More than 50 Russian citizens travel to Croatia every day to get vaccinated with a vaccine approved for use by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Currently, the Russian authorities are offering only the domestic vaccine Sputnik V. However, since those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with this dose of the vaccine are not eligible for unhindered travel to EU countries, most of them opted to get an EMA-approved booster shot.
Croatia is one of the countries offering free vaccines to everyone, including foreigners, which has led to a significant increase in flights from Russia to Croatia as more Russians want a vaccine that is widely recognized in the European Union.
All EU member states have strict entry rules for travelers who have received the Sputnik vaccine. Those who have received the Sputnik vaccine are required to undergo testing and self-isolation rules upon arrival in most EU / Schengen countries. In some cases, they are also subject to double testing requirements.
Therefore, to avoid extensive travel arrangements and to be able to travel freely in Europe, Russians are drawn to other countries that offer widely accepted vaccines.
“From April to October 2021, 4,908 foreigners were vaccinated here, most of them Russians. This month alone, we have vaccinated about 1,000 Russians,” Dr. Neda Ferencic Vrban, head of the vaccination center in Croatia, told France24.
The Sputnik V vaccine has not yet been approved by the EMA or the World Health Organization (WHO) because the vaccine manufacturer has not provided all the necessary information for a review due at the end of this month.
As a result, since the vaccine has not received the green light from either the EMA or the WHO, travelers from Russia, as well as at least one million EU citizens, cannot travel to the United States. This is because the FDA only accepts EMA and WHO approved vaccines as valid proof of travel immunity.
As in the US, all EU / Schengen countries that only take doses of vaccines approved by the EMA and WHO do not allow unrestricted entry to Russian citizens and citizens of other countries who have received the Sputnik vaccine.
Of the EU / Schengen countries, only Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Hungary and Slovakia allow travelers who have received the Sputnik vaccine.
Given that each country has its own requirements for the vaccination status of travelers, we recommend that everyone check the validity of their vaccine before traveling abroad. This can be done using the VisaGuide.World Vaccine Verification Tool, which allows anyone to check if their vaccine is recognized by the country of destination.
According to data provided by Reuter’s vaccination tracker, only 35.6 percent of the adult population in Russia is fully vaccinated. On the other hand, about 42.6 percent received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Due to the low level of vaccinations in Russia, the number of cases of COVID-19 has increased dramatically. In the last 24 hours alone, the country has recorded 36,818 new infections and 1,240 deaths.