TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese athlete planning on competing in the AIDA Depth World Championship has discovered that host country Cyprus neither lists Taiwan as a country of origin on its Flight Pass nor recognizes Taiwan-issued COVID-19 vaccination record.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) pointed out at its press conference Tuesday (Aug. 10) that Cyprus lists Taiwan as an “orange category” country. This means its athletes may enter Cyprus with a negative PCR test result issued within 72 hours, and they do not have to quarantine upon entry.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) addressed the issue during the Central Epidemic Command Center's (CECC) press conference Tuesday afternoon, saying it does not primarily concern the vaccination record.

Spokesperson Ou later added that a COVID vaccination record, also known in Taiwan as the "yellow card," is simply a record and not an official proof of vaccination. Citizens who wish to travel abroad for education, immigration, or work purposes should visit the local health department with their IDs and health insurance card in order to receive an internationally recognized COVID vaccination card.

As Taiwan does not have a representative office in Cyprus, the Representative Office of Taipei in Greece is in charge of handling matters relating to Cyprus. MOFA has twice contacted the office regarding the absence of Taiwan on Cyprus’ Flight Pass application page.

The Taiwanese office in Greece has repeatedly contacted Cyprus governmental offices and the host of the competition in an effort to fix the issue. Communications are still currently ongoing, according to UDN.