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Spain will not require quarantine/tests for travelers with ‘vaccine passports’

News break from El Pais, the European Union’s ‘Digital Green Certificate’ is due to come into force in June, and will allow for people to arrive in Spain ‘in a safer manner,’ according to the Health Ministry:

"Covid-19 vaccine passports, which the European Union is officially calling “Digital Green Certificates,” will allow citizens of Europe to enter Spain without having to quarantine or take a coronavirus test. "The document will come in the form of a free QR code, will be available by the end of June."

“This certificate is not a passport, it’s not a travel document, and it’s not a requirement for travel,” the general secretary said on Thursday. “It’s a mechanism that will facilitate mobility in the European Union. It will respect data protection, safety and privacy. It is planned so that it will not be discriminatory, and that is one of the major advantages,” he added, expressing his confidence that it will be a great help for the summer tourism season in Spain."

"What’s more, we sustain that this system could be rolled out to third countries that have similar systems.”

"The plan is part of the government’s tourism strategy for 2021, during which the authorities are forecasting that 40 million foreign visitors will arrive. Government sources have said that conversations are ongoing with agencies such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as well as countries outside the EU, such as the United Kingdom, which is a key market for the travel industry in Spain.

“The idea is not that it lets you access more or fewer things, but that you can do so more easily, in a way both people on an individual level and the economy can benefit from the advance of the vaccination.”

You can read more here: https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-04-16/spain-will-not-require-coronavirus-tests-or-quarantines-for-travelers-arriving-with-vaccination-passports.html

Posted by
4180 posts

As an EU Citizen, I hope to utilize this ‘Digital Green Certificate’, when I travel back to Spain probably around late summer 2021. I think it will certainly facilitate a safer and more efficient free movement within the EU, during this strange transition phase from pandemic back to some semblance of pre-pandemic normalcy.

Hoping to actually travel to some of my favourite spots in Poland later in 2021 too, utilizing this Digital Green Certificate, but we will see...

Posted by
7162 posts

Good article and I’m glad discussions are taking place on ways to reopen to tourism. It will be Interesting to see how the final version is changed from what the article describes and if ways for non EU citizens to visit are incorporated. I also hope Spain’s numbers start decreasing again.

Posted by
7952 posts

What method will be used to distribute the free QR code? How does an EU citizen qualify? If someone has gotten their vaccination(s), or met the criteria, will they be sent the QR code by e-mail or via an App?

If vaccinations are the main (or only) way to qualify for the Digital Green Card, it sounds as if it will be a while before everyone who might want the QR code can get it. Even if the QR code isn’t a travel requirement, have other requirements been announced for heading to Spain? Is Spain anticipating a big tourism season, with or without the QR code in use, or still not quite at pre-Covid-19 levels?