How to Get a Greek COVID Vaccine Passport for Travel

Greece has recently published all the necessary information for those wishing to obtain their COVID Vaccine Passport for travel purposes.

Greece was the first EU country to implement the COVID Vaccine Passport, having already gone through a testing phase and prepared a fully-operational online platform for it. PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis was the very first national leader to promote the idea back in January of 2021.

In a press release issued by the Ministry of Health, it was revealed that for the passport to be issued, those obtaining it must hold a Greek identity card that contains the holder’s details in Latin characters, or a general traveling passport.

The EU Digital Passport can be obtained by Greek citizens as long as they provide proof that they meet one of the following statements:

• They have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 with all required doses
• They have recovered from the virus
• They have obtained a negative COVID-19 test result
• Moreover, all persons obtaining the passport need to provide their personal Taxisnet passwords and their Social Security number.

Greece has emphasized that the passport’s validity confirmation is carried out only at specific entry checkpoints through a special system developed by the EU.

COVID vaccine passport is not mandatory travel document

“This certificate is not a mandatory travel document. Scientific data on COVID-19 vaccination, diagnosis, and recovery continue to evolve, also taking into account new variants of the virus. Before travelling, check the applicable public health measures and the relevant restrictions that apply to your destination,” the Ministry’s statement reads.

The EU COVID -19 Passport has been established by the European Union in an effort to restore freedom of travel that has been put at a halt for more than a year now since the pandemic burst out all over the block.

By implementing such a certificate, the Commission aims to remove the travel restrictions such as entry bans, quarantine, and testing requirements.

Despite a widely spread belief that the passport will look like a regular travel document, in fact, it will be a single-page document issued in the digital or printed version.

Additionally, the passport will contain a unique QR code through which the authorities will be able to check its validity, integrity and identify its authenticity. A digital signature will be included as well.

Based on the type of passport Greek citizens wish to obtain, the document will include the following information on the holder:

• Name and surname
• Date of birth
• The issuing country
• QR code

“When travelling, every Digital Green Certificate holder will have the same rights as citizens of the visited Member State who have been vaccinated, tested or recovered,” the EU Commission claimed.

Previously, on June 1, it was announced that seven European Union countries, including Greece, had already started to issue their EU COVID-19 Passports. The other countries are Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Croatia, and Poland.

By, over half of the European Union Member States have started to issue and verify COVID-19 vaccination passports for travel.