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This is the first country outside the EU where your health pass will also be valid

Posted by — June 30, 2021 in 0

Summer vacations are fast approaching with its share of administrative formalities. And for good reason, if the European Health Pass comes into force on Thursday, 1 July in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU), you will very soon have to provide a QR code to scan – either in the mobile application. TousAntiCovid is in paper format – if you are traveling outside the EU. The Ministry of Economy and Finance has already indicated this Tuesday, June 29 that the Principalities of Andorra, Monaco and Switzerland will be able to read the QR code of your health pass from the beginning of July. Other countries like the United Kingdom should also follow suit.

With trials currently being finalized in Andorra, Monaco and Switzerland, three states outside the EU have adopted a QR code format called “DCC” (Digital Covid Certificate, Editor’s Note) that matches European standards . Simply put, if you have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and you have been sent a new certificate according to the European nomenclature, all you need to do is show the Monegasque, Swiss or Andorran inspectors the QR code that appears in the top left is. Complete vaccination certificate. If you have a smartphone with the TousAntiCovid application, you can import this barcode by scanning it using the phone’s camera. The QR code will thus be added to the “My Notebook” section, which contains tests and vaccination certificates.

Ministry of Economy

Please note, the QR code for vaccination certificates was updated on 25 June to comply with the European system. If you have completed your vaccination schedule prior to this update, you should re-issue a certificate, either by uploading it to the Ameli Health Insurance Platform, or by asking the health care professional who administered the injection or, by default , the center where you were vaccinated. If you have already imported the old QR code of your complete vaccination certificate into TousAntiCovid, on July 1, you will be able to convert the barcode directly in the application “in two clicks”, specifies the Ministry of Economy. As for test results, an update of certifications to European standards is expected on 6 July.

two other international nomenclature

However, the health pass will be applicable outside the boundaries of the old continent. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, two systems, one developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the other developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), always mandate that vaccinations, negative tests or certificates of recovery be read. will allow. Scanning a QR Code. “The United Kingdom, for example, chose the WHO system,” Burcy told the Capitol, without citing other examples of non-EU countries that would or would adopt one of these two health pass control systems. “Today it is impossible to say the number of states, but if many do not choose the international format, they will find themselves isolated”, underlines one.

With the European System (DCC) and WHO and ICAO, it is not impossible that bilateral agreements will be concluded. Discussions are also underway with the United States: “We know that New York State is considering using health passes in the form of QR codes, but the problem is that nothing has been decided at the federal level” , specifies the capital. Economy Ministry. No deadline has yet been set for states if “certain countries” should adopt one of the two international systems (WHO or ICAO) by the end of July, according to Burcy. United. To travel across the Atlantic, you therefore must bring paper evidence on which controllers must read information related to your vaccinations or your test results, as they cannot scan a QR code.

Puzzle to harmonize the rules

Whether a health pass with a QR code is readable or not, the evidence that legalizes it in a particular country is yet to be clarified. And this, whether traveling inside or outside the EU. As a reminder, when health passes were introduced in France on 9 June to access festivals, stadiums or concerts, the authorities specified three valid reasons:

  • Either we are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for two or four weeks depending on the profile,
  • Either we tested negative for Sars-CoV-2 less than 48 hours ago,
  • Or we have tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 in more than 15 days and less than six months.

But there are differences at the level of the EU alone. “Not all countries necessarily authorize a certificate of recovery”, warns Bercy. In France, a decree that must be published on 1 or 2 July would specify that the reason would be valid for those entering the region. Similarly, the length of time before a vaccination is officially considered complete can vary from country to country. If in Italy you have to wait at least 14 days after the last or only injection, in Germany there is no time limit specified. On the other hand, across the Rhine, a COVID-19 recovery certificate is valid only 28 days after a positive test. In France it is 15 days. Despite the harmonization of QR code reading systems at the EU level, each state remains sovereign in defining the criteria for the validity of health passes to enter and leave the territory. To check the specific rules for each country, the French authorities suggest finding information on the diplomatic.gov website, under the heading “Advice by country/destination”.