OBSOLETE COVID THREAD Is U.S. CDC card recognized as valid vaccination certificate under Portugal rules ?

[jacklam349]

Is there any U.S. citizen with CDC card arrived in Portugal after February 1, 2022 ?

Is the U.S. CDC card recognized as valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate ?

Reading this https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal

U.S. is not listed "under reciprocal conditions" - Is that phrase applied to only the recovery certificate ?

Excerpt:
"Or a valid vaccination certificate (with a complete vaccination schedule or a vaccine booster) or recovery certificate issued by a third country, under reciprocal conditions: Albania ...""

 

[Camembert]

Is there any U.S. citizen with CDC card arrived in Portugal after February 1, 2022 ?

Is the U.S. CDC card recognized as valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate ?

Reading this https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal

U.S. is not listed "under reciprocal conditions" - Is that phrase applied to only the recovery certificate ?

Excerpt:
"Or a valid vaccination certificate (with a complete vaccination schedule or a vaccine booster) or recovery certificate issued by a third country, under reciprocal conditions: Albania ...""

there is a lot of useful information on this forum and among others one of our devoted forum members Kathar1na mentioned an interesting app and website which name is mentioned in the link .

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/no-more-masks-outside-in-spain.72946/#post-994335

 

[kenwilltravel]

Is there any U.S. citizen with CDC card arrived in Portugal after February 1, 2022 ?

Is the U.S. CDC card recognized as valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate ?

Reading this https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal

U.S. is not listed "under reciprocal conditions" - Is that phrase applied to only the recovery certificate ?

Excerpt:
"Or a valid vaccination certificate (with a complete vaccination schedule or a vaccine booster) or recovery certificate issued by a third country, under reciprocal conditions: Albania ...""

Friends of ours, who have visited Portugal, where we live, have used an app call vaxyes: https://gogetdoc.com/vaxyes
Basically, anything that features a QR code is better for traveling to and within the EU than trying to show the CDC card.

 

[Kathar1na]

Friends of ours, who have visited Portugal, where we live, have used an app call vaxyes: https://gogetdoc.com/vaxyes
Basically, anything that features a QR code is better for traveling to and within the EU than trying to show the CDC card.

Two things to take into account:

• Was this before or after 7 or 8 February 2022?
• Where did the control of their vaccination documents take place - before departure to Portugal or after arrival in Portugal or no control at either location?

 

[kenwilltravel]

Two things to take into account:

• Was this before or after 7 or 8 February 2022?
• Where did the control of their vaccination documents take place - before departure to Portugal or after arrival in Portugal or no control at either location?

Good questions. The people in question used the app during the Christmas holidays, so before February, and the document control took place after they arrived in Portugal.

 

[HeyJer]

I have a US friend who just arrived in Lisbon with her paper CDC vaccine card and had no issues.
I was also in Lisbon during October 2021 and the cdc card was fine usually (a couple of bars chose to 'officially' accept only EU digital certs; even then I was able to get in). There was a period (Nov-Jan) during the Omicron surge when the CDC paper card was listed in several sources as not accepted. These sources, including well known ones, still linger and sometimes have outdated info. However, *it appears* US CDC paper cards are, once again, accepted for entry into Portugal and establishments there.

 

[Phil W]

The US Embassy in Portugal has what I'm hoping is current information for US citizens who are traveling as tourists to Portugal. You can use the CDC vaccination card and a covid test prior to arrival to enter. The embassy tells what tests are acceptable as well as the time frames before arrival. I found it interesting that if you arrive without the covid requirements, you will be fined as well as the airline and returned on the next flight.

COVID-19 Information

Last updated: January 24, 2023 The CDC’s Order requiring proof of vaccination for non-U.S. citizen nonimmigrants to travel to the United States is still

pt.usembassy.gov

 

[trecile]

I found it interesting that if you arrive without the covid requirements, you will be fined as well as the airline and returned on the next flight.

Yes, and the airline is really hit hard. According to this article

Airlines carrying passengers without a negative test were fined between €20,000 and €40,000 per passenger and travellers were also subject to fines between €300 and €800, for not presenting a test on arrival.

 

[Phil W]

Thanks @trecile good info to know.
Phil

 

[jacklam349]

Two things to take into account:

• Was this before or after 7 or 8 February 2022?
• Where did the control of their vaccination documents take place - before departure to Portugal or after arrival in Portugal or no control at either location?

How much do they charge for the vaxYes digital pass ? Is it valid internationally ?
I have a NYC covid-19 Vaccination Excelsior Pass Plus on my phone - But it seems that the QR code does not scan well internationally!

I am planning for my booked flight on March 15....

 

[jacklam349]

there is a lot of useful information on this forum and among others one of our devoted forum members Kathar1na mentioned an interesting app and website which name is mentioned in the link .

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/no-more-masks-outside-in-spain.72946/#post-994335

Yes, a lot of information - and some of them are not update-to-day - Even the Re-Open EU APP is out dated about entering into Germany.

