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Thanks for reporting the details! It all seems so confusing right now. Surely things will settle down soon.
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EU opening up to Vaccinated US citizen!
- Thread starter Penn251
- Start date
NoSpin
100+ Posts
We had thoughts of going to Italy for Christmas, but after reading this thread plus one in Travel Talk, and our hassle of going to Bermuda a few weeks ago, I think we'll make other plans. If we do go, it will be last minute arrangements if things really improve. Quebec City, Canada is another fav of ours for Christmas, but they are still closed. 
Alpinista
100+ Posts
Doing a little dance of joy with today's announcement of EU changes. We're not scheduled to travel to Italy until September, so hoping that some type of vaccination document is in accepted practice by then. Also sorry to hear about hassle for Bermuda -- we went there in November and it was a breeze getting through airport test and then the follow-up a few days into the trip. We also had a great experience traveling in and out of Belize last month and are now booked for a trip to Antigua in Janaury with very simple covid requirements.
artnbarb
1000+ Posts
What changed?
With a night’s sleep under my belt, I want to clarify a couple of points: the Delta ‘pop-up’ experience in ATL refers to the registration site in which a few hrs or less before connecting flight to Rome a couple of folding tables get set up at one of a few gates at the E terminal. Once you get registered and given a number there, everyone was directed to gate E14 where the actual testing, checking of passenger locator forms, and waiting for results went a bit slowly but ok.
I certainly wouldn’t let the very real covid testing ordeal in Rome prevent me from traveling to Italy for at least a few week stay again under similar conditions, but I do regret having to schlep an overly heavy backpack through that long, long line (checked luggage through but additionally packed my backpack for a seven week stay including textbooks for a Zoom class). And again, I think we had pretty bad luck arriving when we did shortly after a couple of other flights.
And IMO, despite EU opening up ever more to US residents, I’d be surprised if testing requirements for travel to Europe get totally dropped any time soon.
I certainly wouldn’t let the very real covid testing ordeal in Rome prevent me from traveling to Italy for at least a few week stay again under similar conditions, but I do regret having to schlep an overly heavy backpack through that long, long line (checked luggage through but additionally packed my backpack for a seven week stay including textbooks for a Zoom class). And again, I think we had pretty bad luck arriving when we did shortly after a couple of other flights.
And IMO, despite EU opening up ever more to US residents, I’d be surprised if testing requirements for travel to Europe get totally dropped any time soon.
Alpinista
100+ Posts
EU Members Agree To Lift Travel Restrictions On U.S. Tourists
EU members agreed Wednesday to add the U.S. to the list of countries for which they should gradually remove restrictions on non-essential travel.
www.npr.org
artnbarb
1000+ Posts
Well - that certainly didn't tell me much! It seems as though governments are trying to encourage travel while at the same time covering all their bases.EU Members Agree To Lift Travel Restrictions On U.S. Tourists
EU members agreed Wednesday to add the U.S. to the list of countries for which they should gradually remove restrictions on non-essential travel.
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Alpinista
100+ Posts
"I would expect that over the course of this summer" -- tells me that my chances for travel in September just took a big jump upwards. I don't care about vaccination requirements or covid testing before, during, or after a trip....none of those things are barriers to me getting on a plane. I do care about quarantine requirements and look forward to those being lifted as part of these periodic assessments.
JMichael
100+ Posts
France has added US to its list of "green" countries!! https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/c...avirus-advice-for-foreign-nationals-in-france
"Countries on the “green” list: countries in the European space (European Union, Andorra, the Holy See, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland), and Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States."
"Countries on the “green” list: countries in the European space (European Union, Andorra, the Holy See, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland), and Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States."
vicogirl51
10+ Posts
So as of now you get tested basically at home , again at the airport preflight and I knew about post flight at airport . I didn’t realize the preflight antigen test at the airport as it’s not indicated on United Travel Ready Center. I don’t know whose going EWR to FCO that can clarify . Stressful but worth it to go home!!!
PokeyMindy
500+ Posts
I love Italy/European travel but I'm not going to stress about the rules this year. Hopefully by May 2022 things will be more organized. Good luck to all of you who need to get to Italy ASAP.
The rule of getting your own test plus a test at the departure airport is specific to Delta and only until the end of June. United's summary of rules is here, more than halfway down the long page. They offer tests at Newark Airport, but likely at a higher price than those you can get on your own.
Alpinista
100+ Posts
The state of Virginia is issuing vaccination records containing the state seal and a health department signature -- am hoping that eventually carries more weight than the vaccination card for proof.
