Vaccinated Brits to have Covid passports for holidays to France, Germany and Italy ‘by June’
BRITS who are fully vaccinated could be using Covid passports to visit France, Italy and Germany by the end of June.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to discuss the plans during the G7 summit in Cornwall on June 11.
The Covid passports could also allow travel to the US by June, although the UK remains on the country's ban list currently.
According to the Mr Shapps is expected to push for international standards allowing vaccinated travellers to travel without restrictions, but with proof of vaccination.
Discussions will also include travel corridors to destinations including France, Italy, Germany and the US, which will be a reciprocal agreement.
The UK government is to announce in the upcoming weeks which countries will be placed on the "green" list of the traffic light scheme.
The scheme, which hopes to allow holidays abroad to go ahead from May 17 with few restrictions, will rank countries depending on the risk they pose to the UK, including their own vaccine rollout and Covid situation.
Only countries on the green list will be able to avoid quarantine - amber and red countries will have to home quarantine or quarantine at a hotel.
It is feared that just eight countries could initially be on the UK's green list, which would include Malta, Gibraltar, Iceland and Israel.
It could also include the US, Australia, and New Zealand - all of which are closed to Brits right now.
It follows the announcement that Greece won't require Covid passports, and Brits will be able to just show their NHS vaccine card instead.
Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis told Sun Online Travel the country was happy to accept the paper handwritten card to avoid having to take a pricey PCR test to enter the Med holiday hotspot.
Speaking at the World Travel And Tourism Summit in Cancun, Mexico, he said the paper document would be acceptable while the UK and EU develop digital health passports.
He said: “Until the UK has a digital passport, we have seen the paper cards that are provided with the two vaccine appointment dates and we are recognising them. They can be used on the ground and at the borders.”
However, as Greece indicated it would happily welcome the paper cards, Portugal’s secretary of state for tourism has rejected the idea, citing fears they could be easily forged.
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Rita Marques said: “As you can imagine a piece of paper with some handwriting on it is not considered to be as secure as we would like.
“It is very important that we avoid fraud and an integrated digital pass is the way forward, with a QR code.
“We are working with the European Commission to have in place a system that will allow us to welcome holidaymakers safely.”
Turkey has already said that it will welcome Brits back this summer without the need for a vaccine, although Spain, Portugal and Cyprus will enforce them, or require a negative PCR test.