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HEALTH

Italy to introduce new Covid ‘pass’ for travel in high-risk zones

Italy's prime minister has announced that a travel "pass" will soon allow people to enter or leave Italy's higher-risk coronavirus zones.

Published: 20 April 2021 17:33 CEST
Italy to introduce new Covid 'pass' for travel in high-risk zones
Negative Covid test certifcates are already required to board dsome train services in Italy, and may soon be needed for more domestic travel. Photo: Piero CRUCIATTI/AFP

Prime Minister Mario Draghi confirmed on Friday that some of the country’s coronavirus restrictions will be gradually relaxed from April 26th. But, while the government has given an outline of the reopening plan, many questions and uncertainties remain.

READ ALSO: Schools, restaurants, gyms, travel: Here’s Italy’s new timetable for reopening

The big news on Friday was that lower-risk ‘yellow’ zones will be reintroduced from next week – and in these areas, various restrictions will be lifted including the current closures of bars and restaurants across the country.

The nationwide ban on travel between regions will also no longer apply in yellow zones, Draghi said, adding that people could also be allowed to enter and leave areas which remain classed as higher-risk red and orange zones using a travel “pass”.

However, he didn’t give any details of what form this pass would take or what the requirements would be.

According to a new draft decree reported in Italian media this week, the document will certify that the holder had either been fully vaccinated, had tested negative for coronavirus within the past 48 hours, or had already contracted and recovered from Covid-19.

IN NUMBERS: Is it too soon for Italy to relax its coronavirus restrictions?

The pass is expected to be in the form of a paper document at first, before later being made available via an app or QR code.

The certificate will be valid for six months for those who are vaccinated or recovered, and it can be issued by the vaccination centre, or in the case of recovery, by a hospital, family doctor or pediatrician.

Certificates obtained by testing negative, meanwhile, are to be valid for 48 hours and can be issued by testing centres or pharmacies. 

What will the pass be needed for?

The document would need to be shown before boarding at airports or train stations, and if stopped by police at a checkpoint if travelling by car.

The government is also reportedly considering making the pass a requirement to attend certain cultural and sporting events, such as concerts and football matches, when they are allowed to reopen in yellow zones.

It is not yet clear when the new pass would be made available.

Further details on this and other aspects of Italy’s reopening plan are expected by Thursday, as ministers are currently finalising the country’s next emergency decree, due to come into force by Monday.

Italy has already launched some ‘Covid-free’ train services which only allow passengers to board if they can show a negative test certificate, and there are a limited number of ‘Covid-tested’ flights operating between Italy and the US:

Photo: Piero CRUCIATTI/AFP

Is this the same thing as a vaccine passport?

Italy’s new pass is also expected to be valid for travel within Europe.

It would work similarly to the European Digital Green Certificates scheme, due to launch in June in hopes of making summer travel safer within the bloc.

The proposed EU travel certificates, expected to be available via an app, will have information on whether a traveller has been vaccinated or not, if they have received a negative test result, or if they have recovered from Covid-19.

Italy’s government has not yet confirmed whether it will take part in the European scheme, and the country’s health minister has previously suggested that Italy wants to implement a pass which would also open up travel from non-EU countries.

However it is not known if the new pass could later be used for travel to or from non-EU countries.

READ ALSO:

The idea of ‘vaccine passports’ has proved controversial in Italy, with many arguing that they would be discriminatory and unfair and also amount to coercion to take what is supposed to be a voluntary vaccine.

There are also concerns about the idea of vaccinated tourists being allowed into the country while many of Italy’s own residents are still unable to access a vaccine, amid delays and bureaucratic problems.

The Italian government has not yet confirmed any plans to relax the current restrictions on international travel to Italy, however.

The tourism minister last week suggested June 2nd as a possible date for restarting non-essential travel, but this is not confirmed.

Testing and quarantine are currently required for almost all arrivals, and these requirements are expected to stay in place for many travellers for some time yet as the speed of Italy’s vaccine rollout lags behind the European average.

For more information on the restrictions please see the Italian Health Ministry’s website (in English).

Member comments

  1. If I have been vaccinated in the USA and am here on a work visa can I obtain a covid pass for travel to visit my relatives in a different zone?

