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08th Jul 2021

Public advised that they can still travel abroad for holidays with their existing documentation

Alan Loughnane

Travel abroad during covid

They’re also advised to allow more time at the airports for the extra checks.

The public have been told that an EU Digital Covid Certificate is not a necessity to travel abroad, on the back of fears delays in the rollout of the certificate could scupper people’s holiday plans.

Minister for State Ossian Smyth has said that people will be able to travel abroad on their “existing documentation” if they encounter difficulties with the digital cert.

“I think the first thing to say is that if you don’t get your cert, if you’re planning to travel on the 19th [July] and for some reason you’re one of the 1.9 million people who gets their cert – perhaps you’ve moved home or address or changed your email address for example – so if you don’t get it you can still travel on your existing documentation,” Smyth told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Thursday.

“So the postcard that you get from your vaccination centre that says you’re vaccinated, you can still travel on that.”

Speaking about the potential of people having issues receiving their Covid Certificate, Smyth outlined how there will be systems in place to help people.

“I think that the vast majority of people will be okay,” he said.

“I think that there will certainly be exceptional cases and the Gov.ie website is there to help you, the call centre will be there to help you.

“I just really want to reassure people that you can travel on your existing documentation if you need to, everybody has a way out.”

Smyth also advised the public to allow more time at the airport before their flights in order to get through all the checks necessary to travel.

“One more thing to say to people is to allow more time at the airport than you would have in the past,” Smyth said.

He added: “Allow more time because there will be a lot more people in the airport and there’s a lot more things to check and I guess it’s more information for the immigration staff and the boarding staff of the carriers who are checking.”