Travelling to Germany/Austria, how to get EU Vaccine Passport?

Hi all - I am travelling to Germany then Austria, vaccinated in Australia. Has anyone had any luck getting the EU Vaccine Passport?

If it's not possible, if the EU Vaccine passport required or is proof of vaccination simply enough? How thoroughly is this enforced, particularly on the ski fields?

Hi Rakesh,

It’s a shame that the Australian certificate hasn’t been deemed equivalent to the European Digital certificate by the EU yet, when those issued by neighbouring nations, such as NZ and Singapore have been for a while now.

I did some research on the topic a while back and unfortunately there isn’t much written about it, because while countries might enforce rules at immigration level, businesses may be more lenient.

Since you’re flying to Germany first, you may still be able to obtain a vaccination certificate issued by a chemist there, which will be equivalent to the EU certificate. I haven’t done it myself, but reports stated some chemists did it for free, while others charged a fee.

If you require an EU certificate before landing in the EU, the Swiss authorities may still offer an online certificate for anyone vaccinated overseas with eligible vaccines for a fee. Since the Swiss certificate is EU-equivalent, to my knowledge that’s the only way to obtain one online as a tourist.

Good luck and safe travels!

The Swiss used to provide an easy solution to get a EU Covid Passport, but their rules have changed.

To get the Swiss Covid Passport, you must upload both your local Passport page, your local Covid Vaccination Certificate, plus a plane ticket to Switzerland or a non-refundable hotel booking in Switzerland. The certificate is provided in about 3 days. The Swiss Covid Certificate is then valid for 270 days, or about 9 months, since your last vaccination.

They charge CHF30 for their certificate, except if you're entering via the Geneva canton where there is no charge. You can then enter your Swiss Covid Certificate into their Covid Cert app.

Thanks for the update @Phil Young. I had done my research about 6 weeks ago and it appears that Switzerland has added the ticket or hotel booking requirement since. It’s an ever-changing game.

The Swiss Cert for non-Citizens/non-Residents is still being issued but it is now only valid for use in Switzerland. No doubt the Swiss noted the surge in Australians applying for the Cert in the days and weeks after The Age article in January that published the workaround/ loop hole !

I wouldn't worry if you've had all three jabs in the required time bands and have the Aussie International Vaccination Certificate. We travelled through southern Germany & Austria (flew into Munich, road to Innsbruck and then train to Vienna for flight home) on a ski holiday in January and experienced no problems with using the Australian International Vaccination Certificate at hotels, restaurants, ski lifts or public transport. Border checkpoint was Germany/Austria was unmanned. The Aussie QR code didn't work of course, but all the required information is shown on the document. After explaining that the Aussie QR code only worked at airports and wasn't like the local Green Pass, we were never refused access.

Travelling was really no big deal, even in mid-Jan when the situation was most fraught and booster requirement had just been added by Austria. Just remember to wear proper P2 masks in Austria not the blue things. I'd echo the advice of others to carry print copies of everything as staff clearly don't relish peering at small script on a mobile, especially when the QR code is no use.