  2. How do residents that have received vaccine from the US or other country get a COVID pass to travel? Will the US CDC vaccination card or printout from your doctor work?

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TRAVEL NEWS

What will Europe’s EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU's Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport checks will usher in big changes for travellers - here we answer readers' questions on the position for dual nationals.

Published: 22 April 2024 17:10 CEST
What will Europe's EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU is preparing, after many delays, to introduce the EES system for travel in and out of Europe.

You can find a full explanation of how it works HERE, but in essence it is an enhanced passport check – registering biometric details such as fingerprints and facial scans and introducing an automatic calculation of how long you have stayed within the EU/Schengen zone in order to detect ‘over-stayers’.

And it’s already causing stress for travellers. We asked readers of The Local to share their questions here – and one of the biggest worries was how the system will work for dual nationals ie people who have a passport for both an EU country and a non-EU country.

EES: Your questions answered

EU passports 

One of the main purposes of EES is to detect ‘over-stayers’ – people who have either stayed in the EU longer than their visa allows or non-EU nationals who have over-stayed their allowance of 90 days in every 180.

As this does not apply to EU nationals, people travelling on an EU passport are not required to do EES pre-registration and will continue to travel in the same way once EES is introduced – going to the ‘EU passports queue’ at airports, ports and stations and having their passports scanned as normal.

Non-EU 

Non-EU travellers will, once EES is up and running, be required to complete EES pre-registration.

This means that the first time they cross an EU/Schengen zone external border they will have to go to a special zone of the airport/port/terminal and supply extra passport information including fingerprints and a facial scan.

This only needs to be done once and then lasts for three years.

Non-EU residents of the EU/Schengen zone

This does not apply to non-EU citizens who are permanent residents of an EU country or who have a long-stay visa for an EU/Schengen zone country – click HERE for full details.

Schengen zone passports/Irish passports 

EES applies within the Schengen zone, so people with Swiss, Norwegian and Icelandic passports are treated in the same way as citizens of EU countries.

Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not the Schengen zone – these countries will not be using the EES system at their borders, but their citizens are still EU citizens so can continue to use EU passport gates at airports and will be treated the same as all other EU citizens (ie they don’t have to do EES pre-registration).

OK, so what if you have both an EU and a non-EU passport?

They key thing to remember about EES is that it doesn’t actually change any of the rules on immigration – it’s just a way of better enforcing the rules that are already in place. 

Therefore the rules for dual nationals remain as they are – for most people which passport to travel on is a matter of personal choice, although Americans should be aware that if you have a US passport and you are entering the USA, you must use your American passport. 

But it’s also important to remember that the passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’ – therefore if you present an American passport at the Italian border, you will be treated exactly the same as every other American, there is no way for the border guard to know that you are also Italian.

Likewise if you are a UK-Germany dual national and you travel back to the UK on your German passport, you can expect to be treated the same as every other German at the border, and might be asked for proof of where you are staying in UK, how long you intend to stay etc – the system has no way of knowing that you are also British. 

Therefore whether you have to complete EES pre-registration or not is entirely a matter of which passport you are travelling on – if you use your EU passport you won’t have to do it, if you use your non-EU passport you will.

It’s also possible to use two passports for the same trip – so let’s say you’re travelling from Spain to Canada – you enter Canada on your Canadian passport, and show your Canadian passport again when you leave. However, once you re-enter Spain you show your Spanish passport in order to benefit from the unlimited length of stay.

If you’re travelling between France and the UK via the Eurostar, Channel Tunnel or cross-Channel ferry, you need to remember that the Le Touquet agreement means that French passport checks take place in the UK and vice versa. You can still use both passports, but you just need to keep your wits about you and remember to hand the French one to the French border guards and the British one to British guards.

In terms of avoiding immigration formalities using two passports is the most efficient way for dual nationals to travel, but some people prefer to stick to one passport for simplicity, or don’t want to keep both passports together in case of theft.

Basically it’s a personal choice, but you just need to remember that you will be treated according to the passport that you show – which includes completing EES pre-registration if you’re showing a non-EU passport.

It’s also worth remembering that if the changes do cause border delays (and there are fears that they might especially at the UK-France border), then these will affect all travellers – regardless of their passport. 

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