Cyprus is gearing up for introducing the EU’s digital COVID-19 Green Pass on 1 July to facilitate smoother international travel.
In comments to state radio CyBC, Deputy Minister of Innovation Kyriakos Kokkinos said Cyprus would be ready to go live with the Green Pass with the rest of the bloc, despite minor glitches that are expected to occur.
The EU digital certificate goes online throughout the Union on July 1, with Italy already using the Green Pass system.
Holders of a Green Pass will need to download an online mobile application which national health authorities will update with the holder’s details.
The pass will indicate whether the holder has been vaccinated against COVID-19, tested negative, or recently recovered from coronavirus.
Kokkinos said it would be available in a digital form, but a paper version can also be requested, as the first 6 weeks will be a transitional period.
He said that those travelling on 1 July might not have time to download the application, or applications may not be updated in time by health authorities.
“The application will download a QR code which will be scanned every time a passenger walks through an entry or exit of an EU country”.
Holders should check to make sure their details appear correctly on the application, as their names might have been written differently at vaccination centres, or the spelling of their name on their ID card might differ from that of their passport.
“Even if one letter is misspelt, then there will be an issue at checkpoints,” said Kokkinos.
The EU Commission assisted member states in developing the national software and apps required to issue, store, and verify the certificates.
Meanwhile, Cypriots are no strangers to carrying COVID documentation, as Cyprus currently uses a Safe Pass which the EU certificate will replace.
While the EU certificate was primarily made to ease restrictions on travel throughout the bloc, Cyprus has opted to use it domestically and is required at indoor facilities.
Under the current COVID-19 measures, Cypriots need to carry a Safe Pass for indoor dining facilities, churches, cinemas, shopping malls, gyms, and hotels.
