Nationals of Turkey who have been vaccinated with the Turkish-made vaccine, Turkovac, will not be able to enter Germany for travel purposes as the latter has updated its entry rules.
In line with rules set by the German authorities, only persons who have been vaccinated with one of the vaccines approved for use by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are considered fully immunised, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
This means that all Turkish people vaccinated with Turkovac are considered unvaccinated when reaching Germany, and thus, will face stringent rules.
On the other hand, persons immunised with one of the four vaccines approved by EMA can still travel to Germany without having to follow strict entry rules or be subject to the entry ban.
Those vaccinated with Turkovac will be permitted entry to Germany only if they are travelling for absolutely essential purposes, such as serving as a witness, provided that they follow a ten-day quarantine period requirement upon their entry.
In contrast, those wishing to enter Germany for travel purposes will not be allowed entry.
Apart from announcing that the country would not permit entry to those vaccinated with Turkovac, the German authorities requested that persons who have taken one or both doses of Turkovac do not apply for a German visa.
Despite this request, everyone can still apply for a visa. Nonetheless, its issuance depends on the type of vaccine that the applicant has received. Those who haven’t been vaccinated or are considered unvaccinated will be allowed to enter Germany only when they complete their COVID-19 immunisation process.
The Turkish-manufactured Turkovac vaccine was approved for use by Turkey’s authorities earlier last month and started being administered in larger hospitals during the last week of 2021. The vaccine was developed by the Turkish Health Institutes and the Kayseri Erciyes University.
However, since no data regarding the vaccine’s efficacy hasn’t been made public yet, the vaccine hasn’t been approved by EMA nor WHO yet.
Turkey has been classified as a high-risk area by the German authorities since August 17, 2021. In line with the rules that apply to those travelling from high-risk areas, nationals of Turkey must fill out a digital entry form and carry the confirmation with them upon entry.
In addition, everyone is required to present a valid certificate indicating that the holder is vaccinated, has been previously infected, or has tested negative.
“Travelers who have previously stayed in a high-risk area must carry proof of a test, vaccination or proof of recovery and, if they use a carrier, present the proof to the carrier for the purpose of carriage,” the statement of the Robert Koch Institute reads.
Previously, Germany added another 35 countries to its high-risk list. Travellers from highly affected countries need to follow additional entry rules when reaching Germany.
