BRUSSELS – Residents of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom will soon be able to apply for the EU COVID-19 certificate. The European Parliament approved the proposal for a European valid “corona passport” Thursday, and that also applies to the islands.

This week, the European Parliament discussed the so-called digital green certificate. According to D66 MEP Samira Rafaela, the certificate is popularly and in the media called “the vaccination passport”.

But that is not her preference. “It cannot be compared with the right to a passport. That is why we consciously call it a certificate. ”

Parliament voted by a large majority in favor of the European fundamental right to travel freely. “With this proposal we try to get back to normal life a little bit,” said MEP Samira Rafaela.

No passport

The European Parliament wants to prevent people from thinking that the certificate is a valid travel document. Travelers still need to bring their passport if they want to use the certificate to travel.

The Parliament and the Council have also mentioned the overseas countries and territories as areas where the certificate can be issued. This means that residents of the islands can go to recognized delivery points for the certificate. This allows them to come to the Netherlands, but also to the rest of Europe.