Rabat – Morocco’s vaccination certificate is now recognized and accepted for travel to the UK, the UK government announced on Friday, October 8.
The UK authorities acknowledged the validity of the Moroccan vaccination pass for AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Jansen vaccines.
Individuals who received the Sinopharm vaccine are not qualified as vaccinated in the UK, announces the British Embassy on its social networks.
On the other hand, the UK government highlights that the Moroccan authorities recognize the NHS COVID-19 Pass as proof of vaccination, or recovery from the virus.
The UK’s announcement comes weeks following the European Union’s validation of the Moroccan health pass.
The EU’s decision stirred quite the controversy, prompting the EU Delegation in Rabat to issue a clarification statement on the matter.
Following the announcement, many misconstrued the decision as an indirect recognition of all vaccinations used by the Kingdom for entry into the Schengen area.
In a statement, the Delegation of the European Union in Morocco stated that “the equivalence between health certificates is purely technical and allows mutual readability of QR code, whether at the level of vaccine passes or PCR tests.”
According to the EU delegation, other than these technical requirements, nothing changes regarding the health entry requirements that have always been in place between EU member states.
Therefore, regardless of nationality, whether Moroccans or citizens of EU member states, or any other nationality, a person traveling to a foreign country must adhere to the health requirements set by the country.
In addition, contrary to some media reports, there are no nationality restrictions at borders between member states, concludes the delegation.
Regarding the Sinopharm vaccine, the widely-used vaccine in Morocco, which is not recognized in the EU.
The Chinese vaccine could not be licensed by the European Medicines Agency “because there was no application for licensing from the Chinese manufacturer. However, each member state decides whether or not to recognize them,” the same source said.
