The digital vaccination certificate for the smartphone is coming. The heads of state and government of the EU want to introduce such a digital corona vaccination card by the summer holidays 2021. Here you can find out everything you need to know about the digital vaccination certificate.

What is the digital vaccination certificate good for?

On the part of the heads of state and government of the EU, the digital vaccination certificate is primarily used to enable vacation travel again. At the same time, however, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) left the question open as to which specific (preferential) rights a digital vaccination certificate would grant its carriers. After all, children cannot currently be vaccinated because there are no approved vaccines for them. According to the Chancellor, the EU vaccination certificate should therefore be supplemented by other options such as corona tests when it comes to travel permits.

De facto, however, it is already becoming apparent that vaccination records could give vaccinated citizens further privileges . These will probably not come directly from the federal government, but from private companies. The general corona rules will likely continue to apply to vaccinated people, but passport holders may be able to visit restaurants and gyms again and stay in hotels. Alltours has already announced that it will only allow vaccinated people in its hotels, as Business Insider writes.

Thanks to the digital corona vaccination pass, travel should be possible again from the summer. Image: © BullRun / Adobe Stock 2020

The companies would presumably compare the digital vaccination certificate with the information on the identity card and then decide who has access to the offers and services. A digital vaccination card should in principle replace the yellow vaccination booklet at the beginning of 2022 – as part of the electronic patient file. The currently planned "digital vaccination pass" refers specifically to the corona pandemic and is intended to prove a vaccination against the Covid-19 pathogen – other vaccinations should not be noted in the app at first.

When will the digital vaccination card appear?

The digital vaccination certificate should be available by the summer holidays 2021. The EU Commission still needs "about three months" to create the technical requirements for the electronic ID card. The President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) said at the end of February, as WDR.de writes. And Chancellor Merkel said: "The expectation is that this will be done by the summer."

This also means that there will be nothing with the vaccination certificate for the Easter holidays. There are not only technical reasons for this – there is still no suitable app – but Germany and France fear that if it is introduced too early, a small group of vaccinated people could enjoy privileges such as trips abroad. The digital vaccination certificate should therefore only be introduced when more or less all citizens who can be vaccinated in principle have the opportunity to be vaccinated.

How does the digital vaccination card work?

There is still no specific app or a specific concept for the digital vaccination record. However, it should be possible to use it throughout the EU. There may be a personalized QR code like a train ticket that companies and authorities can read. A smartphone would not necessarily be required for this, you could also have a printed out code with you. The information that the code reveals will then probably be compared with the information in the personal passport or passport.

It is still unclear what the digital vaccination record will look like. Image: © kebox – stock.adobe.com 2021

In Israel , where the corona vaccinations are already well advanced, people who have been vaccinated can create an ID online one week after the second vaccination. They receive a "Green Pass" via an app, which they can save on their smartphone or print out. This green passport is basically a digital corona vaccination pass that can be scanned in at certain locations. In Israel, vaccinated people are allowed to visit gyms, theaters and sporting events again, as Welt.de writes.

According to Business Insider, the Federal Ministry of Health sent letters to several companies asking them to submit offers to the ministry to implement an idea for a "digital vaccination certificate". This should include companies like Deutsche Telekom, as Business Insider would like to know from informed circles.

Is the digital vaccination certificate compulsory?

The digital vaccination certificate should not be compulsory . However, if you cannot prove a corona vaccination or present a test, you will probably be excluded from certain options. In particular, trips abroad and hotel visits should then be prohibited for those who have not been vaccinated or tested. Either the vaccination certificate or, alternatively, a current corona test should become a prerequisite for certain opportunities to participate in society. Some professional groups such as nurses already have to be tested regularly anyway, and the proof of vaccination could be a relief for some.

The digital vaccination record is likely to work like a travel option through incentives.

Does the digital vaccination record make it possible to return to normal?

No. The corona measures such as keeping your distance and hygiene measures will continue to apply to vaccinated people. On top of that, a vaccination will probably not be enough . As Chancellor Merkel said, according to Welt.de , due to the virus mutations "we will always have to be able to vaccinate over a long period of time." Current vaccinations will then probably have to be noted in the digital vaccination record or it may be given an expiry date. However, the digital vaccination certificate opens up new options for those who have been vaccinated, such as traveling abroad.

Summary

• A digital corona vaccination pass should be available for citizens by the summer holidays.
• It should enable privileges such as air travel and hotel visits.
• There is still no concrete concept for the digital vaccination record, but a QR code is considered likely.
• The digital corona vaccination pass should not be compulsory.
• Citizens will likely have to be vaccinated again.