The EU’s vaccine passport and what it means for travel

The EU’s vaccine passport, its Digital Covid Certificate, is being rolled out across all 27 nations.

Who can use it and what does it mean for UK travellers heading to Europe?

What is the EU Digital Covid Certificate?
It’s a way for citizens across the European Union to prove they have:

been vaccinated against Covid-19
recently had a negative polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) swab test for the virus
recently recovered from Covid-19
It’s available in, and recognised by, all 27 EU member states – plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

It’s free – and all EU citizens, as well as non-EU nationals legally staying or living in the member states (with the right to travel to other member states) can download it or obtain a paper copy.

Some countries have already been using the certificate on a voluntary basis – but it’s being officially introduced from 1 July with a six-week phase-in period.

It will have a quick-response (QR) code with a digital signature key unique to the place an individual’s vaccine information is stored – a hospital, test centre or health authority, for example.

The individual’s data remains on the certificate and is not stored or retained when it’s verified – at an airport, for example.

Why is it needed?
It’s hoped the certificate will make it easier for people to travel around the EU.

It is not a travel document – they will still need to carry a passport or another form of identification.

But anyone holding a certificate should, in principle, be exempted from testing or quarantine when crossing an international border.

Agencies