Vaccine passports will remain a “permanent” fixture of international travel for the “foreseeable future”, the transport secretary said.
Most travellers out of the UK need to prove they have been fully vaccinated for Covid-19 if they want to return without having to quarantine.
And many countries also require foreign tourists to have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine in order to enter quarantine-free.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps told ITV News: “I do see this becoming a permanent, for the foreseeable future, fixture of international travel.
“I’ve chaired meetings with my transport equivalents [in other countries], when I speak to them it’s quite clear that double vaccination will be a requirement, we’re already seeing it in virtually every country in the world.”
He added: “If you haven’t got your vaccination yet, please get it, unless you’re medically exempt, you will need it in order to be able to travel in the future.”
He was speaking after announcing on Wednesday changes to the UK’s traffic light system that will remain unaltered for three weeks.
He said this summer’s strategy of reviewing the traffic light system every three weeks rather than weekly should give people the chance to go abroad.
He told ITV News: “My simple message is we want people to be able to go away, enjoy a well-earned break and know that this is the system we have in place, bar any unforeseen circumstances, for the rest of August.”