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EXPLAINED: How to get your digital Covid vaccine pass in Germany for EU travel

The EU digital Covid pass launched on July 1st and should make travel within the EU much smoother. How can you get it in Germany?

Published: 29 June 2021 17:04 CEST
Updated: 8 July 2021 07:27 CEST
EXPLAINED: How to get your digital Covid vaccine pass in Germany for EU travel
The EU Covid-19 certificate in Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Stefan Puchner

So Germany (and other EU countries) have a digital vaccination certificate. What is it?

You have to be fully jabbed to use the digital vaccination certificate (known in Germany as the Impfpass or Impfnachweis). You can upload the certificate to your phone – either in the CovPass app or the Corona Warn app. And two weeks after your last jab, you’re good to go. 

It will also soon be possible to store negative test results and recovery from Covid certificates on the Covid health pass. This next stage of development should be completed by the end of June, according to the Health Ministry.

Users of the digital vaccination passport will likely be exempt from testing and quarantine obligations when travelling if they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid.

However, EU countries will continue to decide for themselves on travel restrictions. So it may be that tougher rules are brought in if Covid cases rise or new variants spread. 

READ ALSO:

Where can I get it?

When you go for your jabs, the digital proof of vaccination should be generated in the doctor’s office or in the vaccination centre. You’ll receive a paper certificate with a code on it that can be scanned into your phone. You’ll typically receive a code for each jab, and both can be scanned into your smartphone. 

For those who’ve already had their shots from vaccination centres, the centres should send out the QR codes in the post or make them available through an online portal. Check with your local authority on what procedure is in place. 

If you have been previously vaccinated at a doctor’s practice, the doctor should issue you with the certificate. But if they don’t manage to, you can also visit participating pharmacies for it.

Pharmacy staff can check your evidence of vaccination, plus photo ID (like a passport), and then issue you with the QR code. 

How does it work?

People in Germany download the CovPass app to scan the vaccination certificates (QR codes). This way, they can show their full vaccination coverage via QR code in the app when needed.

An update is also being made to the Corona Warn app, which also offers the option of scanning and managing the digital vaccination certificates (QR codes).

Residents should keep the issued QR codes to be able to scan them again if necessary (e.g. when changing cell phones).

READ ALSO: German pharmacies begin offering digital vaccination certificates

Note that currently the CovPass app is only available on the German iTunes Store. But that is likely to be extended to other app stores. As we mentioned, you can also upload it to the Corona Warn app. 

So I have my pass. Can I use it for travel?

The German Health Ministry confirmed to The Local that the digital certificate can be used for travel within the EU. For countries outside the EU it won’t be possible to use the digital proof of vaccination just yet – but that might change in future. 

A Health Ministry spokesperson told us: “The pass can be used for trips to other EU countries. Talks are currently underway at international level for recognition in countries outside the EU.”

You can also use it for proof of vaccination in Germany, for example at restaurants or for events. 

What is the aim of the EU pass?

According to the EU the digital Covid certificate “will facilitate safe free movement of citizens in the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Essentially that means no quarantine measures or need to supply negative Covid tests before or after travel.

The idea is that the document – which can be on paper or stored electronically on smartphones – will carry proof via a QR code that the holder has either:

  • been vaccinated against Covid-19
  • recently recovered from the virus (meaning the holder has antibodies in their system)
  • recently tested negative for Covid 

This proof can be shown to whoever requires it, whether border police or airline and rail officials.

The certificates should be free and come in both English and the national language where they are distributed, the EU says. They are being distributed now within countries across the bloc. 

It’s worth noting that the Covid certificates are not compulsory for travel within the EU, but those who travel without it will likely be subject to whatever requirements are in place around testing and quarantine.

From Thursday July 1st it will be rolled out across the EU and Schengen area and possibly after that non-EU/Schengen countries like the UK and the US will become part of the scheme to allow for smooth travel between those countries and member states

Germany recently opened up travel to the US, and several non-EU countries – with some conditions. 

For more details read our explainer:

How does the new EU Covid certificate work and how can I get one?

What about if I have a foreign vaccination certificate?

In Germany, you may be able to access the digital pass if you take your foreign vaccination pass to a pharmacy and ask them to convert it for you. The prerequisite is that it must be a vaccine approved in the EU. That currently is BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson.

But it really is at the pharmacy’s discretion on whether you get it or not. We’ve heard from readers that they have managed to get the digital pass if they check with several different pharmacies – so you could get lucky on that front. 

READ MORE: How I got Germany’s new digital CovPass with my American vaccine certificate

The official line from the German government is that there is no formal agreement in place for recognising foreign vaccine certificates. 

