EU digital COVID certificate goes live 1 July 2021
Today (1 July 2021), EU Digital Covid certificate has enter into force.
What is the EU digital COVID certificate?
All EU citizens who:
have been vaccinated
have tested negative
recovered from COVID-19
will be able to prove it with a digital certificate called the EU digital COVID certificate.
The certificate is issued for free by their national authorities and recognised by all EU 27 member states as well as Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
The certificate will be available in a national language and English. It consists of a QR code displayed on a device (like a smartphone or a tablet) or printed, and a digital signature, verified via EU Gateway.
When will the EU digital COVID certificate be ready?
The certificate will be active from 1 July 2021 and will be free. The system will be in place for 12 months starting from 1 July.
If a country is not ready to issue certificates on 1 July, there is a phasing-in period of six weeks, when other formats can still be used and should be accepted in other EU countries as well.
How will the EU digital COVID certificate make travelling within the EU easier?
The certificate will make it easier for you to travel safely through the EU by showing that you have been vaccinated, had a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19.
The EU digital COVID certificate will have a speedy verification process and will help preventing the use of fake certificates across the EU.
The certificate alone is not a travel document. It won’t be enough to travel, you will still need your passport or another form of identification.
You also don’t need to have the certificate to travel but having it should make travelling easier. If you hold a EU digital COVID certificate you should in principle be exempted from testing or quarantine.
How do I obtain my EU digital COVID certificate?
There are three ways to obtain an EU digital COVID certificate:
1. vaccination: you are vaccinated with any COVID-19 vaccine
2. recovered from a SARS-CoV-2 infection: less than 180 days have passed since the date of positive test result (PCR)
3. tested negative for COVID-19: you have a negative test result (PCR or RAT)
EU citizens who were vaccinated in a non-EU country can request the EU digital COVID certificate from the member state of their nationality or residence. For further information, please address your member state of nationality or residence.
What data does the certificate include?
The information contained on the EU digital COVID certificate is limited to:
your name
your date of birth
date of issuance
vaccine/test/recovery information
a unique identifier
This data remains on the certificate and is not stored or retained when the certificate gets verified through the QR code or with human checks.
All other health data remains with the national authority that issued an EU digital COVID certificate.
