Ireland scraps off mandatory Covid test for vaccinated travellers

The Department of Health in Ireland has confirmed that fully vaccinated passengers arriving into Ireland since midnight no longer require a negative PCR or antigen test. This follows Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly seeking updated advice on the need for a preflight test in light of high case numbers of Omicron in Ireland.

It was revealed that new Digital Covid Certs will be issued from later this week, updated to show that people have received their booster vaccine. In a post on Twitter, Minister Donnelly shared information about the certs, stating they would be automatically issued to booster vaccine recipients. New EU regulations on travel and certificates will take effect from 1 February.

Donnelly said the Digital Covid Certs will be updated soon to reflect your additional vaccine. He added: “The EU is applying a maximum 9 month validity to certs based on a completed primary vaccination course. You can also request a DCC of Recovery if you’ve recovered in the last six months via online portal.”

Earlier, the Cabinet agreed new travel rules which has now resulted in the requirement for vaccinated passengers to have a negative Covid-19 test being dropped. However, unvaccinated travellers will still be required to show a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before arrival.

The government moved to require all passengers to have a negative test for the virus when the Omicron variant of Covid-19 first emerged. However, now that it is the dominant variant in Ireland, the Government has dropped that requirement for vaccinated passengers, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said.