Traveling during the Covid-19 pandemic requires, in addition to caring for the virus, attention to the bureaucracy of each country. Documents and forms required to enter a nation may differ depending on how you access the place.
For this text, I am based on a trip I took to Europe between the end of March and the beginning of April this year. The journey through countries on the continent was originally going to be in April 2020, and the idea was to visit five countries.
The project was only resumed from the moment when vaccines against Covid were more widespread around the world and European countries became more receptive to tourists from outside the continent.
Because I have a 70-year-old traveling companion – also known as my mother –, it was necessary to adapt the itinerary to avoid flights and, consequently, the large circulation of tourists from various places, with possible variants of coronavirus.
From the moment when the focus was to dedicate the holidays to visiting one or two countries, in case a new wave appeared and the borders closed, the goal became to travel through Germany and Poland. As the German government still restricted access to those who took Coronavac (our case), we had to change the destination.
The alternative was to visit Spain and France, which were with open arms to those who received this immunizing agent. In addition to the pharmacological receptivity, the rail network of the two countries also weighed, which allowed train transfers without major bureaucracy.
Having defined the destination, the next step was to check which documents were needed to travel. One of them was the vaccination certificate in English or Spanish, which the Ministry of Health provides through ConectSUS.
My mother’s was complete, with the four doses she received in Mato Grosso do Sul. Mine, however, was still lacking. As I showed in a report on Sheetmany Brazilians have faulty vaccination passports.
As I live in São Paulo, I could use both the state and municipal government vaccination certificates. Luckily, my access to ConectSUS was regularized days before boarding.
Spain
To enter Spain, it is necessary to fill in a form, the SpTH, within 48 hours before boarding. As the seat number must be included, I made my registration after check-in, at the airport itself. You do not need to present a Covid test when arriving in the country.
At Madrid airport, just before picking up the bags, officials demanded SpTH. In the case of my mother, it was also necessary to show the vaccination passport.
At no time, in the Spanish capital and in Barcelona, did they charge me for proof of vaccinations. As for masks, people stopped using them in open environments. In closed places, however, most of those present were wearing facial equipment.
In the means of transport, the use of protection was mandatory, from subway to tourist buses. On the train from Barcelona to Toulouse, France, for example, employees constantly asked passengers to adjust their masks.
At one point, three Ukrainians were charged, with great emphasis, about the proper use of the equipment, even if they claimed that they were eating – it was the third time they had used this argument.
France
It is also necessary to fill in a form to enter French territory, but it is only charged for those traveling by plane. If the tourist enters by land, as was my case, it doesn’t even seem like he’s moved to another country.
As in Spain, the mask is no longer used on the streets and, indoors, it is not the most remembered item in the elegant French wardrobe. In museums, for example, many visitors have given up face protection. In means of transport, however, it is still required.
During the trip, the need to present a negative Covid test to return to Brazil was still in force, in addition to filling out the Traveler’s Health Declaration (DSV). Thus, the closer the return flight got, the more the tension of becoming infected with the coronavirus increased.
What was the joy of discovering, days before returning, that the Brazilian government stopped charging those who entered the country for these two items. The problem was that not all airline employees were notified.
At Orly airport in Paris, I had to discuss with a representative of the company responsible for my flight about the end of Brazilian requirements, and that this change had already been in effect for a week. In the end, after a look of “you’re unlucky if asked there”, he let us on board.
In Brazilian territory, in the immense queue at passport control, health agents asked for proof of vaccination to speed up people’s entry.
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