"Green passport" enforced from Aug 8. How can US citizens get one?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: SAN
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"Green passport" enforced from Aug 8. How can US citizens get one?
I'm traveling to Italy on August 7th, and just saw the new Government mandate from August 8 of the 'green passport'. I'm a US citizen with the CDC vaccination card. I know the CDC card can get me into Italy, but I'm not sure about venues, trains, exhibitions, etc. It seems this new mandate was just announced in the last day or two. Any idea on how or if a pharmacy or other medical facility can issue a Italian green passport QR code for a US Citizen with the white CDC card?
I already cancelled my France and Portugal trips due to their green passport rules, and the seemingly impossible task of getting a QR code for US citizens.
I already cancelled my France and Portugal trips due to their green passport rules, and the seemingly impossible task of getting a QR code for US citizens.
#2
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: Alitalia
Posts: 149
I am afraid nobody has even started to think what to do with American tourists and how to convert their cards. There are still too many questions of how green pass is going to be checked among the Italians.
The news is too fresh to get you an answer.
The news is too fresh to get you an answer.
#3
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,893
Some news at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...258_story.html including:
There's a government document on entry to Italy that includes a reproduction of the CDC card as acceptable proof of vaccination.
The Green Pass is a part of the European Union’s digital covid certificate program. In the news conference, neither Draghi nor Speranza made clear how the requirements would apply to tourists from non-E.U. countries. But a health ministry spokesman said that equivalent vaccination certificates, including those from the United States, would be recognized.
#4
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 6,643
It's way too early to know. As with most things related to the pandemic in Italy, 99.9% of the information is targeted to residents in Italy returning into the country. I'm vaccinated here in the UK and right now there isn't a whole lot of information on how to recognise the UK vaccinations and viceversa, despite both countries having a good back-end system with online registers and so on.
My hunch is that, for the Americans, things will continue as they are today. Sure it'd be great if somebody in the US had asked Jeff or Bill for some space in AWS or Azure to build a database of vaccinations with an API in front but hey... warp speed!
My hunch is that, for the Americans, things will continue as they are today. Sure it'd be great if somebody in the US had asked Jeff or Bill for some space in AWS or Azure to build a database of vaccinations with an API in front but hey... warp speed!
#5
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL, LHR
Posts: 192
It's way too early to know. As with most things related to the pandemic in Italy, 99.9% of the information is targeted to residents in Italy returning into the country. I'm vaccinated here in the UK and right now there isn't a whole lot of information on how to recognise the UK vaccinations and viceversa, despite both countries having a good back-end system with online registers and so on.
My hunch is that, for the Americans, things will continue as they are today. Sure it'd be great if somebody in the US had asked Jeff or Bill for some space in AWS or Azure to build a database of vaccinations with an API in front but hey... warp speed!
My hunch is that, for the Americans, things will continue as they are today. Sure it'd be great if somebody in the US had asked Jeff or Bill for some space in AWS or Azure to build a database of vaccinations with an API in front but hey... warp speed!
#6
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 6,643
I've done a bit of a trawl through the major papers this morning and to be honest there's no mention of what happens if somebody has just a hand-scribbled piece of paper like a CDC card. The Corriere della Sera reports that works is in progress - and should be completed by the end of July - for Italians who have been vaccinated abroad to have their status recognised in country, but to do that you need the "Tessera Sanitaria". Il Sole 24 Ore is also reporting that there's an (another) app in the works, due by the end of the month, called VerificaC19, which will be used by those who need to control - verify, indeed - the green passes. It's basically a barcode/QR code reader. I plan to download it to see how it behaves with my NHS-issued certificate... A similar French app works. But it requires your paperwork to have some sort of code and thus some additional information.
