Visiting Europe as a Vaccinated American Traveler

Following the pandemic, travel restrictions are still in place for a majority of countries. Recently, certain restrictions have been eased for travelers that have received their COVID-19 vaccination. Verifiable proof of vaccine is required for travel approval. It is also required for entry into various places, making it important to have that proof on hand while abroad. 

In response to this, several apps have been introduced to digital marketplaces in order to make proof of vaccination easier, but they require a code for verification, which certificates from the United States do not offer. To help travelers navigate this, the European Commission decided to begin issuing their own certificates for Americans with QR codes for those that have received American CDC certificates confirming their status.  

COVID-19 Vaccination Status Apps

Digital vaccination certificates are an obvious next step for areas that will require a person’s vaccination status for entry. In Europe, these certificates can be embraced in spaces of all kinds by allowing a safe place for people to gather without putting themselves at a heightened risk. It lowers transmission risks and can help to slow the spreading of COVID-19 in public spaces.

Restricting an area based on a vaccination status has long since been a point of discussion in the media, but it does offer a unique opportunity for spaces to be free and safe from the virus. Apps offer a convenient way for potential guests to verify that they are fully vaccinated and can safely enter certain spaces without putting anyone in the area at risk.

The apps can work with certificates directly by offering a scanning feature. They can access your phone’s camera to scan the QR code from a certificate. After it has been scanned, the app will then generate its own rendering. After the information is uploaded, users can offer up the app in place of the physical certificate as proof of their vaccination status. It offers a convenient alternative that suits the average lifestyle. Since most of us always have a smartphone on our person, it makes confirming your status easy and accessible.

Our Experience

Curious to learn more about these new changes, we decided to put them to the test in Germany. With these new certificates, we would be able to use the apps for confirmation of vaccination status just like other people in the area. The path to using these convenient apps as a U.S. citizen is not easy, but there are steps that can be taken to benefit from the apps and what they offer. 

Receiving the Certificate

As a vaccinated American traveler, the first course of action when you enter a European country is to receive a certificate to prove your status. The certificate provides you with the QR code that is required to use the apps. At a local pharmacy, we were able to begin the process with a passport and CDC certificate. 

Upon arrival, travelers can expect to hand over their documents to a pharmacist who can confirm their status. After this, there is a small wait while the certificates are being made. A few minutes after we submitted our paperwork, we received our documentation and were able to move on. The certificate was actually two pages long and full of interesting data. There was one page for each shot with all of the required information, as well as the QR codes. 

Finding an App

While there are several app options available, including Covpass and Corona Warn in Germany, finding an app can be quite a hassle. Unfortunately, because these apps were made for people in Europe, they are not available in the U.S. App Store. Due to the limitations presented by the App Store, it can be very difficult for Americans to obtain one of the available apps. For those who were unaware that App Store content varies by location, this can certainly come as quite a shock.

To circumnavigate this, our team decided to try to go straight to the source. Turning to the websites for these apps seemed like the next logical step. Each website had links to download its respective app in both major digital marketplaces. Unfortunately, clicking on the download links from the websites did not prove to be helpful. The phone would simply give an error because the app was not available in the U.S. App Store. The marketplace limitations could not be circumnavigated in this way.

The Workaround

After time spent trying to find an app option that could be accessible from the App Store for U.S. citizens, it became clear that the solution would need to be something different. Finally, a colleague suggested that we change the country on our Apple IDs through the phone, which is a surprisingly simple change that can be made in the Settings app on the device. We changed the country to Germany and were immediately able to scan the QR codes and upload the appropriate information. 

By making this change, we gained full access to the available apps, which meant that we were finally free to use them and did not need to worry about the paper certificates.

Detailed information and the manual about how to change your iPhone's region/country settings are available here.

What Apps Offer

With a functional app, proving your vaccination status is incredibly simple. After scanning the QR code, we were able to display the code on our phones as needed, making it much easier to provide a clear vaccination status without needing to worry about any harm that might come to our paper copies. It is a simpler option that is easily accessible in a device that the majority of us carry with us at all times. 

The Takeaway

Apps provide a convenient way to prove your vaccination status with only a couple of taps. For Americans who plan to embrace international travel during the months ahead, having a tool like this is crucial to enjoying these spaces to the fullest extent. It seems likely that as more people begin to travel, apps like these will find their way into the U.S. App Store as well. For now, at least there is a workaround to access these apps while in Europe.