According to Cyprus Today’s news articles, the British government is “looking at whether there are ways” to address the issue of its non-recognition for travel purposes of Covid-19 vaccine certificates issued in the TRNC, a minister has said.
The UK government does not accept such certificates as proof of full vaccination for those travelling to England.
For “Cyprus” only a “European Union Digital Covid Certificate”, which is only available on the Greek Cypriot South of the island, is accepted by the British authorities as proof of vaccination.
The UK’s Department of Transport (DfT) website states that those who “cannot prove” that they “qualify under the fully vaccinated rules” must follow the “rules for people who are not fully vaccinated”, which include quarantining “at home or in the place you are staying for 10 full days” after arriving in England.
The DfT has also announced that as of 4am on Monday, November 22, it will be expanding the list of “approved vaccines”
for quarantine-free entry to include World Health Organization Emergency Use Listing vaccines such as Sinovac’s CoronaVac
vaccine, which has been widely used in the TRNC.
Scottish National Party (SNP) MP and shadow SNP spokesperson for trade Drew Hendry asked Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in a written House of Commons question “what assessment her department has made of the potential merits of recognising Covid-19 vaccine certificates from Northern Cyprus from 22 November, 2021”.
Issuing a written answer on Ms Truss’s behalf on Wednesday, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office minister Wendy Morton replied: “People vaccinated in the north of Cyprus with access to the European Union Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) can use this to evidence their vaccine status.
“We understand that some people vaccinated in the north of Cyprus may not have access to a UK-accepted certificate and are looking at whether there are ways to address this.”