While the COVID-19 highly transmissible delta variant continues to profoundly affect countries worldwide, governments attempt to find effective measures that would help to stop the further spread of the virus.
Among measures taken within the EU countries in order to permit the travel process amid the ongoing pandemic while maintaining the COVID-19 situation under control was the introduction of the EU Digital COVID Certificate.
Even though such a document was launched to facilitate the travel process between countries, some European countries’ decision to impose vaccine expiration dates for travel makes this process more complicated and even causing confusion for passengers.
Back then, the government stressed that all passengers would be prohibited from entering Croatia without showing a negative result of PCR or antigen test, if more than 210 days have passed since travellers took the second dose of any COVID-19 vaccine approved as a valid proof of immunity.
“Travellers must be holders of a certificate showing that they have received the first dose of the Pfizer, Moderna, or Gamaleya vaccine, based on which they can enter the Republic of Croatia in the period of 22 to 42 days from receiving the vaccine, or 22 to 84 days from receiving the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine,” Croatian government clarified.
Besides Croatia, Austria has become the second country to follow such a path and set an expiry date for COVID-19 vaccine passports.
Authorities in Austria have announced that they have set a maximum validity period of 270 days on vaccination proofs; therefore, all travellers planning to enter Austria must be aware of the new changes.
Such a decision came after the COVID-19 infection cases in Austria spiked in August, while Austrian authorities stressed that the surge was caused by international visitors and citizens returning to Austria from countries highly affected by the virus.
However, it is still unknown if other countries will follow the example of Croatia and Austria and make such changes for international travellers.
Even though both countries aim to tighten their restrictions for arrivals from territories that have recently reported high COVID-19 infection rates, both states continue to permit the entry for US travellers, despite the Council of the EU recommendations to impose stricter entry rules for arrivals from the US, as the latter was removed from the EU’s list of countries considered epidemiologically safe in terms of Coronavirus.