Vaccination Mandatory For Foreign Travel; Passport Now Linked With Vaccination Certificate

The govt has issued new guidelines with regards to Covid-19 vaccination and the requirements for Indians traveling abroad.

The latter includes those going overseas for either education, employment or as a representative of India in the Tokyo Olympics.

The Guidelines

These people will have to link their CoWIN vaccination certificates with their passport. 

The gap between the first and second jab of vaccine has also been shortened to 28 days for the aforementioned entities.

The CoWIN portal will soon make provisions for the traveler to register for their second dose, as part of exemption granted to those going abroad for the specific reasons mentioned earlier.

The Union Health Ministry’s statement said that it received “several representations” asking for the second dose of vaccines to be administered sooner than the mandated minimum interval of 84 days in order to go ahead with their travel plans.

It directed States/UTs to ensure the same and to follow the SOPs it has issued.

The Protocol

As per the new guidelines, an authority has to be placed by States/UTs in each district who will grant permission to receive the second dose.

It will grant its permission if certain requirements are met. 

It will first check whether 28 days have passed since the date of the first dose.

It will examine the reasons put forward by the beneficiary for traveling abroad.

Documents To Submit For Proof

This will be checked by reviewing documents which lend credibility to the reasons stated for travel.

These documents include 

• Admission offers or associated formal communications for students.
• Interview calls for a job or offer letters for those seeking employment abroad.
• Nomination to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games for those representing India in the event.

The authority will allow the passport-vaccine certificate linking facility upto 31 August, 2021.

A certain guideline which states that simply mentioning Covishield as vaccine type in the vaccination certificates is ” sufficient” and “no other qualifying entries are required” has raised questions about whether there is a preference for the Serum Institute vaccine.

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