1. WHAT IS IT?
The EU Digital COVID Certificate (so called “Green Pass”) is a digital proof that a person has either:
– been vaccinated (starting from February 2022, the certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the second dose);
– recovered from COVID-19 within the previous 6 months (valid for 6 months);
– tested negative to either an antigen or molecular test. The certification is valid for 48 hours.
The certificate features a QR Code verifying its authenticity and validity.
The Green Pass was introduced on 1 July 2021 to allow safe travels within the 27 EU member countries, plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Residents in Italy must present the Green Pass also to access public venues such as:
1. indoor dining areas of restaurants;
2. theatres, cinemas, event and sports venues;
3. museums and other cultural venues;
4. swimming pools, gyms, spas and wellness centres, theme and amusement parks, recreational and leisure centres, gaming halls and casinos;
5. trade-fairs, conferences and meetings.
It is also mandatory to board:
1. airplanes;
2. interregional ships and ferries (except for the Straits of Messina ferry services);
3. Intercity and High Speed trains;
4. long-distance buses; charter buses;
5. ski lifts; chairlifts.
Children under the age of 12 are exempted from holding a Green Pass.
2. DO I NEED A GREEN PASS TO ENTER ITALY FROM HONG KONG AND MACAO?
NO, but upon boarding a flight to Italy you are required to:
- fill in the digital passenger locator form (dPLF);
- submit a negative (molecular or antigen) swab test result taken within the last 72 hours before entering Italy;
If you have been fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 with Comirnaty (BioNTech/Pfizer) or other vaccine recognized by the European Medical Authority (COVID-19 vaccines | European Medicines Agency (europa.eu), you are exempted from quarantine upon entering Italy.
If you have NOT been fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 with a vaccine recognized by the European Medical Authority, you will have to self-isolate in a house or in a hotel for five days upon arrival and undergo a Covid-19 test (molecular or antigen) at the end of the self-isolation period.
3. DO I NEED A GREEN PASS TO ACCESS PUBLIC VENUES IN ITALY?
Yes. Please consider that, effective from 23 September 2021, Italy accepts Comirnaty (BioNTech/Pfizer) vaccination records issued by foreign governments as equivalent to a Green Pass certificate.
In order to be accepted, the foreign vaccination certificate must contain the following information in English:
1. the personal details of the holder (name, surname, date of birth);
2. the details of the vaccine;
3. the date(s) of administration of the vaccine;
4. the identity of the certificate issuer;
As a result, citizens vaccinated in Hong Kong and Macau with Comirnaty (BioNTech/Pfizer) areentitled to access all venues and services for which a Green Pass is mandatorily required in Italy (see the above list). Upon entry to such venues, they must submit a digital or paper vaccination record with the information listed above.
Italian citizens residing in Hong Kong and Macau and their cohabiting family members, regardless of whether they are registered with the National Health Service or the SASN (health services for seafarers), who have been vaccinated abroad with the above vaccine or who have recovered abroad from COVID-19, may apply for a Green Pass certificate at the local Health Bureau (ASL).
4. I HAVE BEEN VACCINATED WITH SINOVAC. HOW CAN I ACCESS PUBLIC VENUES IN ITALY?
The European Medical Authority has not authorized Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines for use in the European Union. Thus, their vaccination records are not accepted as equivalent to the Green Pass.
You can still travel to Italy and access all venues and services for which a Green Pass is mandatorily required in Italy if you submit a vaccination record certifying that you have received a booster with Comirnaty (BioNTech/Pfizer).
The booster must be of 30 mcg in 0,3 ml and be administered no later than 180 days from your second dose of Sinovac/Sinopharm vaccine.