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Definition of Fully Vaccinated

The CDC in the USA still defines fully vaccinated as having the first two doses of pfizer or modena. However, a couple of months ago it announced that it was considered changing that to include the booster, if your first two doses was some months ago.

We cancelled a trip to Israel and Jordan since Israel was not open to foreign tourists. Two weeks later, Israel dropped that restriction and we could have gone on the tour.

Planning a trip can be more difficult when countries are constantly changing their requirements.

However, it seems that the trend these days to liberalize entry for travel in many countries. This is true in Europe as well.

When we booked a cruise to the Galapagos Islands for April to replace the tour of Israel and Jordan, the entry requirement was vaccinated (needed a booster if double dose vaccine was some months before) and a COVID19 test.
That changed so that now if fully vaccinated (changed to first two doses) there is no requirement for a COVID19 test. Of not fully vaccinated, a COVID19 test is enough.

I have done some research on the definition of fully vaccinated and found that Germany had (perhaps still has) the fully vaccinated definition that may require a booster. Still, it seems that the UK does nor require the booster.

Does anyone know of a website that has the current entry requirements for entry? Delta Airlines has one that is very good, but when you input your personal data the options are fully vaccinated or not. There is no option for the definition of fully vaccinated.

I would hate to spend thousands of dollars booking flights and a tour or cruise and between the booking and the travel find that I don't meet the fully vaccinated requirement. This is especially true if the definition in the country of travel changes within 15 days of the trip, since you must get your shot prior to 15 days of travel.

Also, I am not keen on having to constantly get booster shots just to travel. Getting a booster shot every six months not going to happen.

Posted by
8913 posts

This is really the big issue for travel planning and going to the government websites can be confusing. I think that there will always be the possibility of this definition changing and that is part of what traveling is like right now. One has to be prepared to be a little flexible and make sure travel arrangements are flexible as well.

Through different posts on this forum, I think the strictest country in terms of booster requirements/timing is actually Switzerland. France doesn't seem to mind how long ago a booster was as long as you have one at least 7 days prior. However, once you think you have it all down and you understand it, things change again.

Each person really needs to decide their own risk tolerance for making reservations or vaccinations. I personally would be willing to get a second booster if that is what it would take to go where I wanted to go. I got the yellow fever vaccine when I wanted to go Africa......

I find that I would struggle trusting a third party website to be able to keep up with all the changing requirements for this. So, even if there is one, I would still probably feel like I needed to check the government website.

Posted by
8161 posts

At this time, I do not believe there is any limitation on the timing of booster shots, so as long as you have one, you're considered fully vaccinated (in Germany, at least).

I also do not believe that there is any website that has all the current entry requirements for each country - and even if there were, changes are made so frequently that I probably would not trust the data. Why don't you just figure out where you want to travel to and then look at that country's requirements? Or ask for help on each country's forum?

Posted by
10288 posts

Heck, in France for a few weeks they didn't even have the same definition of fully vaccinated for 1) entry to the country, or 2) eligibility for the health pass!

I don't know how anyone could keep up with everything in each country and keep it all up-to-date always. I guess the airlines have to for entry, so I guess that is IATA, which I have heard people mention

Posted by
1615 posts

If you’re looking to travel to a EU member state, you can use this EU website to quickly see the entry requirements for each EU country https://reopen.europa.eu/en/
The various EU countries still decide for themselves what their entry requirements are, but this website is a quick one-stop-shop for entry requirements for all the EU countries.

Posted by
23642 posts

Going forward, I am willing to bet that it is an annual booster along with the season flu shot. And getting a booster every six months could develop into the new normal. Either that or you don't travel.

Posted by
6113 posts

If you aren’t prepared to get a booster shot, then please stay home and don’t travel abroad. Bearing in mind that the U.K. government has been pressing people to get a booster, I am disgusted that this isn’t a requirement for people coming here.

I haven’t come across a website that covers the requirements of all countries - things change so regularly.