Malta will accept UK digital COVID vaccine certificates from 1 July

Updated on 30 June at 2:17pm with Health Minister's clarification

Malta will be accepting UK digital vaccine certificates from 1 July, Health Minister Chris Fearne has confirmed.

Fearne made the announcement during a press conference inaugurating a High Degree Isolation Unit at Mater Dei Hospital.

The update came after the authorities had informed UK counterparts that Malta was only accepting UK vaccine certificates sent by the British NHS by post, causing confusion among tourists planning to visit Malta.

Fearne said that because the UK put Malta on its green list before 1 July, the country’s system enabling the island to accept digital vaccine certificates was not up and running.

However, he said that from 1 July, Malta will be accepting the digital vaccine certificate from the UK, along with the EU Digital COVID Certificate. 

Fearne also stated that Malta was following guidelines set out by the ECDC, and for that reason, UK travellers would not need to present a PCR test along with the vaccination passport despite the call from doctors. 

The British High Commission in Valletta had previously warned UK travellers that Malta was only accepting printed vaccine certificates from travellers from the UK and not just digital versions.

The printed version was only accessible through the post and would take up to five days to receive. 

The health ministry is allowing only fully vaccinated persons to travel to Malta from the UK. They will need to present a UK two-dose certificate before boarding. 

Children aged between five and 12 can travel if they accompany their vaccinated parents or legal guardian, provided they provide a negative nasopharyngeal PCR test carried out within 72 hours from arrival in Malta.

Children under five do not need a test. A Maltese resident or citizen not in possession of an accepted vaccine certificate can proceed to Malta only after seeking pre-authorisation from [email protected], who would request a pre-departure PCR, 14 days quarantine and PCRs during the period of quarantine.

The measures have been introduced for UK travellers, in particular for those not fully vaccinated, amid fears they could spread the Delta variant of coronavirus, which was first identified in India.