RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO.196
TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2021
INDIAN VACCINATION CERTIFICATES
*196. Dr. V. SIVADASAN:
Will the Minister of External Affairs be pleased to state:
(a) whether Indian vaccination certificates are accepted in all the nations of the world;
(b) if not, the nations that do not accept Indian vaccination certificates; and
(c) the steps taken by the Union Government to resolve the same?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(DR. SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR)
(a) to (c) The statement is laid on the table of the House.
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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF THE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO *196 REARDING "INDIAN VACCINATION CERTIFICATES” TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2021.
The Government assigns high priority to smooth travel abroad of Indian nationals. Quarantine stipulations and entry conditions of other nations have emerged as obstacles in that regard. Recognizing the necessity of facilitating travel especially of workers, professionals, students, business people, tourists and those with families abroad has been a focal point of our diplomacy in recent months. A significant aspect of that pertains to vaccination status and recognition.
As of 13 December 2021, a total of 113 countries accept India’s vaccination certificate as per the list in Annexure-1
. Some of these countries have explicitly reached agreements for mutual recognition of vaccination certificates with India, while others have their own protocols which apply to all vaccinated travellers, including from India.
At present, there is no multilateral agreement on linking international travel with vaccination status. Wherever nations have not instituted a protocol that facilitates travel by vaccinated Indians, the Government has decided to reach bilateral understandings to that end. In this regard, the Union Cabinet has approved on 29 September 2021 pursuing mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates with individual countries, either through exchange of Note Verbales or through signing of Memorandum of Understanding. Till 13 December 2021, India has entered into agreements on Mutual Recognition of Covid-19 Vaccination certificate with 22 countries. The list is in Annexure-2.
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