The main purpose of COVID certificates is to make travel easier during the pandemic, especially during the summer holiday season. European certificates will come in three types: confirming vaccination against coronavirus, a negative test, or recovery after the illness. The certificates are free of charge.
People who have contracted coronavirus will be able to obtain a certificate no earlier than 11 days after a positive PCR test. It will be valid for 180 days. Antibody tests are not yet a basis for issuing certificates.
The certificates are valid in 31 countries: the 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, which are not in the EU but are part of the Schengen area. Most of them had already started issuing digital certificates earlier.
According to the European Commission, seven countries have not yet joined the unified certificate verification system, but are already technically ready for it. They have been given a transition period until August 12 to fully implement the new certificates.
The EU’s unified COVID certificate system: how it works and where to get it
The certificate can be obtained in both digital and paper form. In the first case, an individual app must be downloaded to use it. Each EU or Schengen country is developing its own app for this purpose. In Germany, two mobile apps are used for this: CovPass and Corona-Warn-App.
In addition, a digital system has been created to verify the authenticity of the certificate. The main element of the certificate is a QR code. By scanning it, authorized persons will be able to check whether the certificate is fake. The European Commission has created a portal through which countries exchange keys to verify the authenticity of QR codes. Exactly who will receive the keys for certificate verification is decided by the authorities of each country.
Exactly who issues COVID certificates depends on each country. It is expected that people will receive certificates, for example, at vaccination centers or doctors’ offices where they were vaccinated.
How can citizens of Russia, Belarus, or Ukraine obtain a COVID certificate?
COVID certificates can be obtained not only by those living in the EU. Citizens of third countries, such as Russia, Ukraine, or Belarus, are also entitled to them. But first they will need to enter the EU legally. At the border, they must present proof of vaccination or testing obtained at home. Which proofs are recognized is decided by each EU or Schengen state. Once in the European Union, they can request a European certificate. Whether to issue it or not is also decided by the authorities of each country.