N.B. As of June 1, 2022, the Italian government is no longer requiring a green pass for entry into the country. The domestic green pass requirement expired May 1, 2022.
One of the biggest questions on the minds of those traveling to Italy is how to get a green pass for travel in Italy.
If you’re looking for information about the super green pass, which came into effect on December 6, 2021 and is in effect through April 30, 2022, please see our article “What is the Super Green Pass for holidays in Italy?”
On August 6, 2021, the Italian government implemented a green pass, also known as a certificazione verde, for many activities, including:
- indoor dining at bars and restaurants;
- long-distance trains, domestic flights, interregional buses, ferries; and
- entry to museums, cultural sites, theaters, cinemas, concerts, stadiums, sporting events, pools, gyms, wellness centers/spas, festivals, conventions, theme parks, cultural centers and betting parlors.
That restriction has since been modified into the current super green pass restrictions, which you can view on our translated super green pass requirements chart.
What is the green pass for travel in Italy?
A basic green pass is available to anyone in Italy through a negative result on a Covid test administered in a facility that can issue a green pass (a pharmacy or a private lab, for example). That pass is valid for 48 hours for a rapid antigen test or 72 hours for a PCR test.
Italian citizens and permanent residents can get a super green pass when they get vaccinated or recover from Covid. The green pass is the equivalent of the EU Digital COVID Certificate, issued to EU citizens and residents as digital proof that a person has either:
- been vaccinated against COVID-19
- recovered from COVID-19
- received a negative test result.
If you aren’t an EU citizen or resident, your Italy super green pass is your home country’s proof of vaccination or recovery. Within Italy, a basic green pass is a negative test result within the past 48 hours.
When asked for a basic green pass in Italy, you need to show a document proving ONE of the following:
- complete vaccination against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (Pfizer/Comirnaty, Moderna/Spikevax, AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson); -OR-
- recovery from COVID-19 and completion of medical isolation within the last 180 days (recovery certificate accompanied by a sworn translation in Italian); -OR-
- negative result from a rapid molecular or antigen test performed within the past 48 hours.
Therefore, a green pass for vaccinated US tourists in Italy is the CDC paper vaccination card, or a digital QR code or PDF file provided by some states’ health departments.
A green pass for vaccinated Canadian tourists in Italy is the proof-of-immunization card from the provincial health authority, also commonly referred to as a “vaccine passport.”
A green pass for vaccinated British tourists in Italy is the NHS vaccination certificate, also known as the “COVID Pass.”
Note, however, that the “COVID Pass” on Britain’s NHS app, or similar proof of vaccination issued by the Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish authorities, does not offer exemption from testing and quarantine requirements for travelers entering Italy from the UK.
Questions about how to get a super green pass? Visit our FAQ page.
More questions about travel to Italy? Visit our ItaliaPass community.