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International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP): Yellow Fever Vaccination Documentation

• How to Fill Out an ICVP

How to Reissue an ICVP

• Contraindications Precautions

Vaccine Exemptions (Medical Waivers)

• Where to Order ICVP

International Health Regulations (IHR) allow countries to require arriving travelers to provide proof of vaccination against certain diseases, including yellow fever. 1,2 The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP), also referred to as the “yellow card,” is the official, internationally recognized document that travelers use to document proof of vaccination for diseases included under the IHR.

Currently, vaccination against yellow fever  must be documented using the ICVP. Travelers should check CDC’s webpage for their destination to learn if vaccination is required before entry. including layover requirements. Some countries require all arriving travelers to show proof of yellow fever vaccination before entering the country. Other countries require proof of vaccination from travelers arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever virus exposure (even for a brief layover). Therefore, for people visiting multiple countries, the order of travel may be important.

Yellow fever vaccination (travel) clinics  administer yellow fever vaccine and issue ICVPs to vaccine recipients. The ICVP must be validated with the Uniform Stamp of the center where the vaccine was given. CDC does not issue ICVPs. CDC does not have copies of vaccination records. Certificates of yellow fever vaccination are valid beginning 10 days after the date of vaccination. Travelers who do not provide a ICVP documenting valid yellow fever vaccination may be denied entry, quarantined, or asked to get revaccinated at the point of entry to a country.

Yellow fever vaccines are valid for a person’s lifetime, even if ICVP cards have an expiration date.

For more information, visit the CDC Yellow Book chapter: Yellow Fever .

How to Fill Out an ICVP for Yellow Fever Vaccine

For all required vaccines

(1) Print the traveler’s name exactly as it appears on their passport.

(2), (5), (7) Enter all dates as shown: day (in numerals), month (in letters), year. In the example above, the traveler’s date of birth is correctly entered as 22 March 1960. Do not use DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY format.

(3) This space is reserved for the traveler’s signature.

(4) Print "Yellow Fever" in both spaces. 

(5) Enter the date of vaccine administration, as shown.

(6) This space is reserved for the clinician’s handwritten signature. A signature stamp is not acceptable.

The clinician signing the ICVP can be the yellow fever vaccine Uniform Stamp owner, or another healthcare provider authorized by the stamp owner to administer or supervise the vaccine administration.

(7) The certificate of yellow fever vaccination is valid beginning 10 days after the date of primary vaccination. Add that date to this box along with the suggested wording “life of person vaccinated,” as shown, to indicate that the vaccine is valid throughout the remainder of the individual's lifetime.

(8) Imprint the Uniform Stamp of the vaccinating center in this box.

When an individual loses their ICVP, it is damaged, or they have a name change, they may request a new ICVP. Stamp-owning clinicians are encouraged to reissue a replacement ICVP to the traveler if they can confirm that the traveler’s vaccination information is accurate. At a minimum, the following must be verified:

• Date of birth
• Date of vaccination, vaccine batch and lot number
• Signature and official stamp (if copy of ICVP card is presented)

To locate vaccination records, patients should first contact the original vaccine provider; if they are not available, the patient can then contact the state health department in the state where the vaccine was administered to inquire whether they maintain individual vaccine records. CDC does not keep individual vaccine records.

In addition to following all directions in the How to Fill Out an ICVP section, follow these steps to ensure certain sections of the replacement ICVP are correctly filled out.

• Date: Enter the date of the original vaccination, not the date of reissuance.
• Signature and professional status of stamp-owning clinician: The clinician who has verified the traveler’s vaccination information and is reissuing the ICVP should sign.
• Manufacturer and batch no. of vaccine: Print manufacturer name and lot number.
• Certificate valid from until: For yellow fever vaccine, enter date 10 days after original date of vaccination and "life of person vaccinated."
• Official stamp of the administering center: The Uniform Stamp of the vaccinating center reissuing the ICVP card should appear in this box.

Contraindications and Precautions

Contraindications to receiving YF vaccine include age <6 months; various forms of altered immunity, including symptomatic HIV infection or HIV infection with severe immunosuppression; and hypersensitivity to vaccine components. A person with a precaution (relative contraindication) to YF vaccine has a condition that might increase their risk for having a serious adverse event following vaccination, or that could interfere with the ability of the vaccine to produce immunity. YF vaccination precautions include age 6–8 months, age ≥60 years, asymptomatic HIV infection with moderate immunosuppression, pregnancy, and breastfeeding.

