is also helpful in Germany's eastern neighborhood: Anyone who enters Poland from the Federal Republic and can show a vaccination certificate does not have to be in quarantine for ten days after entry.
This also applies to those who have recovered and those who have entered the country with a negative test result.
Hotels and restaurants are only allowed to work with 75 percent occupancy - those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered are not counted.
This can mean that the hotel still has a room or the restaurant has a table free if you have a vaccination certificate.
The situation is similar in Bulgaria.
Entry to the holiday destination on the Black Sea is possible for those who have been vaccinated, those who have been tested and those who have recovered from Covid-19 without the obligation to quarantine.
The Czech Republic has already recognized the yellow German vaccination book.
With the introduction of the EU vaccination certificate, it should be used instead.
Whoever wants to visit a hotel or restaurant has to be vaccinated, tested or recovered.
There are no longer any requirements for the actual entry from Germany.
The Netherlands has already taken a big step back to a public life with almost no corona restrictions.
The only central rule is the safety distance of 1.5 meters.
If this - such as in a disco - cannot be adhered to, access is only possible with test or vaccination proof.
In Germany's northernmost neighbor, the fourth and final phase of the eased travel restrictions came into force on Saturday. With the introduction of the EU Corona passport, it will be possible again for Danes to take summer holidays in Europe and at the same time to welcome holidaymakers in Denmark. From Wednesday, the entry restrictions in Sweden are to be changed: From then on it will also be possible to enter the Scandinavian country by showing the digital EU certificate. dpa
