Help! EU digital covid certificate, what is it and do I need it?

[ronconcoke]

Can anyone help? Me, DH and the DC are due to fly to Italy this Friday for half term and I have JUST found out that the 3 of us who are over 6 (DC2 is 5yo) need to present a negative covid test in the 48h before departure. Looks like it has to be PCR as they need a certificate. But then it also says we need to present the negative test with our EU digital covid certificate (which I have never heard of). I've got DH and my NHS covid passes saying we are fully vaxxed, and I thought they were enough?

Also, does anyone know if we can do the antigen tests at the airport before departure? Or do we have to go somewhere like Boots? I am fast running out of time as I just didn't think we had to worry about any of this (apart from the NHS covid certificate....probably naively!). Thanks!

Antigen tests can be done at many airports (and you get your certificate in advance of your flight). Express test have many airport locations and do 40 minute turnaround on airport antigen tests.

www.expresstest.co.uk/book-a-test/

I also saw that Stansted have a similar facility. If you look on your departing airport website they should have a link to testing providers.

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements

If you are in the UK you don’t need an EU digital Covid passport as we are not in the EU

You also need passenger locator forms OP!

I'm going to Italy tomorrow and I've just had my antigen test results - negative thank god. I got it through C19 testing and it came within two days

Italy will accept your NHS COVID pass but you also have to fill out a passenger locator form

Thanks all. I've completed the passenger locator forms. BA were the ones that mentioned the EU Covid certificate, grrrr. They also want us to upload the negative test result as part of our travel documents together with NHS covid pass etc - obviously I won't get the resutls until the last minute now. I have booked the 3 of us rapid antigen tests through Expresstest at LHR for Friday. Fingers crossed!

If you have a DC over 6 in that group not fully vaccinated you'll have to do LFTs every 48 hours as well to access restaurants, museums etc.

Do check the Italian gov website as well, as there were discrepancies between what UK gov were saying and what the Italian gov said.

Thanks @Geamhradh - but are you sure it's all over 6s? I just checked on here:

www.italia.it/en/useful-info/covid-19-updates-information-for-tourists.html

and it looks like children over the age of 12 need to show the green pass when entering museums, restaurants etc (which I presume shows their vaccination status). It doesn't seem to apply to under 12s? My DS is 11.

Mind you, it also says that the info is valid until 15th October, then....who knows?!

Sorry yes! I meant to say if the other child in the group was over 12!
The only thing that changed on Friday was that now Italians need green passes to enter any workplace. Presuming you're not sending them to do the dishes you should be OK!