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EXPLAINED: Can tourists get Austria’s Covid green pass to visit bars and events?

As travel picks up across Europe, there is a new challenge for tourists to navigate when visiting a new country - Covid-19 digital immunity cards.

Published: 21 July 2021 10:08 CEST
Updated: 13 October 2021 09:34 CEST
EXPLAINED: Can tourists get Austria’s Covid green pass to visit bars and events?
A person has their Covid vaccination details checked. Photo: Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash

Austria’s coronavirus digital immunity card – known as the ‘Green Pass’ – is now live, but is it also available for tourists to use?

The short answer is – no, not yet.

For example, people arriving from an EU country can already access the EU Digital COVID Certificate in Austria, so they don’t need to download and use Austria’s digital immunity card. 

‘3G Rule’: How to prove you have been vaccinated, tested or recovered from Covid in Austria

Plus, in the most cases an Austrian mobile phone number or citizen card is needed to use Austria’s Green Pass, which rules out tourists.

For now though, tourists in Austria from outside of the EU can use paper or digital copies of vaccination certificates, negative tests or proof of recovery to access 3G areas.

What does this mean for people travelling to Austria? Here’s what you need to know.

How does Austria’s Covid-19 digital immunity card work?

The Green Pass involves downloading an app and using a QR card to access places where the 3G rule (vaccinated, tested or recovered) applies.

Places include gastronomy businesses like bars and cafes, hotels and language classes. 

To access the Green Pass, users need a Handy Signatur (a digital ID connected to an Austrian mobile phone number) or an Austrian citizen card. 

READER QUESTION: Can I travel to Austria if I’ve had AstraZeneca’s ‘Covishield’ vaccine?

However, people can still use the paper version of 3G certificates, such as a vaccination card, proof of recovery or proof of a negative antigen test to access 3G areas.

While this must be an official document, it does not need to have a QR code to be valid. It needs to be either in German or in English in a latin script and must be produced on request from business owners or police. 

The Austrian Federal Government has also said the Green Pass will not become compulsory.

Can tourists from EU countries use the Green Pass?

The Digital COVID Certificate was launched by the EU on 1st July and it is recognised in Austria.

The EU version can be used in the same way as the Green Pass to show proof of 3G, but paper or digital copies of test and vaccination certificates from other EU countries are also accepted.

This means EU tourists don’t have to worry about accessing Austria’s Green Pass.

What about tourists from other countries?

Currently, only the Green Pass and the EU Digital COVID Certificate are recognised in Austria and can’t be accessed by people from outside of the EU.

Unlike in some other countries, you cannot simply arrive in Austria and do a test. This is because in the most cases to get the green pass you need an Austrian phone number, citizen card or e-card. 

EXPLAINED: What is Austria’s Covid-19 immunity card and how do I get it?

But the EU Digital COVID Certificate might be extended to travellers from third countries in the future, like the UK and the US.

In the meantime, the British government is currently working on making its NHS app compatible with the EU system.

The EU is also working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to find a solution to recognising vaccine certificates without a QR code (an example is the US where certificates do not have a QR code).

If I can’t get the green pass, what does this mean for my trip to Austria? 

Fortunately, Austria still runs on paper – meaning you can show your paper evidence of vaccination, recovery etc when visiting bars, events and restaurants in Austria. 

This includes paper evidence of vaccination from abroad, such as in the United Kingdom. 

Several readers have told us they have also been able to show their NHS app at certain venues, although this is not official government policy. 

While this must be an official document, it does not need to have a QR code to be valid. 

It needs to be either in German or in English in a latin script and must be produced on request from business owners or police. 

Both the UK and Israeli governments are currently working with the EU on getting their apps accepted in Austria. 

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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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