A person who has an absolute YF vaccine contraindication should not be vaccinated, because they have a condition that increases their risk for having a serious adverse event following vaccination. For those with precautions, solicit information from the traveler about their risk tolerance level, and include this in the shared decision making about whether to administer YF vaccine.

For those with contraindications and precautions who cannot be vaccinated, encourage these people to consider alternative travel plans. If they cannot avoid travel to a YF-endemic area, provide them with a medical waiver (described below), emphasize the importance of strict adherence to protective measures against mosquito bites, and discuss risks associated with being unvaccinated.

For international travelers with a medical contraindication to a required vaccine, it at the discretion of the stamp-owning clinician to provide them with a medical waiver. Advise the traveler that the destination country might not accept a medical waiver. Acceptance of the medical waiver is at the discretion of the destination country; advise the traveler that the destination country might not accept a medical waiver.

To improve the likelihood that border officials at travelers’ destinations will accept medical waivers and approve entry, travelers should:

• Obtain specific and authoritative advice from the embassies or consulates of the destination countries.
• Request documentation of requirements for waivers from embassies or consulates and present these, along with the completed Medical Contraindication to Vaccination section of the ICVP.

How to Fill Out an Exemption (Medical Waiver)

Complete and sign the “Medical Contraindications to Vaccination” section of the ICVP. Yellow fever vaccine providers should validate medical exemptions to yellow fever vaccination using the Uniform Stamp of the yellow fever vaccination center.

Stamp-owning clinicians should also provide these travelers with a signed and dated exemption letter on letterhead stationery, clearly stating the contraindication(s) to vaccination (e.g., age, diagnosis of an immunocompromising condition, allergic reaction). For medical contraindications to yellow fever vaccine, include on the exemption letter an imprint of the Uniform Stamp used by the yellow fever vaccination center to validate the ICVP.

ICVPs are available for purchase from the Government Printing Office bookstore. Individual copies are not available. To order, please visit U.S. Government Bookstore or call toll-free (866) 512-1800. Packages of 25 are available for $25 for the United States and $35 for international. Delivery time for orders varies based on shipping options. To have orders mailed via a shipping service, please place your order by phone.

1 Saudi Arabia requires proof of meningococcal vaccination for travel to the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. 2 Proof of polio vaccination within the past 12 months may be required when departing certain countries . Proof of polio vaccination should be documented on a separate ICVP with an expiration date of one year from the date of administration.

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The Administration will end the COVID-19 vaccine requirements for international air travelers at the end of the day on May 11, the same day that the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. This means starting May 12, noncitizen nonimmigrant air passengers will no longer need to show proof of being fully vaccinated with an accepted COVID-19 vaccine to board a flight to the United States. CDC’s Amended Order Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic will no longer be in effect when the Presidential Proclamation Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic is revoked .

Please see: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/01/the-biden-administration-will-end-covid-19-vaccination-requirements-for-federal-employees-contractors-international-travelers-head-start-educators-and-cms-certified-facilities/

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How to use vaccine passports for international travel

Your cdc card can work overseas, but some countries want to see a qr code.

The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.

Follow this story and more by signing up for national breaking news email alerts.

Countries around the world have eased entry requirements for international travelers, but many still require coronavirus tests or proof of vaccination to enter. And for some, not just any proof will do.

Depending on where you’re headed, showing a vaccination card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may not be enough. You may need to take extra steps before your trip to set up a “ vaccine passport ” that can be digitally verified.

Below, experts detail how vaccine passport s work, how to get them and where you might need one now.

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Airport chaos: We’ve got advice for every scenario , from canceled flights to lost luggage . Stuck at the rental car counter? These tips can speed up the process. And following these 52 rules of flying should make the experience better for everyone.

Expert advice: Our By The Way Concierge solves readers’ dilemmas , including whether it’s okay to ditch a partner at security, or what happens if you get caught flying with weed . Submit your question here . Or you could look to the gurus: Lonely Planet and Rick Steves .

