JUST IN: Americans Who Are Fully Vaccinated Against Covid-19 Can Visit Europe This Summer

Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images.

Good news for American tourists missing Parisian cafes and German castles: those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to visit the European Union this summer, according to a report by The New York Times.

Americans have been banned from nonessential travel to the EU for over a year due to the pandemic.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission (the EU’s executive branch) was interviewed by the Times in Brussels on Sunday, and pointed to America’s quick rollout of the vaccines that were also approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). All three of the vaccines approved by the FDA for emergency use authorization — Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson — were also approved by the EMA.

The issue of “vaccine passports” may end up getting settled not by American politicians and their television talking points and instead by tourists wanting a way to prove their vaccine status in order to travel.

Discussions are still ongoing between the EU and American authorities regarding the technical requirements for vaccine certifications that could allow travel, either by issuing an EU-approved vaccine certificate on arrival by showing proof issued by the US or through an agreement to accept a US certification in the EU.

An exact date has not yet been determined for when travel could be allowed again, and individual member countries reserve the right to restrict travel for a longer period or with additional rules, such as quarantine periods. But, as the Times noted, many countries normally host millions of American tourists every year, supporting a substantial number of jobs, and are expected to be eager to welcome tourists once again.