Last edited by 13901; Jul 25, 21 at 12:52 am
#7
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 6,643
Update:
The "Verifica C19" App is already on the App store, at least for iOS. I downloaded it and did a brief test on my NHS-provided QR code. Didn't work. Then I tried another QR code, this time taken from the similar French App (discussed here https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33422264-post377.html ) which yielded a positive scan for NHS vaccine passports. Again, didn't work. I then got my sister-in-law's QR code (Italian citizen, vaccinated there) just to ensure that I wasn't doing something wrong and lo and behold it did work. The app should work with all EU-based codes so I'm not sure why the French app didn't work but here it is.
The "Verifica C19" App is already on the App store, at least for iOS. I downloaded it and did a brief test on my NHS-provided QR code. Didn't work. Then I tried another QR code, this time taken from the similar French App (discussed here https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33422264-post377.html ) which yielded a positive scan for NHS vaccine passports. Again, didn't work. I then got my sister-in-law's QR code (Italian citizen, vaccinated there) just to ensure that I wasn't doing something wrong and lo and behold it did work. The app should work with all EU-based codes so I'm not sure why the French app didn't work but here it is.
#9
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 6,643
What I don't know is wether a genuine green pass from an EU country would work. I only have my "fudged" French one. It'd be nice if someone else from, say, Austria tried it out.
Meanwhile, Friday one of the MPs for Italians living abroad raised an urgent parliamentary interrogation to ask what's the government planning to do for those who are vaccinated abroad. Mind you, she raised it to the Foreign Minister, Di Maio, who's got half the brains that God has given a goose but... at least somebody's taking notice.
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Yes that's exactly it. I'm still in the window where I can cancel most of my Italian plans and get refunds. But I really want to go, and if the CDC card is sufficient for entry into everything I'll go. Feedback I've gotten from the France forum is that the CDC card IS widely accepted with smiles there. So I'm hoping Italy is equally welcoming.
#11
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: Alitalia
Posts: 149
#12
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 6,643
Yes that's exactly it. I'm still in the window where I can cancel most of my Italian plans and get refunds. But I really want to go, and if the CDC card is sufficient for entry into everything I'll go. Feedback I've gotten from the France forum is that the CDC card IS widely accepted with smiles there. So I'm hoping Italy is equally welcoming.
I understand why they're doing this (drive up vaccinations - and it's working) but it's all quite confusing. Right now Americans are allowed in the country with a CDC card and a test at most (btw it'd be lovely if uncle Joe returned the favour, but alas translatlantic relations are very often a one-way street) and I don't think this will change in future. It'd be senseless to allow them in with a card but then not let them go anywhere. As always, time will tell.
#13
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL, LHR
Posts: 192
Frankly it's all quite confusing. I had a read through the decree and I had a browse through articles in the press and it's mentioned that, at least until August 12th, paper certificates will still be valid. It doesn't help either that the decree refers to another set of guidelines that haven't been published yet.
I understand why they're doing this (drive up vaccinations - and it's working) but it's all quite confusing. Right now Americans are allowed in the country with a CDC card and a test at most (btw it'd be lovely if uncle Joe returned the favour, but alas translatlantic relations are very often a one-way street) and I don't think this will change in future. It'd be senseless to allow them in with a card but then not let them go anywhere. As always, time will tell.
I understand why they're doing this (drive up vaccinations - and it's working) but it's all quite confusing. Right now Americans are allowed in the country with a CDC card and a test at most (btw it'd be lovely if uncle Joe returned the favour, but alas translatlantic relations are very often a one-way street) and I don't think this will change in future. It'd be senseless to allow them in with a card but then not let them go anywhere. As always, time will tell.
#14
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 6,643
It's not about getting allowed in. It's been clear for weeks that a CDC card for vax'd people or a negative COVID test for non-vax'd people (like my children) is sufficient for entry - AFAIK no Americans are worried about entry. What we're all worried about is on August 8th having the country shut down to us b/c we don't have a Green Pass and even if my CDC card works to gain entrance to certain places, my kids will not have one - and I'm not about to get them tested every 48 hours just to have a relatively normal experience. We're leaning on cancelling amidst this confusion....
BTW if your children are below 12 years of age they won't need a Green Pass.