For anyone on here who is a VA resident: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/immunization/immunization-record-request-form/
Penn251
100+ Posts
Italy is so far ahead of the US in creating credentials for people that are vaccinated: https://www.thelocal.it/20210617/ex...al-green-pass-used-for-and-how-do-you-get-it/
I get a paywall on the The Local article.
California's offering a digital vaccination record: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/
California's offering a digital vaccination record: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/
Penn251
100+ Posts
Here is the text of the article:
Italy has been using paper certificates as a ‘health pass’ since April, but now the health document is moving to a digital (and printable) format.
READ ALSO: Italy launches Covid-19 ‘green pass’ website
The Italian government made the details of the digital pass available online on Thursday when its certificazione verde website went live at www.dgc.gov.it.
According to the website, the pass will be made available “automatically and free of charge” if you are in Italy and one of the following applies:
- You have had at least one vaccine dose or the 15-day single-dose vaccine;
- You have tested negative via a molecular or rapid swab test within the previous 48 hours;
- You have recovered from Covid-19 within the previous six months.
What is a ‘green pass’ needed for?
Italy’s certificazione verde or ‘green pass’ was first introduced to allow people to travel to and from ‘red zone’ areas with higher coronavirus infection rates, though this is no longer necessary as every part of the country is now classed as a low-risk ‘white’ or ‘yellow’ zone.
Now, the pass is a requirement within Italy if you want to attend larger events such as wedding receptions and concerts, after these were allowed to take place once again from June 15th.
More and more events are expected to ask for the certificate as it becomes more widely available.
Ministers are currently discussing making the health certificate a requirement for entry to nightclubs and discos once those are allowed to reopen this summer.
Regional and local authorities may also bring in their own rules on requiring the health pass, the health ministry said.
Health pass for travel
The pass will also be used for quarantine-free travel in the EU from July 1st, with certificates issued in any member state valid throughout the rest of the bloc.
That means that residents of other EU countries planning to visit Italy should claim a certificate from their own country, which will be accepted in Italy.
It is not yet clear if or how the EU will recognise vaccination certificates from outside the bloc, such as from the US or UK.
The Italian government is expected to announce further details on this by the end of June.
The health ministry warns that people should continue to check the requirements for travel to other European countries using the Re-open EU website.
In Italy, children under the age of two are exempt from the health pass requirement.
READ ALSO: What are the Covid test requirements around Europe for child travellers
How do you get an Italian ‘green pass’?
If you live in Italy, you can now use an online portal to claim a digital “green pass” before the scheme launches throughout the European Union on July 1st.
Here are the steps involved in getting and using your digital certificate, according to the official website:
- After vaccination, a negative test result, or recovery from Covid-19, your green certificate will be automatically issued in a digital and printable format via a national platform run by the health ministry.
- Once it’s available to download or access, you’ll receive an SMS or email containing an authentication code (known as an AUTHCODE) with further instructions.
- You’ll be able to use this code to access the certificate via either the official website, the IO public administration app or the Immuni contact-tracing app, or by accessing your electronic health records (Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico, available on your regional health system’s website). If you’re not able to retrieve your certificate online, you can ask for help from your doctor or pharmacist.
- To login, you’ll need a digital identity document (SPID digital ID or electronic ID card (CIE), or your tessera sanitaria (health card) if you have one, along with the authentication code sent by email or SMS.
- Your certification will include a scannable QR code, which is what you’ll need to show when asked for the pass. You can either print out the document with the QR code, or show it directly from your smartphone or tablet.
- When the QR code is scanned, for example at an airport or when entering an event venue, this is done using the VerificationC19 app which the health ministry says “respects users’ privacy”. The person verifying your code may also ask you to show a valid identity document.
Mom83
100+ Posts
I just forwarded this to our daughter...she and her husband are VA residents. Thanks for the information!
For what we hope is a transitional time:
thepointsguy.com
Answers to your 11 most frequent questions about Italy's reopening - The Points Guy
I've gotten lots of reader questions about Italy's reopening since I was one of the first tourists to visit Italy on a COVID-tested flight last month.
And just after posting that, I find Delta's new post including:
ETA: Note that for U.S.-bound flights there's still a requirement of a test taken within three days of departure, including for returning citizens.
And to show either a vaccination card or test results, and to pre-register and fill in a Digital Passenger Locator form.
ETA: Note that for U.S.-bound flights there's still a requirement of a test taken within three days of departure, including for returning citizens.
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