The European Commission (EC) has adopted three new equivalence decisions certifying the Covid-19 certificates issued by Vietnam and two other countries.

The Covid-19 certificates of Vietnam, Indonesia, and Seychelles are equivalent to the ones issued by authorities in the EU countries, named “EU Digital COVID Certificate”.

Foreign visitors arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on the first-day resumption of welcoming tourists. Photo: Quang Toan

These three countries will therefore be connected to the EU system and the EU will accept their Covid-19 certificates under the same conditions as its own “Digital COVID Certificate”.

It means that passengers from the three countries will be permitted to enter the bloc under the same rules as those who hold “EU Digital COVID Certificates”.

At the same time, the three countries have decided to accept the EU’s digital Covid-19 certificates.

According to the announcement published by the EC, the decision will take effect starting today [May 11].

With the accession of Vietnam, Indonesia, and Seychelles, the number of countries and territories connected to the EU system has increased to 67, said European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders.

He expressed his hope that the pandemic is soon put under control and the certificate remains a useful tool for many destinations, for instance, in case of testing requirements.

Vietnam has decided to reopen international tourism from March 15, the foreign ministry stressed that it will work closely with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to provide measures for the reopening, including the policy for granting visas as directed by the Government.