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For members

EES PASSPORT CHECKS

How Europe’s new EES border checks will impact flight passengers

When the EU’s Entry / Exit System (EES) is introduced it will end the stamping of passports for non-EU travellers. Passengers arriving at Europe's airports should be aware of the changes.

Published: 28 May 2024 17:02 CEST
How Europe's new EES border checks will impact flight passengers

The EU’s biometric EES checks has been designed to record the details of all third-country nationals entering and exiting the European Union – that is, all non-EU or Schengen Area citizens – although non-EU residents living in EU / Schengen countries and those travelling on visas are exempt.

For air passengers, alongside flight and baggage data, the checks will contain biometric information such as fingerprints, facial photographs, and passport details from the RFID chips included in the document. 

It has been designed primarily to provide a better picture of the number of travellers overstaying the Schengen area’s 90-day rule, a perennial issue for EU states. It will also help to combat terrorism and organised crime by flagging individuals with criminal or terrorist convictions and notifying authorities. 

The current system of rubber stamps on a page in your passport will be replaced by an automated scan.

Ireland and Cyprus are the only EU countries who won’t apply EES but their citizens will nevertheless be exempt. Switzerland and Norway are among the 29 countries who will be part of the EES system.

Pre-flight

It’s already the case that airline passengers have to provide certain information to their airline before they fly such as their name, date of birth and passport number – this is known as Advanced Passenger Information (API).

Although border force officers conduct in-person passport checks on arrival, airlines also have a responsibility not to allow ineligible passengers to board the plane – for example people who don’t have a valid passport. Airlines can be fined if their allow ineligible passengers on board, which is why gate checks are strict.

Because EES requires extra information, it seems likely that the pre-flight API required by your airline will become more detailed – and could also include your residency status (ie if you have a residency card or long-stay visa for an EU country).

Airlines will be required to get verification from the EES system before they allow each passenger to board – something that airlines are worried about (see below).

How will the EES work at the airport?

Remember EES checks are only when you are crossing an external Schengen border – so if you fly in from the US to Germany and when you leave the Schengen area. If during the trip you take another flight within the Schengen area – Germany to Sweden for example – you won’t need to do the EES checks.

As outlined above, it’s likely that passengers will be required to provide extra data for EES checks prior to travel – such as basic personal information, reason for travel etc. An EU app is being created and currently being tested at Stockholm airport that will allow for EES registration.

However the biometric data – fingerprints and facial scans – must be provided in person in the presence of a border guard, so will have to be done on arrival.

Once arriving in an EU member state or Schengen Area country from the outside, travellers must pass through checks at the airport, before they cross the border into their destination country. 

This will be done at electronic gates or ‘e-gates’.

The first time a traveller enters an EU country after the EES is established, they must be fingerprinted, have their photograph taken, and have their passport details read. 

This registration process will take place at several purpose-built kiosks in the airport arrival area. Passengers will scan their own documents and share their biometric data, plus answer a few necessary questions, under the supervision of border security officers. 

The process is expected to take between ninety seconds and two minutes per person.

Once travellers have had their fingerprints and photographs taken, they will be valid for three years, and the full process will not need to be repeated. 

However, if a traveller receives a new passport during that time, they will need to have new fingerprints and photographs taken. 

Will it affect travel plans and airport queues?

While the EU has stated that there shouldn’t be any significant delays at airports, others have expressed concerns that travellers could face long queues.

The British travel association ABTA warned that travellers could be held up at kiosks for several minutes. 

Concerns have also been voiced that efforts to communicate what the new system means have not reached the public—a study carried out in April found that two-thirds of adults across the UK are unaware of the system. 

Airlines are also concerned about the system for people who are exempt from EES registration – such as people who have a residence permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

According to the International Air Transport Association, these groups will have to indicate on their Advance Passenger Information that they are exempt, and then have their visa or residency card checked at the boarding gate, which could add significant time to boarding.

No more last minute flights?

As well as added complexity and time for the boarding process, airlines say that this, could spell the end of last-minute flights.

Airlines will be required to verify before departure the travel eligibility of passengers by sending verification queries to the EES system. This will respond whether they are “OK” or “NOT OK” for boarding. Airlines will be liable if they allow non-compliant passengers on board.

The IATA has raised the alarm about the reliability of the system, as well as the time required to get advance verification.

The deadline – which has been reported as being up to 48 hours before take-off “is too long” and “will preclude late ticket sales,” according to a document submitted by Ryanair Holdings plc, the parent company of Ryanair, Buzz, Lauda and Malta Air, to the UK’s House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee.

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