And I in two weeks! So any notes about your experience in Germany will be much appreciated!

In 2 weeks many things could be different. We simply don't know yet.

I'm about 9 days away from my next trip. Then again, I was also there exactly a year ago - that was not a fun experience - hoping things don't get too bad over there.

No, but a bunch of us did it at the pharmacy at the Düsseldorf Hbf in October. So I'd try a pharmacy at the Köln Hbf.

The one in D-dorf had a counter set up just to do the conversion. My guess since it is a big trade fair (Messe) town they were getting prepared for lots of foreign visitors when the trade fairs resume. Of course, in October everything was looking rosy and now with the spikes, not so much...

Is there a pharmacy easy to get to from FRA airport? Have a 6 hour layover to Greece, 0530-1200 and would love to try to get the digital card to make it easier for future travel I know it’s been reported the pharmacies in the airport only allow citizens/residents. Is this still the case? Any other options?

There is a pharmacy at the airport but I don’t know if they do this.

There are a number of pharmacies in downtown Frankfurt, incl. one at Hauptbahnhof (searched Google maps). Not sure which one to try, but it’s an easy ride with the S-Bahn.

Just a little update from our end. We are fully vaccinated US travellers and arrived in Munich on 11/21. We tried the apotheke mentioned in this thread in Munich but we were told no as we aren't German residents. We didn't try again as it wasn't much of an issue as the CDC card was accepted with your passport. We arrived in Berlin last night and didnt have any issues with the CDC card at restaurants or two Christmas markets. Today 11/24 was a different story as we were denied entry from multiple museums and even Starbucks because we didn't have the EU pass. We tried multiple apothekes in Berlin and were denied over and over. In a last ditch attempt- we went to this apotheke and were able to get the EU pass. It was simple and painless. It seems more difficult to convert the CDC card now than it was a few weeks ago.

The one at Frankfurt HBF refused to do one as not a resident.

I hope it wasn't my report of the Apotheke in Münchner Freiheit. At the time I did it, they did. I know my co-workers decided to wait and have it done elsewhere and consistently struck out.

Has anyone tried the apotheke thats in the squaire connected to FRA? I'm flying next weekend then taking the train to Cologne but would like to get my cert ASAP and I've heard others in Cologne having a difficult time getting the certificate in Cologne.

Since you’re from California, do you have the California app that will allow you to upload your vax record into the Smart Health Card? California and Louisiana (surprisingly) are two of several states that have an app that has this functionality. The Louisiana app worked perfectly for me in many locations in Switzerland and Germany within the last month. No problems with access anywhere.

When you say “worked perfectly”, does that mean they scanned the barcode and it was accepted by the verification app? Or that the person doing the verification saw a QR code and some verbiage about COVID vaccination on the screen and accepted it as valid?

At a restaurant right now that refused CDC card, then tried to read the California QR code and of course it did not scan, then read the details of California pass with the three dates and gave us the go ahead.

This. Except that in Smart Health Card, there isn’t “some verbiage”, there’s data. It lists the vaccine type, lot # and date of vaccination, for each time you receive a vaccine.

Since July, I’ve made multiple trips to Switzerland and Germany from the U.S. In July, I was only showing my CDC card and was always allowed in any establishment that required proof of vaccination. Since then, I’ve been using the LA Wallet app which has the Smart Health Card inside. I have always been allowed in any establishment that requires proof of vaccination by using this app. The longest it has taken for me to be allowed in, was probably about 15 seconds while I was using the CDC card back in July. Now, with the App, it’s 10 seconds or less. I always walk in with my phone in my hand and the App opened. The QR code can’t be scanned by the European verification App, but as long as you can show proof of vaccination, which the U.S. App does, that is sufficient. Now, that doesn’t mean that you won’t occasionally run into someone who is not properly trained. In that case, I’d probably ask to speak with a manager, etc.

If you read the requirements for entry to an EU country, for the most part, the rules only state that you must provide proof of vaccination. No where is it stated that you have to have a German QR code, Swiss QR code, etc. Of course, with the current dramatic increase in infections, in some countries ( Austria, Germany & others), things may change.

Again, multiple trips to Switzerland and Germany since July. Absolutely no questions asked of me. No debates. No discussions. No refusals of entry. No problems. The Smart Health Card has worked perfectly for me. I wasn’t going to pay CHF 30 for a Swiss QR code since it wouldn’t provide any additional benefit. And, wasn’t going to spend time running around trying to find an Apotheke in Germany that would convert my CDC card. Everyone should do what they feel most comfortable with. I’m only relating my personal experiences to provide some information that others might find useful. YMMV.

If you live in a state that uses the Smart Health Card, count yourself lucky. See the following link:

https://www.commonhealth.org/smart-health-cards

Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃🥂