The recommendation from the European Union’s Commission to shorten the validity of the EU Vaccination Certificate to 270 days or nine months goes into effect on Tuesday, February 1. The 27 Member States have uniformly adopted the validity rules. However, some EU countries which use their own COVID tracing apps have adopted additional rules.
The nine months is based on the guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which advises booster doses after no more than six months and allows for an additional grace period of three months to ensure access and availability.
The 270-day expiration will be monitored within the mobile application.
| Country | Vaccine Validity | Additional Information |
| Austria | 270 Days | Changes went into effect in December 2021. Stricter entry regulations, known as the 2G+ rule, are in effect. Passengers arriving in Austria must be fully vaccinated or recovered and present a negative PCR test or proof of a booster dose. |
| Belgium | 150 Days | The Belgian Consultation Committee decided to reduce the validity of vaccination certificates from 270 days to 150 days, starting from March 1, in a bid to push more people to receive a COVID-19 booster dose. |
| Bulgaria | 270 Days | |
| Croatia | 270 Days | |
| Cyprus | 270 Days | |
| Czech Republic | 270 Days | Changes went into effect in January 2022 |
| Denmark | 270 Days | |
| Estonia | 270 Days | |
| Finland | 270 Days | |
| France | 270 Days | From Feb. 15, the “vaccine pass” is required for access to entertainment venues, restaurants, leisure activities, and interregional transportation. |
| Germany | 270 Days | |
| Greece | 210 Days | Vaccination certificates would remain valid for seven months only after the last dose of the vaccine. |
| Hungary | Varies | From Feb. 15, 2022, new rules will apply to vaccine certificates in Hungary (including the EU-DCC). 1.) Recovery certificates will not be valid without a second dose of a vaccine. 2.) Fully vaccinated individuals who contract COVID-19 can extend their certificate by six months from the date of their diagnosis. 3.) EU-DCCs will only be valid for six months without a booster shot. 4.) EU-DCCs issued based on a booster dose have no expiry date. |
| Ireland | 270 Days | |
| Italy | 270 Days | From Feb. 1, 2022, the EU DCC will be valid for nine months to enter Italy. When in Italy, it will only be valid for six months from the most recent date of vaccination for access to shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, and other services. |
| Latvia | 270 Days | |
| Lithuania | 270 Days | |
| Luxembourg | 270 Days | |
| Malta | Varies | From Feb. 1, persons with a Maltese ID or valid residency, who do not possess a valid vaccine certificate, will be asked to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Validity requirements for foreign vaccine certificates are as per the requirements of the country issuing the certificate. |
| Netherlands | 270 Days | |
| Poland | 270 Days | |
| Portugal | 270 Days | Holders of a valid EU DCC of recovery from COVID-19 (issued less than 180 days before travel) are exempt from a pre-departure test requirement. |
| Romania | 270 Days | |
| Slovakia | 270 Days | |
| Slovenia | 270 Days | |
| Spain | 270 Days | |
| Sweden | 270 Days | The Swedish government changed the entry ban from January 21, 2022, to exempt fully vaccinated holders of a vaccine certificate, or certificate of recovery, issued in an EEA* or approved country if entering from an EEA* country. |
Erickson Insights
Following the discovery of the Omicron variant, the EU Commission introduced initial plans to shorten the validity of vaccination certificates. Since then, several EU countries have already adopted the plan, and others have modified their own requirements. It is highly recommended that travelers review and abide by each EU country’s travel restrictions before travel.