By Uglobal Staff
The EU Digital COVID Certificate has so far been rolled out in 17 European countries, giving a boost of confidence to travelers to Europe, which in turn may help boost the investment immigration industry further.
EU's rollout of the digital vaccine is having a direct impact on the attitude towards travel among Europeans, according to a study by the European Travel Commission. A total of 57% of Europeans told the commission that EU’s COVID certificates were in fact aiding their decision to plan their next trip in the coming months; only 18% expressed reservations over the vaccine certificates.
More than half of those surveyed said they intended to book a trip within Europe starting this month after their COVID vaccinations were done; 51% said they wanted to travel to another European country, especially Spain, Italy, France, Greece and Portugal, while 36% said they would opt to travel within their own countries of residence. More than 41% also said they were excited to welcome back tourists; Italians, who were hit quite hard by the pandemic, were most enthusiastic (63%) followed by Spain (55%).
While it remains to be seen whether the expected summer boost in tourism would result in an equal surge in investment immigration, industry insiders hope the freedom to travel would allow potential investors and applicants to explore their options first-hand and help them make quick decisions to suit their unique needs.
17 COUNTRIES BEGIN ISSUING CERTIFICATES
The European Parliament and the European Council agreed on the EU Digital COVID Certificate in May. On June 1, the EU Gateway started, which is an interconnection of national systems being used to implement the digital certificates among the European countries, allowing member states to begin the implementation of the certificates.
So far, 16 EU states -- Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain -- as well as the non-EU country of Iceland have been connected to the EU Gateway and have begun issuing the EU Digital Covid Certificate. German health minister reportedly said that 5 million such certificates have been issued already.
It is expected that all countries in the EU would be ready to issue certificates to eligible applicants by July 1.
WHAT HAPPENS TO NON-EU VISITORS?
The EU has repeatedly highlighted that the objective of the new COVID certificate is to only facilitate free movement, and it should not be seen as a pre-condition to travel or as a travel document in itself. Unvaccinated people within the EU, whether citizens or residents, would also have permission to travel across the EU, provided they meet the testing and quarantine restrictions as dictated by each member state.
The EU Digital COVID Certificate will be issued free of cost to all EU citizens as well as non-EU members who are currently residing in the union. EU citizens who got inoculated outside of Europe would be able to apply for the EU certificate if they can provide proof of their vaccination.
The EU advises member states to issue certificates regardless of the type of vaccine or the number of doses an EU citizen/resident receives. While the EU only authorizes specific types of vaccines, it leaves the decision to accept other types authorized by the World Health Organization to member states.
Since the EU Digital COVID Certificate is specifically for EU citizens and EU residents, others would not have access to it.
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