What you now need to know about the digital vaccination certificate

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The new digital vaccination certificate Covpass has been available across Europe since July 1st. We’ll explain to you how it all works.

Those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 no longer have to worry about many of the pandemic-related restrictions. There are also significantly fewer restrictions after a second vaccination when traveling to other European countries. So far, however, the vaccination book of the World Health Organization still had to be shown as proof of the vaccination. Most of us received the yellow booklet shortly after birth, and it is not really designed to survive permanent transport in our trouser pockets. The EU’s digital vaccination certificate now provides a remedy.

In principle, the digital vaccination certificate should apply throughout the European Union. As of now, only Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the Czech Republic meet the necessary requirements. Problems still exist in Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Hungary and Cyprus. The digital vaccination certificate is also accepted in the non-EU countries of Liechtenstein and Norway.

The EU countries generally waive quarantine and test obligations if the people entering the country have the digital proof of vaccination. Depending on the infection situation, these restrictions could also apply again to vaccinated people in the future. This could also happen when traveling to virus variant areas. Individual EU countries also want to establish additional simplifications based on the digital vaccination certificate. In Austria, for example, the aim is to simplify access to restaurants, hotels and events.

With the digital vaccination certificate, your vaccination status is documented in a smartphone app. This app displays a QR code, which in turn can be read out by a separate test app if necessary. Scanning the code starts a query that verifies the validity of the QR code. The code complies with EU requirements and can therefore be read in all countries of the European Union. In addition to the vaccination status, the digital vaccination certificate should also contain information on Covid-19 infections that have already been overcome and any corona tests stored there. However, these functions will come a little later.

With Covpass Germany will have its own app for proof of vaccination, but according to plans by the Federal Ministry of Health, other apps should also be able to integrate the corresponding function. A digital vaccination certificate has also been integrated into the Corona warning app with the update to version 2.3. So if you use the Corona warning app, you can save yourself the installation of the Covpass app accordingly.

Vaccination centers, doctors and pharmacies can create the QR code, which you then have to transfer to the Covpass app. Anyone who was fully vaccinated at the vaccination center before Covpass was published could also receive this barcode by post. According to the news magazine mirror However, not all vaccination centers have the addresses of the people vaccinated there. Those affected would therefore have to go to the family doctor so that he can issue the digital vaccination certificate based on the vaccination book. Since medical practices are already overloaded due to the large number of vaccinations, since June 14, 2021, it has also been possible to have digital proof of a complete vaccination issued in many pharmacies. Pharmacies that offer this service can over the website of the German Pharmacists’ Association being found.

In Germany, those who were also vaccinated in the Federal Republic should receive a digital vaccination certificate. Nationality, however, does not matter. However, if you have been vaccinated in another EU country, you may have to apply for the digital vaccination certificate there as well. It is currently unclear how vaccinated people from countries outside the EU will be dealt with. According to the European Commission, the member states must accept proof of all vaccines approved in the EU for any entry controls. Individual countries can also allow evidence of other vaccines. For example, those who were vaccinated with the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, which has not yet been approved in this country, would benefit from this.

According to EU regulations, the digital vaccination certificate must contain the name, date of birth and date of issue as well as information about the vaccine. Information on previous Covid 19 infections and test results can also be saved there. The authorities of visited EU countries should not be allowed to access this data. Only the validity of the evidence should be checked. The name saved in the app is also displayed so that it can be compared with the ID card.

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While the interface for checking should be uniform across the EU, it is the task of the member states to develop a compatible vaccination verification app for their residents. In Germany, the order went to a company consortium led by the US IT group IBM, the German blockchain startup Ubirch, the service provider Bechtle and the Govdigital cooperative. The Europe-wide interface, via which digital vaccination records from other European countries, or in other EU countries, vaccination records from Germany can be checked, is in turn developed by SAP and T-Systems.

After a second vaccination, doctors and pharmacists in Germany should apply for a digital vaccination certificate for the person being vaccinated using special software. The certificate is then transmitted electronically and you can save it on your smartphone. The proof is cryptographically protected against subsequent manipulation and is stored locally on the mobile phone. So that you don’t have to go to the doctor again if your smartphone is lost, the certificate is also available as a barcode that can be re-scanned on paper. The digital vaccination certificate can later be checked by all member states via an interface provided by the EU.

Yes. The company consortium commissioned with the implementation in Germany originally wanted to save the vaccination data on five blockchains. The plan was heavily criticized. Among other things, because a blockchain has an advantage over a simple database when two or more parties cannot trust each other. Then blockchain technology helps prevent fraud. Since the vaccination certificates come from the state, which has no motivation to issue such a certificate to unvaccinated people, many critics considered the detour via the blockchain to be unnecessarily complicated. In addition, the originally planned system is said to have not been compatible with the EU proposal. Therefore, the blockchain idea was discarded in the end.

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Yes and no. The actual digital vaccination certificate should be protected against manipulation. As described, in practice, however, the proof should be issued on the basis of the information in the yellow vaccination book. According to the Chaos Computer Club, this in turn can be forged very easily. In fact, there have been reports of criminals selling fake vaccination cards online for some time.

Yes. Not only the EU and its member states are working on digital vaccination records. Also the World Health Organization is working on a digital vaccination certificate. The umbrella organization of the major airlines, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is also preparing its own vaccination certificate. In addition, work on another digital vaccination pass has been in progress in Germany for some time. This should be part of the electronic patient record and will be introduced in 2022. However, this digital vaccination card is primarily intended to help patients not to forget recommended vaccination refreshments. It is not intended as proof of vaccination for third parties.

This article was last updated on July 1st, 2021.

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