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Travel safely with the EU Digital Covid Certificate

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Find out how the new EU Digital Covid Certificate will allow you to travel safely and easily in Europe during the pandemic. Society 

How does the EU Digital Covid Certificate work?

The certificate will make it easier for you to travel safely through the EU by showing that you have been vaccinated, had a negative test result or recovered from Covid-19 in the last six months.

It will be issued by national authorities.

This information will take the form of a QR code, which can be electronic (on your smartphone or tablet, for instance) or printed and scanned when travelling.

The certificate should be available from 1 July and will be free.

The system will be in place for 12 months and cover all 27 EU countries as well as Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein.

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Can I use it to travel?

No, you will still need your passport or another form of identification.

You don’t have to have the certificate to travel - national requirements would then remain in place - but having it should make travelling easier. For example, it could mean you don't have to quarantine.

However, if exceptional circumstances arise in an EU country, such as the sudden appearance and spread of a new variant, new restrictions may have to be put in place.

What is included under the EU Digital Covid Certificate?

There are three versions of the certificate:

  • Vaccination certificate
  • Test certificate: indicates the holder’s result, type and date of a NAAT test or a rapid antigen test
  • Recovery certificate: confirms that the holder has recovered from a SARS-CoV-2 infection following a positive NAAT test

Antibody testing is not recognised, though this may change after the system is launched.

Tests recognised under the certificate include Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) tests, such as RT-PCR tests and rapid antigen tests.

The European Commission will use at least €100 million under the Emergency Support Instrument to purchase the Covid tests needed for the test certificate.

Next steps

MEPs will vote on the proposal during the plenary session taking place from 7 to 10 June.

More on EU measures to address the coronavirus pandemic

Find out more 

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