Will and When China's "Health Passport" Open to Foreigners?

On March 8, 2021, according to the Beijing Daily, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian,  responded to the question that whether the Chinese International Travel Health Certificate covering the expats in China or not.

Israel: Hope to Reach Mutual Recognition of Vaccination with China in a Few Weeks

Per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China has launched a Chinese version of its international travel health certificate to facilitate cross-border travel. Furthermore, China is willing to explore with other countries the establishment of mutual recognition mechanism of health code information, and provide visa and other cross-border travel convenience for each other's national personnel.

As the vaccine mutual recognition has become the core content of the international health code. Thus, as per Israel's new ambassador to China, IRIT BEN-ABBA VITALE, Israel hopes to be the first country to reach mutual recognition on vaccination with China in the upcoming a few weeks.

What Convenience can International Travel Health Certificate Bring?

Per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Travel Health Certificate will bring greater convenience to cross-border travelers under the normalization of the pandemic situation. Before traveling abroad, travelers will complete the COVID-19 nucleic acid testing, vaccinations and other anti-epidemic measures in China in advance. On arrival, only certificate is required to provide to the local government for verification, thereby enjoying the corresponding travel facilitation.

The certificate will be available in two formats, digital and in paper, with the certificate-holder's NAT and IgG antibody test results and vaccination status on record, according to the statement published at the department's official WeChat account.

Is Quarantine Still Necessary?

Per the news staff, whether the inbound/outbound travelers with international travel health certificate need to conduct the quarantine or not shall be in accordance with the relevant anti-epidemic prevention regulations of the destination country. For any passenger entering China, a 14-day centralized quarantine is still required.

In Which Countries is China's International Health Certificate can be Used?

As of now, the work of mutual recognition of international health certificate between China and the other countries is still undergoing. Once there is any update about the list of available countries, please scan the QR code below to follow the latest information.

The QR Code of the International Edition of Health Code

Can Foreigners be Vaccinated in China?

Furthermore, after Beijing, another two cities in Zhejiang Province, Shaoxing and Ningbo, all people over the age of 18 can get the COVID-19 vaccine. As for the issue of vaccination for foreigners, OT-Team consulted the local health service center and here is their reply.

Per the work staff of the Shaoxing health center, the local booking system has not opened the reservation function for foreigners, so it is only for Chinese residents. It was clearly indicated that the current certificate was used for Chinese outbound travelers to provide the health information, including the result of COVID-19 test, serum IgG antibody test and vaccination, which was only available to holders of Chinese mainland identity cards temporarily.

While in Ningbo, the service of making an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccination has not been officially opened, which is being carried out in an orderly manner.

More importantly, according to Zhang Boli, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, it is expected that all people in China will be able to take off their masks by the spring of 2022.