Travel to Italy - waiting period after booster before COVID cert is valid?

Padkir · 10-03-2022 4:21pm #1

Hi everyone.

I tried posting this on one of the COVID threads a few days ago but got no response - maybe someone here might know the answer from recent experience (or knowing better than me where to look it up!). Ultimately, I'm hoping to delay getting the booster for as long as possible in the hope that Italy remove vaccine requirement for travel before I am going.

I've tried to look this up but can't find definitive information so hoping someone here might know or be able to point me in the right direction.

I am travelling to Italy in April. I got my original Jannsen vaccine in July last year so it's out of date now based on the 9 month expiry.

My question is - can I just get a booster a week before I go (if its still a requirement for entry and their green pass), or does it have to be administered a certain amount of time (e.g. 28 days) before the new cert is valid?

Thanks!

cal naughton · 10-03-2022 4:27pm

I flew to rome last Wednesday the 2nd and got my booster the Tuesday before that. I then got my email with the booster barcode the next day so i just deleted my old covid barcode and added the new one . I didn't have any issues at all while there.

I would say that they are super strict on the greenpass in rome and it's almost an industry with all the people at the tourist sites checking for them so in my opinion they won't be in a hurry to remove this restriction

Padkir · 10-03-2022 4:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118763794#Comment_118763794

Thanks for the info - good to hear from someone with an actual experience over there.

To be honest I don't expect them to have lifted many restrictions by the time I get there - there is a lot of talk about lifting stuff domestically at the end of the month when the state of emergency ends, but doubt they will do as Ireland have and lift it for international arrivals just yet.

I will take the booster if I have to for travel purposes, but I didn't want to risk leaving it too late to get if there was some sort of issue with validity periods.

Thanks again.

Caranica · 10-03-2022 5:06pm

Bear in mind that the J&J vaccine had a shorter effectivity compared to the others so you are technically unvaccinated now. It's either 7 or 14 days post booster, it varies in different countries.

Padkir · 10-03-2022 5:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764004#Comment_118764004

Do you have any idea where to find out what it is in each country? That's what I couldn't find anywhere.

Caranica · 10-03-2022 8:36pm

Reopen EU was the source last year, presume it's still being updated

ShamNNspace · 29-03-2022 9:33am

I was in an almost identical situation, held off on the booster but finally got it on 16 mar.. Travelling to Italy on the 5th apr.... Now when I ordered my new cert, the booster information is not on it, the livechat option seems to be some automated nonsense, absolutely useless to me so now I'm back to ringing my doctor to see maybe they haven't uploaded my booster information

Padkir · 29-03-2022 11:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118850489#Comment_118850489

I got the booster last week in the end, and received the updated COVID cert the following day.

What does yours say? Mine is a bit odd in that it says "Dose number: 2" but "Total doses: 1". However, it does has the most recent vaccination date of 24 Mar 2022 so think it should be ok.