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The Coronavirus Crisis

International travel opens to the vaccinated, but how do you prove you got the shot.

David Schaper

Stickers are stacked up for people receiving vaccinations at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Las Vegas on May 21. As countries open their doors to travelers again, there is confusion about how people will prove their vaccination status. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

Stickers are stacked up for people receiving vaccinations at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Las Vegas on May 21. As countries open their doors to travelers again, there is confusion about how people will prove their vaccination status.

There's good news and bad news for Americans who have been itching to take a European vacation. Spain reopens to vaccinated tourists on June 7. Greece, Germany, France, Italy, Croatia and other countries are opening up again soon.

But in order to go, travelers will have to show proof that they've been vaccinated, and it's not yet clear how they'll do that. That's causing a lot of confusion among those with pent-up wanderlust, as demand for air travel has been soaring in recent weeks.

The Transportation Security Administration reports that 1.87 million people went through the nation's airport security checkpoints on May 23. That's the highest number of air travelers since the pandemic began and 90% of 2019 levels.

Coronavirus Updates

Vaccinated u.s. travelers will be allowed to visit europe again starting this summer.

"The last couple weeks, we have seen a really big pick up [in inquiries and bookings] and it's completely tied to vaccinations," says travel adviser Kendra Thornton, owner of Royal Travel and Tours in Chicago's northern suburbs. "As more and more people get vaccinated, we have more people being comfortable booking travel and planning travel."

Most of Thornton's clients have been booking vacations to Florida's beaches, Hawaii and other domestic destinations, but with much of Europe opening up soon, some are eager to cross the Atlantic.

"We definitely have clients that the second this news came out, were like, OK, I want to go to Portugal, I want to go to Greece, I want to go to Italy," Thornton says.

Those travelers will likely have to prove that they've been vaccinated, and that's a problem, because it's not clear exactly what kind of proof will be accepted.

"It's very confusing and it's changing every minute right now," Thornton says.

For now, travelers can self-report their vaccination status by showing their COVID-19 vaccination card with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logo on it, but as the number of international travelers increases, can you imagine the airport lines as airline or Customs employees try to check each and every one? In addition, many countries including the U.S. continue to require a recent negative COVID-19 test before allowing entry, which requires travelers to present even more paperwork.

Plus there is no single standard vaccination card, and they can be easily lost, damaged or even forged.

FAQ: What Is A Vaccine 'Passport,' And What Are These Credentials Used For?

"We're basically counting on trust, when the country is facing a trust deficit," says Leonard Marcus, director of the Aviation Public Health Initiative at Harvard University. "So there's no way to verify that someone is, in fact, actually vaccinated; it's only their word that, yes, I'm vaccinated.

Marcus says there needs to be a better way than the honor system.

"There should be either government systems or private sector systems that are reliable that I can use to show to an airline, that I can show as I go into a crowded facility, that I've been vaccinated," he says.

But as of now, there is no federal database tracking who has been vaccinated, and the Biden administration says it will not be issuing what some have dubbed "vaccine passports," a digital certificate that would verify a person's vaccination status.

Some cities and states are considering them for entry into certain businesses or venues. New York already has the voluntary Excelsior Pass that can be shown upon entry to bars, restaurants, concerts and sporting events.

But at least a dozen other states controlled by Republicans, including Arizona, Florida, Texas and Wyoming, are moving in the opposite direction, banning or restricting the use of any sort of vaccine "passport" or a vaccination certification or verification system.

"The residents of our state should not be required by the government to share their private medical information," said Arizona's Republican Gov. Doug Ducey last month. "Vaccination is up to each individual, not the government."

But public health experts point out that Americans have long been required to provide proof of vaccination in certain circumstances, such as to attend school and for international travel.

"We have a lot of precedent for requiring vaccinations for people, recognizing the value of those vaccinations, especially when they're involved with international travel," says Harvard's Leonard Marcus.

"This has become so politicized an issue that it's very difficult for us as a country to do the right thing," he adds.

Nonetheless, a majority of Americans support the concept of requiring vaccination for travel, according to a recent Gallop poll .

Megan Brenan of Gallop says "57% of Americans said that in order to travel by airplane, they would favor requiring people to show proof that they've been vaccinated."

