If you have already received the vaccine against COVID-19, have passed the disease or can accredit the result of a negative PCR test in the last 48-72 hours (depending on the countries) , you can request the COVID Digital certificate, which comes into operation in the European Union as of July 1. Some autonomous communities have started and are issuing it physically, although in addition, the Ministry of Health already allows them to be obtained electronically by means of a digital certificate or cl @ ave.
This document is free and can be issued in English or in the national language of the country in which the certificate is requested.
Can the passport be used in other countries that do not belong to the European Union?
At the moment, this document is only valid within the European Union, and if you wish to travel to other countries you must inform yourself of their current regulations regarding measures to contain COVID-19.
If I don’t have a COVID certificate, can’t I travel?
As reported by the Ministry of Health, if you do not have the EU digital COVID certificate, you can travel, but the admission process is slower and additional measures can be requested, such as tests or quarantines. This certificate is simple, secure, reliable and free, and you can have it in electronic or paper format.
In other words, the existence of the COVID Digital certificate does not condition or restrict in any way the right to free movement within the European Union, it simply speeds up mobility by guaranteeing the protection of the health of citizens.
How can you get the COVID ‘passport’?
As we have already mentioned, the autonomous communities are in charge of issuing this document and some have already begun to do so and issue it from hospitals, health centers and / or health ministries. The easiest thing to do is consult the website of the competent health authority in your community to find out how the mechanism works.
Additionally, at the electronic headquarters of the Ministry of Health the document can be obtained in digital format, which can be viewed from a mobile device . Citizens can also request a paper version. Both will have a QR code that will contain essential information, as well as a digital seal to ensure that the certificate is authentic. The Ministry will also issue the certificate in paper format in its area of competence, as is the case of Foreign Health, and in those cases assessed.
Does this document guarantee my privacy?
The Ministry of Health confirms that it is a document that guarantees the protection of personal data, which are strictly necessary: name of the holder, date of birth, date of issue, relevant information about the vaccine, diagnostic test or recovery and a unique identifier. This data remains in the certificate and is not stored or retained when it is verified in another Member State.
In addition, the personal data contained in the Digital Certificate of citizens will be processed only for the purpose of verifying the information included in the certificate, complying with the provisions of European and national regulations on the protection of personal data.
