Italy’s extended Covid health pass scheme was announced last week and is set to come into force from August 6th.

From then on, it will be mandatory to show the certificazione verde, or green pass, to enter many venues and cultural sites in Italy, including indoor seating areas at bars and restaurants, museums, galleries, theatres, cinemas, sports stadiums, theme parks, indoor swimming pools and spas.

EXPLAINED: When, where and why will you need a Covid health passport in Italy?

As the change approaches, many are concerned about how to obtain the health certificate.

Note that the Italian version of the green pass is only available to people who were vaccinated, tested or recovered from Covid-19 in Italy.

People visiting Italy from the EU or Schengen Zone can use documents issued in their home countries, which are valid throughout the bloc.

If you were vaccinated in Canada, Israel, Japan, the UK or the US, the Italian government has agreed to recognise certificates issued by your health authorities at home. Find out more here. 

Among people who are eligible for the pass by getting vaccinated in Italy, several of The Local’s readers have reported that they didn’t receive a text message or email with the authorisation code that enables you to retrieve the certificate online.

If you do have a code, click here for the process.

If you got one – or mislaid it – here’s an overview of how you can download the green pass anyway.

How is it supposed to work?

Details of the digital pass can be viewed on the Italian government’s Digital Green Card website at www.dgc.gov.it. 

It shows proof via a scannable QR code that the holder has either been vaccinated, recovered from Covid-19 within the previous six months, or recently tested negative for the virus.

People who have had their first of two vaccine doses are able to access it from the 15th day after it was administered until the date of the second dose. This is also true for Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine.

In the case of needing two shots, the certificate will be provided within 24 to 48 hours of the second dose and will remain valid for nine months.

The official website states that, once the certificate is available to download or access, you should – in theory – receive an SMS or email to the number or address you provided on your vaccine registration form, containing an authentication code and further instructions.

This code, with or without the number of a tessera sanitaria (health card), allows you to get the pass on the DGC website.

EXPLAINED: How to get Italy’s Covid certificate without a tessera sanitaria

What if you never received a text or email with the code?

After many residents complained they had never received a text message or an email with their authorisation code, the government added an option to retrieve the code online at the end of July. 

The official DGC website now includes a section (available here) where you can request the AUTHCODE for your vaccination, test or recovery by entering your codice fiscale (tax code), the date of your shot/test/recovery, and the number of a tessera sanitaria (Italian health care card). 

This option is only available to people who are enrolled in the Italian public health system. 

If you are not enrolled in the Italian health system but were vaccinated in Italy anyway, the government recently activated the option to download your pass using only your codice fiscale and the date of your vaccination. 

Go to this page and select the option ‘Utente non iscritto al SSN vaccinato in Italia‘, then enter your details and download the certificate.

However, people who are not part of the public health system and were tested or recovered in Italy cannot generate an authorisation code this way.

Access your certificate without a code using your digital ID

There are ways to access the certificate without using a code at all, by using an electronic ID to identify yourself online or via an app.

That option requires a digital identity document: either the SPID digital ID or an electronic ID card (CIE).

If you have either of these, go to this page on the official green pass website.

READ ALSO: 

• How Italy just made it easier to download a Covid-19 health pass 
• How to use your Italian ID card to access official services online
• What is a SPID and how do you get one?

Alternatively, you can use a digital ID to access your online health records (fascicolo sanitario elettronico), available via your regional health service’s website: use your SPID or CIE to login.

Another option is to use either the government’s public administration app IO, or its Immuni contact-tracing app, again using a digital ID.

What if none of those options work?

There is a free helpline for green pass enquiries, which you can reach by calling 1500 from within Italy. Be prepared to wait on hold before reaching an operator.

If you can’t get through, you can email [email protected] (though reports suggest that replies are slow).

If contacting the authorities, you’ll need your tax code, the date of your vaccination (or the date of your negative swab if you got tested, or the date of the first positive swab in the case of recovered patients), plus the email address where you want to receive the code to download the pass.

If you have a tessera sanitaria, you can also ask your doctor or a pharmacist to access your records for you and download the pass.

Find the latest updates in our green pass news section and further details on the official website (currently only available in Italian).