Will the EU digital green pass allow travel abroad for Britons?
Britons face a dizzying overseas holiday map this summer. And thats quite apart from the complications of our traffic light system for travel. Each day seems to bring at least one new development in the entry restrictions of EU countries, with the vaccination status of travellers proving increasingly important. Two of our favourite European holiday destinations Portugal and France  are among the countries that are only open to UK adults if they are fully vaccinated. A number of other (amber-listed) summer break stalwarts, including Spain, Greece and Cyprus, will permit entry with a negative PCR test or evidence of full vaccination. This means entry for those that have yet to be jabbed comes with an extra cost of up to around 150 per person for a pre-departure test. As such, it is welcome news that Health Secretary Sajid Javid, is set to create a clearer path for travel to EU countries with a new NHS app ready to bypass the German Chancellor's demands for the whole Bloc to impose quarantine on arrivals from the UK. The new (or updated) app will act as a Covid passport for travel, allowing Britons to prove that they are fully vaccinated, that they have passed a pre-departure test or that they have recovered from Covid in the previous 180 days. This will mean the NHS app is ready to be integrated into the EUs identical green pass system. The EU digital Covid certificate for travel is expected to be available across the EU from today (July 1) and will allow travel between member states. Each member state must develop its own implementation of the pass, such as an app. Below we run through some of the key questions on Covid passports and EU travel. There is no set date, however recent comments from the European Commission suggest an agreement with the EU as a bloc should come soon. That said, member states can decide on their own entry rules. Germany has a UK travel ban in place, for instance. "We are technically ready to be integrated into the EU database that will recognise your digital NHS signature and allow you to demonstrate your Covid status," a senior industry source told The Telegraph. "There are some glitches with private test providers struggling to register their tests quickly enough but, once those are resolved, all that is required is for the EU to allow non-EU countries to be integrated." A European Commission spokesman said talks on the UK's participation in the green pass system were "progressing well", adding: "The talks are ongoing at the technical level and going in the right direction. This is because the technical system architecture of the EU and the UK are aligned." Yes, it should help to reduce some of the Covid-related admin that comes with travel to any EU country at the moment. If you are visiting a country which allows quarantine-free entry with proof of previous infection from coronavirus, then NHS certification could grant you access where a PCR test would not, or at least save you the cost and hassle of a PCR or rapid test,