CORONAVIRUS/EU to accept Taiwan-issued digital COVID passports from Wednesday

Digital COVID-19 certificates issued by Taiwan will be accepted as equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate from Wednesday.

The European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) made the announcement of the decision by the European Commission to accept COVID-19 certificates issued by Taiwan as part of its EU Digital COVID Certificate System Tuesday.

Those with a Taiwan-issued certificate will now be able to travel freely in the “EU+” area, which includes all EU member states, as well as the four Schengen Area associated nations of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

According to the European Commission, once a traveler has entered into the EU+ area, a recognized Taiwan-issued certificate can also be used for getting access to cultural events, sites, or other activities where the possession of the digital pass is mandatory.

Meanwhile, the EETO said, Taiwan also agreed to accept the EU Digital COVID Certificate for EU nationals traveling to the country, suggesting more convenient bilateral travel in the future.

“The EU will accept Taiwanese COVID certificates under the same conditions as the EU Digital COVID Certificate,” the EETO said, adding that the decision stems from a technical assessment performed by EU services.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate does not replace travel documents, such as passports, and does not change entry conditions into the EU, according to the EETO.

To obtain a digital COVID-19 certificate, non-EU travelers must have been inoculated with one of the vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

However, individual EU member states may decide to accept other vaccines, such as the ones on the WHO Emergency Use Listing, in the future, according to the EETO.

Chuang Jen-hsiang (???), spokesman of Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), said the reciprocal recognition could facilitate travel, but that quarantine measures required to enter the EU would remain the same.

Evaluations are also being made to decide whether and how Taiwan’s digital certificate could be used domestically, the CECC said.

As of now, 60 partners in five continents are connected to the EU system, the EETO said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel