How Austria's rules for booster doses and vaccine passes are changing
February will bring changes to Austria's rules around Covid-19 vaccines, which come into effect on the first of the month.
Vaccine pass validity
From February 1st, proof of vaccination is only considered valid for six months (180 days) after the second vaccine dose, down from the current nine months (270 days). The same applies to people who have a combination of one vaccine dose and one proof of recovery, which is now only valid for six months.
After that, you need a booster dose to be considered fully vaccinated, and this is valid proof of full vaccination for nine months. Otherwise, if your second dose was more than six months ago, you won’t be considered to have 2G proof.
If you have recently had a confirmed infection of Covid-19, you may not be able to get the booster dose immediately but a recovery certificate from a doctor will give you 2G proof for 180 days, since the two 'G's apply if you are either fully vaccinated (geimpft) or recovered within the last 180 days (genesen).
If you have had proof of one recovery from infection plus two vaccine doses, this is equivalent to a booster dose and is valid for 270 days.
People under 18 are exempt from the new shorter validity, and in this age group a second dose is considered valid for 210 days or seven months.
READ ALSO: How does Austria’s vaccine mandate compare to other countries?
Travel rules
Note that the above changes to the Green Pass validity only apply for Austria's domestic 2G rules, in other words visiting venues like restaurants.
For Austria's entry rules for travellers from overseas, you are considered to have 2G if you have received either two vaccine doses, the second no more than 270 days ago, or three doses.
However, tourists in Austria still need to follow the same 2G rules domestically, so someone who received their second dose between 180 and 270 days ago, and has not yet received a booster, would be allowed into Austria but not to restaurants or hotels.
READ ALSO: What are the rules for entering Austria right now?
Shorter interval for booster doses
Starting from February 1st, it will be possible to get a booster dose from three months (90 days) after the second dose, reduced from four months (120 days).
However, the National Vaccination Committee still recommends getting the booster between four and six months after the second.
Some people who received their booster dose before the four-month limit were unable to receive official proof of this, with their vaccine certificates showing they had received only '2/2' doses instead of '3/3'. After the change, these people -- around 10,000 of them -- should be able to get their valid vaccine proof.
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Vaccine pass validity
From February 1st, proof of vaccination is only considered valid for six months (180 days) after the second vaccine dose, down from the current nine months (270 days). The same applies to people who have a combination of one vaccine dose and one proof of recovery, which is now only valid for six months.
After that, you need a booster dose to be considered fully vaccinated, and this is valid proof of full vaccination for nine months. Otherwise, if your second dose was more than six months ago, you won’t be considered to have 2G proof.
If you have recently had a confirmed infection of Covid-19, you may not be able to get the booster dose immediately but a recovery certificate from a doctor will give you 2G proof for 180 days, since the two 'G's apply if you are either fully vaccinated (geimpft) or recovered within the last 180 days (genesen).
If you have had proof of one recovery from infection plus two vaccine doses, this is equivalent to a booster dose and is valid for 270 days.
People under 18 are exempt from the new shorter validity, and in this age group a second dose is considered valid for 210 days or seven months.
READ ALSO: How does Austria’s vaccine mandate compare to other countries?
Travel rules
Note that the above changes to the Green Pass validity only apply for Austria's domestic 2G rules, in other words visiting venues like restaurants.
For Austria's entry rules for travellers from overseas, you are considered to have 2G if you have received either two vaccine doses, the second no more than 270 days ago, or three doses.
However, tourists in Austria still need to follow the same 2G rules domestically, so someone who received their second dose between 180 and 270 days ago, and has not yet received a booster, would be allowed into Austria but not to restaurants or hotels.
READ ALSO: What are the rules for entering Austria right now?
Shorter interval for booster doses
Starting from February 1st, it will be possible to get a booster dose from three months (90 days) after the second dose, reduced from four months (120 days).
However, the National Vaccination Committee still recommends getting the booster between four and six months after the second.
Some people who received their booster dose before the four-month limit were unable to receive official proof of this, with their vaccine certificates showing they had received only '2/2' doses instead of '3/3'. After the change, these people -- around 10,000 of them -- should be able to get their valid vaccine proof.
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