EU Covid travel health pass: Is integration with UK and US advancing?

Talks are taking place between the European Union and the UK and US as to how to integrate the countries’ Covid-19 vaccination certificates into the EU system, which launches on July 1, the EU has confirmed.

The EU’s Digital COVID Certificate will allow all 27 member states to verify Covid-19 vaccination certificates and Covid-19 tests issued in any of the other countries.

A spokesperson for the EU told The Connexion that ongoing technical talks with the UK to integrate the UK’s vaccination certificates into its system are “progressing well and going in the right direction”.

This is because the UK and EU’s digital “architectures” are aligned, the spokesperson said. They could not give a time frame for when the systems will be integrated or any further details.

The EU is similarly continuing talks with the US on this matter, but progress is not as advanced. The EU spokesperson said, “we are following closely how the debate on the [vaccination] certificates evolves in the US”.

The EU’s Digital COVID Certificate scheme, previously known as the Digital Green Certificate scheme, allows people to show to travel authorities and border agents that they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in an EU state, tested negative against Covid-19, or had Covid-19 within the past two weeks to six months and are therefore considered immune.

There is no physical EU Covid certificate. The idea is that any Covid-19 vaccination certificate or test issued by a member state will have a QR code on it that will be verifiable by authorities (travel or possibly event staff) in any other EU country.

France has created a section on its Covid-19 track and trace application Tous Anti Covid to store vaccination certificates or test results, called Mon carnet (My wallet, in English).

People can also choose to present their vaccination certificates or test results on paper.

France is updating its Covid-19 vaccination certificates and Covid-19 test certificates today (June 22) to include on them a QR code that is compatible with the EU’s system.

For anyone who has already stored their vaccination certificate on Tous Anti Covid, it should update automatically. For anyone who has a paper version of it, they should go to France’s national health insurance website Ameli to download a new version of their certificate from June 22.

If you are unable to access this online service for whatever reason, you should contact the health professional who vaccinated you and ask them for a copy of your vaccination certificate.

Current vaccination proof from the UK and US to France

People in the UK who are fully vaccinated are allowed to enter France without an essential reason.

People who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in the UK can only travel to France if they have an essential reason.

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The Consulate General of France in London states that people in England can prove their vaccination status to travel to France by using the mobile application NHS App.

People in Scotland can get certificates with their Covid-19 vaccination status through the NHS inform website here.

There has been no official confirmation from the French authorities as yet if this certificate will be accepted by travel authorities or border agents as proof of vaccination status.

People who have been vaccinated in Wales can call 0300 303 5667 to request a vaccination certificate for essential international travel. It can take up to 10 working days for a certificate to arrive.

Again, there has been no official confirmation as yet from the French authorities that this certificate will be accepted by border agents or travel authorities as proof of vaccination status.

The Welsh government states:

“We are working on a digital option for Welsh citizens to show their vaccination status. This will be available shortly.”

People in Northern Ireland receive a card after being vaccinated.

There are no details whether this will be accepted by French border agents or travel authorities as proof of vaccination status.

The Northern Ireland government states:

“Work has now started on a certificate production system, which will give you internationally accepted proof that you have had both vaccine doses.

“This will initially be a paper-based format and will be available here by early to mid-July.

“A digital certification process will be in place later in the summer, which will also include evidence of negative PCR COVID tests, as an alternative to vaccination.”

Anyone in the US is able to travel to France without an essential reason. Those who are not fully vaccinated will need to present proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure.

Those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will need to present proof of this.

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The US Embassy in France states: "At this time, we do not have official information from the French government, but the French Consulate General in Washington, D.C. said in a tweet that the CDC card is acceptable evidence of vaccination for entry into France”.