The Government announced today (September 20) that it has concluded discussions with the Government of Iran to accept vaccination records issued by Iran as recognised vaccination records for Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A specified places under the mechanism. The Government will also accept the vaccination records issued by non-Group A specified places including Chile and New Zealand for boarding flights for Hong Kong by Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A specified places. The relevant arrangements will take effect at 0.00am on September 22 (Wednesday).
From 0.00am on September 22, Hong Kong residents who hold vaccination records issued by the relevant authorities of Iran in the prescribed formats can board a flight for Hong Kong from Group A specified places. The vaccines administered for the relevant travellers have to be vaccines listed on the Government's List of COVID-19 Vaccines Recognised for Specified Purposes.
The Government has also concluded discussions with the Governments of Chile and New Zealand on the arrangements regarding the recognition of vaccination records, which will also take effect at 0.00am on September 22. Although Chile and New Zealand are currently not Group A specified places, the relevant arrangements will enable Hong Kong residents who hold vaccination records issued by the relevant authorities of the two countries in the prescribed format to board a flight for Hong Kong from Group A specified places.
Meanwhile, the Government announced earlier that it accepts vaccination records recognised under the EU Digital COVID Certificate mechanism as recognised vaccination records required for the purpose of boarding flights for Hong Kong from high-risk Group A specified places. As the EU has recently announced the recognition of the vaccination records issued by Albania, Andorra, Faroe Islands, Israel, Monaco, Morocco and Panama as being equivalent to vaccination records issued by EU member states under the mechanism, the Government will therefore also accept the vaccination records issued by the aforementioned places as recognised vaccination records from 0.00am on September 22.
The list of places that are accepted for issuing recognised vaccination records for Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A specified places is set out in the Annex and will be uploaded to the Government's COVID-19 thematic website.
The Government will continue to discuss with other places on the arrangements for the recognition of vaccination records, and will update the list as recognition arrangements are agreed with these places.
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