Goats and Soda

The vaccine passport debate actually began in 1897 over a plague vaccine.

And there is even wider support for some sort of vaccination verification system globally. A recent Ipsos poll on behalf of the World Economic Forum finds that about 3 in 4 adults across 28 countries agree that COVID-19 vaccine passports should be required of travelers to enter their country.

With no uniform way for American travelers to prove to foreign governments that they've been vaccinated, some airlines are trying to step up and develop digital platforms including smartphone apps that will tell customers exactly what documentation they need to provide to enter the country they are going to and a way to upload that documentation.

"Because the requirements for entry differ by almost every single country and, in some cases, by the region within a country, the customer would like to have the peace of mind to know that they comply with those different regulations to come in," says Preston Peterson, director of Customer Experience Innovation at American Airlines. He says their app, called VeriFly, developed with its mobile health partner Daon, provides a platform for the traveler to know that they're good to go.

"A customer can submit their documentation, have it verified and then they receive a green check mark, or effectively, an OK to travel status, that we as the airline trust, the customer can trust and then they know they're ready to go."

Other airlines are developing similar apps or partnering with companies and organizations to create such platforms. The International Air Transport Association, an airline industry group, has developed an app called the IATA Travel Pass that's being tested by more than 30 airlines globally, including British Airways, Emirates, Japan Airlines and Qantas. A nonprofit platform called Common Pass is being used by JetBlue, United, Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific, among others.

The governments of the European Union, China, Japan and the United Kingdom are all working on their own digital vaccination certificates for international travel.

The World Health Organization is working on creating standards for developing "Smart Vaccination Certificates" but also advises countries against requiring proof of vaccination, citing unequal global distribution of vaccines.

All of these efforts underscore the lack of one central national and international system to verify vaccination status, so it will likely take some time for governments, airlines and travelers to sort out exactly what will be accepted where as proof of vaccination.

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Learn about visa requirements, Trusted Traveler Programs like Global Entry, emergencies, and more.

International driver’s license for U.S. citizens

If you are a U.S. citizen planning to drive while traveling abroad, find out if you need an International Driving Permit (IDP) for the country you are visiting.

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International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate

The International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate is a free and secure means of proving your COVID-19 immunisation history when you travel across borders overseas.

The easiest way to get a certificate is by using your Medicare account through myGov , or the Express Plus Medicare mobile app .  Go to Services Australia for further details.

If you can’t use these options, visit a Services Australia services centre or contact the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) on 1800 653 809. 

To get a certificate, you’ll need to have your passport with you .

• How the international certificate works
• Eligibility
• How to get an international certificate
• Using your international certificate overseas
• Leaving and entering Australia

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How to Prove You're Vaccinated for COVID-19

You may need to prove your vaccination status for travel or work, or to attend an event. Paper credentials usually work, but a new crop of digital verification apps is adding confusion.

Retired Tennessee farmer Tom Anderson, 75, and his wife Barbara, 65, flew to Egypt in September to celebrate their 25 th wedding anniversary on a Nile River cruise. After their plane arrived in Cairo, an Egyptian official demanded to see electronic proof of COVID-19 vaccination shown in a QR code.

“We had our actual (CDC) card, and they said, ‘Where are your QR codes?’” Barbara recalls. “And we said, ‘We don’t know what you are talking about.’”

Adds Tom: “We tried our best to reason with them, and they said, ‘No, you have to have the QR code.’”

Egyptian officials put them back on the next flight out en route to Memphis, where they arrived after 57 hours total for the round-trip travel. Apparently, the Egyptian rules had changed since the Andersons had prepared their paperwork, requiring electronic proof of vaccination.

Their story is an extreme one, but it shows how fluid and inconsistent the task of proving your vaccination status can be in a world where that particular piece of information is becoming increasingly important.

Depending on where you live, you may have to show that you are inoculated to keep your job, eat in a restaurant, attend a concert or ball game, work out in a gym, or travel. So it pays to have your credential at the ready.

The most obvious way to do this is with the CDC vaccination card that vaccine providers typically give out when you get your shot. But many employers and venues are encouraging workers and consumers to use digital verification apps, and some consumers may prefer not to carry their card everywhere, thus the appeal of a digital vaccine “passport” on your cell phone.

However, electronically answering what is basically a simple yes-or-no question has become surprisingly controversial, confusing, and time consuming. That’s because the rules vary by country and by state, with some states refusing to issue or even allow such a credential. Layered on top of that, different firms offer their own versions of COVID-19 vaccination passports.

“The U.S. is a mess, because there isn’t a centralized approach,” says Darren Toh, CEO of AOKpass, a Singapore-based company working with some American companies to verify that employees are vaccinated, as well as with some airlines. 

“It’s baffling,” he continues. “The United States seems to be this unique bundle of chaotic people moving at different speeds and in different directions. You can juxtapose it with the EU response, which is quite centralized.”

Some U.S. cities, including New York and Los Angeles, are requiring vaccination for most indoor venues, but in most of the country, figuring out when you might need proof of vaccination is a confusing guessing game. For example, among amusement parks in southern California, Disneyland does not require a vaccine credential or recent COVID-19 tests, but Universal Studios Hollywood , 35 miles to the north, does.

“We’re stuck with this fractured, uneven, confusing system of ad hoc vaccine certifications, and we just have to struggle with it,” says Josh Michaud, PhD, the associate director for global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Depending on where you live in the United States, you may have rules against using digital vaccine certifications . . . mostly Republican, mostly conservative states.”

“But for the other states, where it is an option, you do face a slew of different potential options,” he continues. “Once you explain all of that, you basically have confused the hell out of people.”

Given this reality, here are some insights on how to sort through the choices consumers have in order to prove that they are indeed vaccinated.

How to Prove You're Vaccinated

Having trouble sorting through vaccine verification options? Jump to our situation-by-situation guide , below.

Good Ol' Paper

First the good news: Your paper CDC vaccination card works in most places, whether you want to attend a basketball game, go to a concert, or visit a museum. 

Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH, a professor of public health and human rights at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, carries his paper card in his wallet everywhere but acknowledges that relying on that document alone has downsides. “If you lose it or it’s destroyed, there isn’t necessarily an easy way to get it back,” he says.

Others might not want to carry that pesky card everywhere. Fortunately, a photo of both sides of the CDC card, kept on your phone or printed out, is typically accepted as evidence of vaccination. “In this case, more is more—as many forms of documentation as you can, the better,” Beyrer says.

Digital Proof

At present, about 150 million Americans can also access digital proofs of their COVID-19 vaccinations , according to Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI), a coalition of public and private organizations working on enabling standards for SMART Health Cards —a fancy-sounding term for digital medical records such as vaccine histories. (The records can also be printed out.) Its members include electronic health records companies Epic and Cerner, as well as Microsoft.

“A paper CDC card, as well as a photocopy, is not easily verifiable, can be misplaced, and is subject to forgery,” says Brian Anderson , MD, a VCI co-founder and chief digital health physician at MITRE , a government contractor that works on federally funded research. “Digital vaccination verification tools—like SMART Health Cards—contain a machine-readable QR code that provides for verification, is resistant to forgery, and can be easily re-obtained if a paper or digital copy is lost.”

Yet things become confusing when you try to figure out which digital credential you should use. Unlike a U.S. passport, which is the same for all Americans, a digital credential can come from one of many state or local entities, or dozens of private companies. But unlike regular passports, the vaccination credentials are free to individuals, with government or businesses bearing the cost.

Your first step should be to check whether your state issues COVID-19 vaccination credentials or works with an outside company. Among the states with their own vaccination verifications are New York and California , where 7.5 million residents had downloaded a SMART Health Card QR code as of early November, according to the California Department of Public Health. 

VCI currently lists eight states as issuing their own SMART Health Cards. In theory, any state can issue electronic proof of your vaccination, or allow an outside company to do so, because all U.S. states maintain their own vaccine registries, as do New York City; Washington, D.C.; and San Antonio. The CDC maintains a list of links and contacts for these registries , known as Immunization Information Systems.

Los Angeles County and New York City (via Google Play or the Apple Store ) also allow the vaccinated to download a credential that they sponsor.

“I’m not sure what the point of this app really is,” one user wrote in a Google Play store review of the NYC COVID Safe app. “You take a picture of your vaccine card and store it locally? You might as well just create a photo directory for your vaccine card. It’s exactly the same thing.” Spokespeople for the mayors’ offices in Los Angeles and New York did not respond to requests for comment.

Apple iPhone users with iOS 15.1 can also download verifiable credentials (as opposed to a simple photo of a vaccine card) to their Wallet or Health app. Google offers a similar feature for Android devices .

As if things were not confusing enough, MyIR, an app working with seven states—Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.—announced in late October that digital vaccine credentials were being temporarily suspended (PDF). (Residents of these states can still obtain other digital vaccine credentials.) The problem is that MyIR aggregates data from various states and providers rather than directly on the behalf of each, according to VCI, the group working on standards for SMART Health Cards.

“Chaos is the right word,” says Mike Popovich, CEO of STChealth, which operates MyIR. “There seems to be a push for who controls the credentialing space, which I suppose is natural.”

Growing Pains

Once you figure out which options are available in your state, it may take just a few minutes to get set up, but it is also possible that you may have to invest a bit of time to get your digital vaccination certification. State websites typically ask for name, date of birth, and mobile phone number or email address, but each system has its own quirks. 

For example, North Carolina’s COVID-19 Vaccine Portal tells users to click ‘Forgot Your Username’ the first time they are accessing the system.

My own initial effort to download New York State’s Excelsior Pass failed, and the website directed me to call the pharmacy where I received my vaccinations. After two calls to CVS and 15 minutes on hold I was able to update the phone number they had on file. Then I logged back in to the Excelsior site and got an error message: “It seems like we’re having some issues behind the scenes preventing us from helping you.” I tried again some hours later and somehow it then worked. 

Speaking in general about vaccine certification efforts, JP Pollak, co-founder of the Commons Project , a nonprofit group whose projects include a vaccination credential you can download via Apple’s App Store or Google Play , says, “We’re experiencing a lot of expected growing pains.”

Ramin Bastani, CEO of Healthvana , which provides digital COVID-19 credentials for Los Angeles County, says tiny differences in data can clog up the system. “It’s not a perfect process,” he says. “You may have registered in one particular area, and your name is James, but then somewhere else, you registered your name as Jim for that second shot. So those have to actually be matched in some way.”

I encountered more roadblocks when I tried to obtain additional proof of my COVID-19 vaccinations.

Electronic health records system Epic offers vaccination credentials to 64 million Americans through its MyChart system, and that number is set to raise to 100 million next year, according to implementation executive Nick Frenzer. But when I logged on to my account, MyChart showed just one of my two vaccinations. Frenzer later said there was a mismatch between the New York State registry and my healthcare provider’s record.

CVS , Walmart , and other large pharmacy chains also offer digital records from their websites. When I tried to download my vaccination record via the CVS website, I received a “PM2 error” message related to verifying my identity. Rather than invest time in untangling the problem, I gave up.

Controversy Over COVID-19 Passports

Adding to the confusion is the politicization of COVID-19 vaccinations and documentation, with 21 states, including Florida and Texas, banning vaccine passports altogether, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy, which maintains a map showing various state mandates and other COVID-related details .

“We are opposed to the idea of a national Green Pass on principle,” says Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “COVID-19 vaccination records are private medical information. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination should not be required to participate in society, and the Green Pass creates a two-tiered society that we do not want to see in Florida.”

Green Pass is a system of vaccine credentials first used in Israel and then adopted in Europe and other countries. 

The Florida governor’s office’s stance mirrors the sentiments of many Americans. For example, among Texans, 39 percent in August were strongly opposed to a vaccine passport, with only 33 percent strongly supporting the idea, according to a University of Texas at Austin poll . Some companies involved in COVID-19 vaccination documentation say privately that they have been subject to harassment or threats.

Nonetheless, residents of Florida, Texas, and other states that have banned vaccine passports may still have to prove their status outside their home states, especially when visiting cities with strict vaccine mandates for many public spaces. For example, anyone wanting to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City must either show a CDC paper vaccine card or photo of it, New York’s Excelsior Pass, a New York City vaccination record or COVID-19 app, or an official record from outside New York.

What about those without proof of vaccine? “Visitors who cannot display their proof of vaccination are welcome to enjoy the Museum’s virtual offerings,” the museum says . 

