Seven EU nations have introduced a COVID-19 vaccination certificate system for travelers, weeks before the program is to be rolled out across the 27-nation bloc on July 1.
The countries starting early were Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia Denmark, Germany, Greece, and Poland, the European Commission said on June 1.
Greece, whose economy is dependent on tourism, had been calling for a commonly recognized certificate that uses a QR code with advanced security features.
The certificates will be issued to people who are fully vaccinated, as well as those who have already contracted the coronavirus and developed antibodies and others who have had a PCR test within the last 72 hours.
The documents will have both digital and paper forms. They’ll be free of charge, distributed in the national language plus English, and be valid in all the bloc’s countries.
“EU citizens are looking forward to travelling again, and they want to do so safely. Having an EU certificate is a crucial step on the way,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said.