To facilitate safe free movement during the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union established the EU Digital COVID Certificate.
On 1 July 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) took up the EU system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics.
A strong tool for the reopening of our economies and societies
The EU Digital COVID certificate has been a crucial element in Europe's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 2.3 billion certificates issued.
The certificate, which covered COVID-19 vaccination, test and recovery, facilitated safe travel for citizens, and it has also been key to support Europe's hard-hit tourism industry.
The certificate facilitated safe travel for citizens across the European Union when Member States restricted travel on the grounds of public health. In addition, it allowed to coordinate the lifting of these restrictions from the moment it was possible. Indeed since August 2022 there have been no intra-EU travel restrictions anymore.
The EU Digital COVID Certificate has also been a success worldwide: it has set a global standard for international travel and has been the only system in operation at international level. 51 countries across four continents have benefited from this system.
The EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation entered into application on 1 July 2021 and expired on 30 June 2023.
A step towards global health security
On 1 July 2023, the WHO took up the EU system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics. This is the first building block of the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network that will develop a system for global verification of health documents to deliver better health for all.
The WHO will facilitate this process globally under its own structure with the first use-case being the convergence of digital COVID-19 certificates. This includes taking up EU standards and validating digital signatures to prevent fraud. In doing so, WHO will not have access to any underlying personal data, which would continue to be the exclusive domain of national governments.
EU-WHO digital partnership
To facilitate the uptake of the EU Digital COVID certificate by the WHO and contribute to its operation and further development, the WHO and the European Commission have agreed to partner in digital health.
This partnership will work to technically develop the WHO system with a staged approach to cover additional use cases, which may include, for example, the digitisation of the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis. Expanding such digital solutions will be essential to deliver better health for citizens across the globe.
The Global Digital Health Certification Network
The Global Digital Health Certification Network is a voluntary system that can help citizens to validate their health documents and use their electronic health data in a safe and secure way.
Joining the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network is voluntary for the Member States. The Council Recommendation adopted on 27 June 2023 encourages all Member States to join the WHO system, and to continue issuing COVID-19 certificates upon request.
The Commission and the WHO have signed a non-binding Administrative Arrangement between the two organizations. The Administrative Arrangement is a technical document that sets the aim between the European Commission and the WHO to collaborate on the uptake of the EU Digital COVID Certificate framework and the further development of the Global Digital Health Certification Network.
Timeline
- 1 July 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) takes up the EU system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics.
- 30 June 2023
The EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation expires.
- 13 December 2022
Council adopts a revised Recommendation on lifting of all intra-EU travel restrictions.
- 29 June 2022
Extension of the EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation until 30 June 2023. Member States are now able to issue vaccination certificates to participants of clinical trials and will recognise additional types of antigen tests.
- 29 March 2022
New rules exempt minors from the acceptance period of 9 months for vaccination certificates.
- 22 February 2022
Recovery certificates can now be issued based on rapid antigen tests
- 25 January 2022
Council adopts a revised recommendation on measures ensuring coordination of safe travel in the EU, based on the individual situation of persons and no longer on the region of origin.
- 21 December 2021
The Commission adopts rules establishing a binding acceptance period of 9 months of vaccination certificates for the purposes of intra-EU travel.
- 1 July - 12 August 2021
Phase-in period: if a Member State is not yet ready to issue the new certificate to its citizens, other formats can still be used and should be accepted in other Member States.
- 1 July 2021
The EU Digital COVID Certificate enters into application throughout the EU.
- mid-June 2021
Revised Council Recommendation on travel within the EU.
- 1 - 30 June 2021
Warm-up phase: Member States can launch the certificate on a voluntary basis provided they are ready to issue and verify certificates, and have the necessary legal base in place.
- 1 June 2021
EU Gateway (interconnection of national systems) goes live.
- 20 May 2021
The European Parliament and the Council agreed on the EU Digital COVID Certificate.
- 7 May 2021
The Commission started the pilot test of the EU interoperability infrastructure (EU Gateway) that will facilitate the authentication of the EU Certificates.
- 22 April 2021
Member States' representatives in the eHealth Network agreed on guidelines describing the main technical specifications for the implementation of the system. This was a crucial step for the establishment of the necessary infrastructure at EU level.
- 14 April 2021
The Council adopted its mandate to start negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal.
- 17 March 2021
The Commission proposed a legislative text establishing a common framework for an EU certificate.
- 27 January 2021
Guidelines laying out interoperability requirements of digital vaccination certificates were adopted, building on discussion held between the Commission and Member States in the eHealth Network since November 2020.