Whether you're planning a trip to the EU and need your certificate or are looking to book a covid test for any reason, our team is ready to service you and help stop the spread of Covid-19.
Ready to Get Started? Book Your Test Online.
Book at Bank Medical Centre Book at Ottawa Medical Group
Due to restrictions that have been put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19 traveling has become increasingly complicated. We are here to help you navigate traveling in this new world. If you are planning a trip to the EU, here's everything you need to know.
What Is The EU Covid Certificate?
The purpose of the EU passport is to prove that you either:
- Vaccinated against Covid-19
- Received a negative test result
- Have recovered from Covid-19
In any of these circumstances, the chances of you carrying or transmitting the virus are low. This certificate allows you to travel through the EU without restrictions. For exmaple, when you land at your destination, you may not be required to quarantine. With the EU Covid certificate, restrictions are being lifted in a coordinated and safe manner. As a consequence, travelers can have a better experience while reducing the risk of the virus spreading.
Are There Other Countries Doing This?
Currently, there are 16 countries not in the EU that have adopted the Covid Certificates for travelers. These include:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Faroe Islands
- Israel
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Morocco
- Monaco
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Panama
- San Marino
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- The Vatican
Covid certificates issued in those countries are valid under the same conditions as EU Covid certificates. And, if you’ll travel to any of these countries, your EU certificate will be more than enough.
How Can I Get An EU Covid Certificate?
This certificate is available for all adults and children who are either EU citizens or non-EU nationals with a residence permit in a member state. Non-EU nationals must have the right to travel within the EU.
If either of these conditions applies to you, you can get the certificate from the national authorities of the country where you were vaccinated, got tested, or recovered from Covid-19. But, if you were vaccinated outside the EU, you will have to prove your vaccination to the authorities of your country of residence.
Things To Consider
As already mentioned, you need to either be vaccinated, tested, or have recovered from Covid-19 to have access to the certificate.
Nonetheless, there might be some nuances to consider for each of those scenarios. In this section, we’ll dive a little deeper.
Vaccines
Regardless of which vaccine you’ve received, you can get your EU Covid certificate. This is great news, however, there are some cases where this can become challenging especially for families with young children. In the case of unvaccinated children under 12, they are exempt from quarantine or travel-related testing if their parents are as well.
Everyone else will be subject to the global travel requirements of the country they’ll be visiting. Some may waive the travel restrictions, some may not. Do some research if:
- You’ve received a vaccine that is not authorized in the EU, but that’s mentioned in the WHO emergency list
- You’ve only received one dose of an EU-authorized vaccine
Testing
The EU and the 16 countries are currently accepting NAAT tests (including RT-PCR), and rapid antigens tests. If you test negative to either one of them, you should have travel restrictions waived. However, each nation can choose whether they take both types of tests or if they are only taking PCRs.
In the case of PCR tests, they should be performed 72 hours prior to your flight, while antigens tests can be taken just 48 hours before.
In addition, NAAT tests are eligible not only to prove that you are Covid-negative but also that you were Covid-positive and have recovered. In that case, your EU covid certificate can be issued 11 days after the initial test.