Article: Europe Doesn’t Recognise Australian Vaccination Certificates

[Bryce]

May I ask who you booked your hotel through. Maybe the provider I am using makes it very obvious.

Hotels.com
I was expecting some questioning from them but nothing other that the approval and certificates

 

[Must...Fly!]

I suspect it's probably somewhat dependent on whoever is processing it and how closely they look.

But they wouldn't know if you used a refundable airline reservation.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Just received my email in the last couple of hours approving my Swiss EU-DCC via the free Geneva option. Downloaded the PDF and imported in to the app, looks all good to me.

I note that the certificate is valid 270 days from my last vaccination (which was on Monday) despite being a booster. Hopefully we won't need further jabs and Australian certificates will be valid for scanning etc (if still required in EU) by then.

Thanks to the posters in this thread for the great info on how to apply (particularly the Geneva method).

Edit: Forgot to mention, for reference I used a flight booking as evidence of travel to Geneva. Not sure I will use the flight as I might now fly in to Zurich and then go to Genvea by train.

Just to highlight the benefit of issuing these certificates, I was not really interested in visiting Switzerland this time around but now I will spend up to a week there just because of how convenient this process was. Compared to visiting any other EU country where getting a certificate is absurdly difficult (if not impossible).

The flight instead of hotel is a good option and will help a lot of ppl not keen to make nonrefundable hotel booking. 270 day is a long expiry. Terrific work

 

[andye]

The flight instead of hotel is a good option and will help a lot of ppl not keen to make nonrefundable hotel booking. 270 day is a long expiry. Terrific work

If you don't want to tie up $$ and have some Avios, BA have a GBP1 option for awards

 

[Must...Fly!]

If you don't want to tie up $$ and have some Avios, BA have a GBP1 option for awards

And there is another obvious method (using a few more $$) if you have points a little closer to home...

 

[bpcmemorial]

My partner has had the same experience. I applied separately last week and must have got in by the skin of my teeth! What options should we try now? We depart in two weeks.

I think that is only for the free Geneva option. If you pay your 30 euros through another canton you should be fine.

 

[bpcmemorial]

I wonder if they are just checking in Geneva for the free option, and for the paid option in other cantons happy to take the $?

For anyone who has been in the UK recently, is there an app you need to attend hospitality venues etc?

No. No vaccination certificates needed once cleared the border, no check-ins anywhere. The track & trace app is called “NHS COVID-19” but although it has an option for checking in that’s historical now. It uses the phone’s in-built tracking, but I don’t know no much poepl are using it now aside from submitting test results through it. The UK seems close to normal, only a few people wearing masks and I think that’s when they have symptoms or are at-risk, like in SE Asia for the last twenty years since SARS.

 

[Must...Fly!]

I think that is only for the free Geneva option. If you pay your 30 euros through another canton you should be fine.

Which is what I would do but if you have the intention of visiting anyway then a flight works. The fee is hardly over the top for the efficient process.

 

[jrfsp]

I wonder what are the chances of the EU dropping the vaccine passport in the next few months?

I hope no-one is surprised which country is holding presidency of the EU.....purely coincidence our vaccine certs aren't recognised..?

 

[Mattg]

Has nobody told DFAT that the Australian ICVC is not recognised on the ground in Europe? This is what the Smartraveller website says, e.g. for Austria:

 

[pn1]

My partner's code arrived today. Sure we had to pay for a hotel we won't use but we considered that better than not doing it. But hasn't thought of applying for the paid version via one of the other cantons. I guess you win some and you lose some? Our main concern is Italy where, it seems, you have to check-in for everything.

 

[infoworks]

My partner's code arrived today. Sure we had to pay for a hotel we won't use but we considered that better than not doing it. But hasn't thought of applying for the paid version via one of the other cantons. I guess you win some and you lose some? Our main concern is Italy where, it seems, you have to check-in for everything.

We used a Zurich hotel and it worked out. The code was transferred to the Swisscovid app which we can see. Have yet to test it out as we haven't arrived in Europe yet. I also agree that Italy seems to require the code more than other countries.

 

[Bryce]

I think they’re suggesting to carry a physical printout with you, not suggesting that it will scan.
Some have suggested that this will mostly work as establishments want your business.

 

[infoworks]

I think they’re suggesting to carry a physical printout with you, not suggesting that it will scan.
Some have suggested that this will mostly work as establishments want your business.

Yes, have the printed forms as well. I rarely trust just the app!

 

[Traveltragic]

The Swiss application has been amended to specifically prohibit "refundable" hotel bookings.

That's annoying, but I guess bound to happen sometime!

 

[Duffa]

Update from France:
Got my EU pass in Paris pharmac_ for 36 Euros each - took 10 minutes
Every restaurant, bar, cafe and every museum, gallery etc scanned the Covid pass on my phone
Train TGV to Lyon - no Covid scan
Train Lyon to Dijon - no Covid scan

So far, nobody "official" has bothered to scan or most times, even look at anything. Trains, customs, airlines, passport etc. Weird.
The only people who are compliant are the small businesses who are desperate to have us back in their establishments!


Flew MEL Dubai CDG with Emirates
Arrived at MEL checkin with Australian Vaccine certificate, EU vaccine certificate and negative Covid RA test (done the night before at 9.30pm at departure area Qantas terminal in 20 minutes - lovely staff and very efficient). She looked at all 6 forms and nodded her approval. Nothing scanned.
Got to Dubai - no scans or document checks - straight to the lounge
Arrived CDG - handed over passport - 10 seconds later - stamped and on my way - no forms or Covid documents requested or checked
Taxi from CDG to Montparnasse (fixed prix 58 Euro - Uber 57-64 Euro estimate) No Covid check
Arrived at small boutique hotel - FINALLY got asked to produce EU documents which she scanned with a smartphone app. All good

 

[aaa99]

Booking a classic reward using QF points to Geneva seems to have worked and I got my certificate this morning 4 days after applying.
Now, maybe I might as well consider visiting Geneva, but perhaps I should wait a few weeks before cancelling the ticket out of LHR to GVA as I plan to be in Italy prior to visiting Switzerland.

 

[Bryce]

Thanks for the feedback, we’ll be there next month. Are you entering Italy by train. Interested as that’s our plan.

 

[Di2022]

The Swiss route as explained in the article is fast and easy. My partner just used it in November, applied before he left, it took 48 hours and we used a cancellable hotel booking confirmation as proof of travel (he wasn’t going to Switzerland only Italy, France and Netherlands) and cancelled it soon as the certificate appeared in the app. Used it everywhere he went, not a problem.

Thanks for this helpful info Jennifer. We are travelling in May thru Europe and wish to get everything in place (if possible) from here. Excuse my ignorance, but what App is it that the Swiss Certificate will appear in ?

 

[aaa99]

Thanks for this helpful info Jennifer. We are travelling in May thru Europe and wish to get everything in place (if possible) from here. Excuse my ignorance, but what App is it that the Swiss Certificate will appear in ?

This is the app I used to scan and link my certificate:
COVID Certificate – Apps on Google Playhttps://play.google.com › store › apps › details › id=ch....

There is an IOS version as well: COVID Certificate on the App Storehttps://apps.apple.com › app › covid-certificate

Thanks for the feedback, we’ll be there next month. Are you entering Italy by train. Interested as that’s our plan.

Planned to fly from Germany. But our plan has been slightly torn up for now due to some cancellations