Several countries have announced that they will be placing a fixed validity period for which travellers can use their vaccine status for travel.
Some recognised validity periods last as little as nine months (or 270 days) – meaning that anyone who received their second Covid-19 vaccine earlier this year, may well have a Covid-19 vaccine certificate that is out of date by the end of 2021. However, there are some countries where the validity period extends to one year.
So, it is important to note, the validity period that is accepted will vary from country to country and may also depend on the vaccine received.
Already, five countries including Croatia, Austria, Switzerland Israel, and Vietnam have warned that they will be reviewing travellers’ vaccine expiry dates; it is likely that more countries will introduce these measures as international travel resumes.
Travellers with expired vaccine statuses may also be able to avoid any quarantine requirements if they arrive with evidence of a Covid-19 test taken up to 72 hours before departure. Again, this will depend on the country being visited and the travel rules they have in place.
Potential changes in Covid-19 travel passes mean that it is essential that holidaymakers take the time to fully understand the entry requirements for the destination in which they plan to visit. Country-specific information can be found here on the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office’s website (FCDO).
Failure to provide valid or necessary documentation when arriving or leaving a country (and therefore being refused from entering or leaving) is not something that a travel insurance policy would offer cover for. Therefore, anyone found in this situation may need to pay for a new flight, extra accommodation, or any other costs incurred at their own expense.