 

[trecile]

How much do they charge for the vaxYes digital pass ?

I don't know anything about it, or where it's accepted, but here's the website for VaxYes

GoGetDoc - Modern Healthcare Starts Here

We're on a mission to make finding and using modern healthcare easy for everyone.

gogetdoc.com

 

[Kathar1na]

How much do they charge for the vaxYes digital pass ? Is it valid internationally ?
I have a NYC covid-19 Vaccination Excelsior Pass Plus on my phone - But it seems that the QR code does not scan well internationally! I am planning for my booked flight on March 15....

I can't answer these questions. Since this is about a flight from Munich to Lisbon in about three weeks, and you are still concerned, I phoned a pharmacy in Terminal 1 in Munich airport. They confirmed what I guessed anyway: They do not convert any foreign vaccination pass into an EU digital certificate, only in cases when you were vaccinated abroad and have a German passport, or live in Germany, or have been vaccinated in Germany and got only a stamp in your yellow WHO pass, or are member of a German health insurance system. They don't do tests. There is a test center in the airport.

Lufthansa webpage writes: Foreign proof of vaccination is accepted. As stipulated in EU law, there must be a number of details in the document. Presenting merely a QR code that nobody can read is not enough. Your document ought to show in particular which hospital/pharmacy/agency did the vaccination. But I don't know the details. You must check with the people in the airport. At the check-in or at the gate.

 

[Kathar1na]

Furthermore, for flights between EU countries, the rules are, more or less, the same everywhere: either valid proof of vaccination, or valid proof of recovery, or valid proof of a negative test. If all else fails, you can get the results of an antigen test within less than a few hours maximum, and they don't cost the world.

Portugal has abolished the requirement for use of vaccination passes when travelling within Portugal.

There is really no big issue for a flight from Munich to Lisbon and back that I could think of.

 

[trecile]

I don't know anything about it, or where it's accepted, but here's the website for VaxYes

GoGetDoc - Modern Healthcare Starts Here

We're on a mission to make finding and using modern healthcare easy for everyone.

gogetdoc.com

I should add that their website says that it's "used in +190 countries," but doesn't say which countries, or which entities accept it.
Also, I emailed them to ask the question and was referred to their FAQ page, which doesn't have the answer.

 

[Kathar1na]

I should add that their website says that it's "used in +190 countries," but doesn't say which countries, or which entities accept it.
Also, I emailed them to ask the question and was referred to their FAQ page, which doesn't have the answer.

Thanks, @trecile. I'll repeat this because I see much confusion about this.

As far as the EU countries are concerned and their acceptance of vaccination certificates:

• In digital form with a QR code: The only accepted digital certificates are those issued by EU countries themselves, and by the associated Schengen countries and by a number of non-EU countries who have applied for and been granted adhesion to the EU's IT system for Covid-19 certificates. A current list of these countries is here. You need to scroll down and click on Non-EU countries that have joined the EU Digital COVID Certificate system.
  
  
• In non-digital form, i.e. printed form: All EU countries accept vaccination certificates as long as they contain the required information. Usually, a certain number of data fields must contain detailed information about your own personal vaccination.
  My advice would be to have printed copies of your vaccination documents with you when you travel to Europe.

Websites, even official ones, can be misleading because they tend to lack clear language about the second point and tend to concentrate on travellers whose certificates belong to the first point.

 

[Kathar1na]

It is my understanding that currently everybody from the USA can travel to Portugal, vaccinated or not (this does not apply to flights from all countries). You either need a negative test result or a recognised proof of vaccination where it is a little unclear what recognised means at the moment and on this context. I saw the following comments on Tripadvisor (see below). The traveller came from the USA and arrived at Lisbon airport. What he reports sounds plausible to me in the given context.

In short, coming from the USA and vaccinated or not, you'd be fine with a PCR test, taken within 72h before your first leg of your flight to Portugal. This appears to be a safe bet. I'am aware of what various government and air traffic websites say and that there is conflicting information. Checks after arrival appear to be random and not systematic. FWIW.

Landed Feb 27​

Warning. Before you can even get to immigration they ask for your Covid test results or an EU Digital Vac Cert.​

They do not take any North America vaccine paper cert.​

In the long line it took one hour fifteen mins.​

For most [travellers] they only want your passport as if flying on United or Delta they know they checked your docs.​

Some got random audits and they spent 10 mins digging through your paper work for covid and the tracking QR code.​

Saw one person escorted to the far back to take a covid test and was fined $300 plus $200 for a test.​

Rapid test warning​

If you only have a rapid test will audit and check your form in detail. It must be an EU approved test.​

Rapid tests are only good for 24 hours from your first flight. Not the last one so like us we had three flights. Time is 24 hours before first flight not last. Airlines check this.​

PCR is 72 hours. They don't check anything. Not even the type of test.​

​