What Is an EU COVID-19 Vaccine Passport / Certificate?

With the pandemic conditions changing day by day, countries have also developed various systems to open the gates to visitors from abroad. One of the most critical of these systems for Europe is the EU Digital COVID Certificate. According to information available on the Official EU website, The EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation entered into application on 01 July 2021. EU citizens and residents will now be able to have their Digital COVID Certificates issued and verified across the EU.

So what is this certificate? What does it provide and how can people access this certificate?

The EU Digital COVID Certificate is proof that the person has completed the COVID-19 vaccine, tested negative for travel, or survived COVID-19, in short, the risk of transmitting the virus to other people is at a minimum level.

While the digital version of the certificate can be stored on mobile devices, citizens can also request the printed version. The certificate, which contains the basic health data of the person, places this information in the QR code and creates a digital signature to ensure the authenticity of the information.

Of course, as for digital health passports of other brands, citizens have security concerns for the EU Digital COVID Certificate. The EU Digital COVID Certificate contains only a limited set of essential information such as name, date of birth, date of issue, and vaccination/test information. While this information is kept only by the issuing country, it cannot be stored and kept in another member country where the citizen is traveling.

National authorities are responsible for providing the certificate. While the EU Digital COVID Certificate is accepted in all EU member states, it aims to gradually remove current travel restrictions.

For detailed information and selecting your country on the interactive map to learn how to get the certificate from your national health authority, you can visit the official website of the EU. 
 
Header Image: AA 

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