Whether travellers are headed to the UK for the end-of-year Springbok rugby tour or headed to the US (allowed from 8 November) due to the end of certain travel restrictions, we’d like to share helpful travel knowledge with you.

Convert a South African vaccine card to a digital card

The good news is that it is generally easy to obtain a digital pass upon arrival in a country by simply taking your physical vaccine card with you!

We follow technology journalist Nafisa Akabor who recently shared “how to”convert her vaccination card into an EU Digital Covid Certificate in Germany via a local pharmacy. She also shared how to load it on the CovPass app, which is accepted in Europe for entry into restaurants, hotels, airports, touring, etc, as well as a way to load it onto Apple Wallet.

South Africans will have to wait a bit longer to make use of the International Air Transport Association’s (Iata’s) mobile travel pass, which seems the de facto travel pass. Forty countries are currently supported, with transport minister Fikile Mbalula indicating support for this mobile app back in May.

Find out what travel restrictions apply

More good news is that there are several websites that have been set up to show permitted travel destinations and the restrictions that apply.

We keep abreast of travel information for our corporate travellers using Travel Restrictions Map (sherpa.com) – this website makes the all-important distinction between “Covid-19 vaccinated?” or not, something we found lacking in many others.

Currently 41 countries have no Covid-19 testing or quarantine requirements, 90 simply require testing, 24 are open for travel but have both testing and quarantine requirements, while 49 remain severely restricted.

Use a prepaid eSim

Mobile data roaming has been problematic for many years, and a short trip abroad can easily result in many months of costly payback to your local provider. An eSim, however, allows travellers to activate a mobile data plan from another provider without having to change their physical Sim. This allows you to continue to use a South African Sim for inbound calls and SMSes while using low-cost data for e-mail and WhatsApp messaging and calling to stay in touch.

ExecMobile offers the easiest way to provision eSim-enabled devices and connect abroad. We offer travellers six simple prepaid eSim data plans via our online store and will shortly be releasing our app to make this even easier.

Our prepaid UK+EU plans offer great value, with 5GB for €39 (roughly 14c/MB!) valid for 30 days — perfect for your next trip. Our prepaid Business plan covers 70 countries, with 1GB, 3GB and 5GB options available, notably covering all transit hubs like Dubai, Qatar and Singapore.

We make it simple for business or leisure travellers to activate an additional data plans on the following eSim enabled devices:

iPhone Xs, Xr, 11, 12 (including Pro and Pro Max)
Huawei P40 and Mate 40 (all models like Pro and Pro+)
Samsung Note20, Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Z Fold2
iPad 7th-gen upwards (Sep 2019)

About execMobile
ExecMobile delivers innovative enterprise grade security, global connectivity and IoT services. Our secured network of 600+ mobile carriers across more than 200 countries ensures superior data connectivity between business, people and things, wherever the device is located.

Founded in 2010, we have been delivering revolutionary Sim technology, powerful management platforms and a robust global network. Our leading-edge solutions deliver a streamlined, centralised and scalable means of deploying and managing organisations’ global fleet of devices. Our experts assist in every step of the device on-boarding process to ensure you are set up to meet your organisation’s connectivity needs.

Enterprise customers can manage, monitor and optimise data usage in real time with execMobile’s dynamic software platform. Gain visibility by application type and have the power to safe list applications and limit non-business applications with the click of a button, saving money and improving compliance.

Our superior technology combined with our solid strategic partnerships provide our customers with the perfect balance of the benefits of a local and roaming carrier. We deliver the reach of a global carrier with the quality of a local one with a single carrier that has flexible offerings, and sustainability at competitive rates.