If you live in a state that does not offer digital credentials, see whether your pharmacy or electronic health system linked to your healthcare provider can provide you with a digital proof. Otherwise, carry your paper card when needed.

Convenience for Whom?

The simplest proof of vaccination—the paper CDC certificate—requires the least effort for the individual and may offer the most privacy. “Whoever is more concerned about privacy, going for the option that doesn’t require any scanning of a QR code is better,” says Lucy Yang, community director of the COVID Credentials Initiative . “But from a public health perspective, the options that don’t require verifications of a digitally signed credential are more prone to fraud.”

The cyber security firm Check Point has reported that prices for fake CDC cards have soared to as much as $200 each by early fall amid a boom in demand with the arrival of various vaccine mandates. States such as New York have warned against the use of fraudulent cards, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized shipments of fake cards .

Companies that must verify many credentials often prefer digital COVID-19 vaccine certificates because they are quicker to scan. Some venues, including those used by sports teams such as the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Nashville Predators, and Golden State Warriors, have partnered with CLEAR —the publicly traded, for-profit company whose security screening stations you may have noticed in airport terminals. CLEAR is also accepted to prove COVID-19 vaccination status to enter Hawaii .

CLEAR does not have direct access to state vaccination registries, so they ask people to either upload their CDC card and information, scan QR codes issued by the states, or link to a vaccine provider or pharmacy that works with them.

Privacy and Other Concerns

Many healthcare experts think that a unified national system of COVID-19 vaccination credentials akin to the European Union’s Green Pass or similar programs in some Asian countries would be far easier and less confusing. “I think these kinds of small, ad-hoc approaches are likely fraught with problems,” says Beyrer at Johns Hopkins. “This is such a challenge, the way the country is divided among these political lines.”

With so many private companies and government agencies hastily developing digital vaccine credentials, some experts fear these systems will incorporate security and privacy vulnerabilities. What’s more, vaccine apps are typically not covered by federal laws restricting the release of medical information. 

“Paper proof of vaccination raises fewer concerns, as does a digital photo of a paper card displayed on a phone screen,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote in an August article . “Of much greater concern are scannable vaccination credentials, which might be used to track people’s physical movements through doors and across time.”

Kaliya Young, an expert on digital identity verification working on the COVID Credentials Initiative, is also concerned that the rush to digitize important documents—including health cards and electronic driver’s licenses—will result in faulty designs.

“I’m happy about the digitization—just not happy about the failure to be discerning in those choices pushed by health IT people who don’t care about privacy pushing static QR codes like SMART Health Cards,” she says. Young says static QR codes can easily be copied by anyone who has access to them, and perhaps used by someone who is not the owner. “We will be stuck with bad systems that have baked within them privacy-infringing defaults.” 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation experts are also concerned that a company such as CLEAR could combine vaccination details with other personal information. “There is no logical limit to how centralized digital identifications like those created by CLEAR might spread into our lives by facilitating proof of vaccination, and with it new vectors for tracking our movements and activities,” the EFF team wrote in the August article mentioned above.

CLEAR spokesman Ken Lisaius says, “CLEAR does not sell or rent member information. Safety and security are at the heart of everything CLEAR does.”

One company, iProov, has developed a vaccine credential that relies on facial recognition technology . “Without it, a visitor would have to present a vaccine card and a form of ID, and wait while the door-person squints at them to see if the names match, and then at the person to see if they match the photo ID, a process that takes time and effort for everyone,” says Andrew Bud, iProov’s founder and CEO. “With face verification, they just present their card or QR code to the camera, look at it for an instant, and then walk on through.”

Privacy advocates have often expressed concerns about facial recognition, but to date the iProov vaccination verification system is not being used in the U.S., Bud said, and would be used only on a voluntary basis in any case.

So What Should You Do?

The bottom line is that sorting through COVID-19 vaccination credentials involves some time and hassle. Find out whether you can get a vaccine credential through your state, the pharmacy or clinic that administered the vaccination, or your electronic health record system. Then find out what proof businesses require where you live, including activities such as going to the movies, visiting a museum exhibition, or traveling. And keep in mind that the rules today may be different next week. 

Airline travel : Airlines must verify their passengers’ vaccination status for international routes, and different carriers offer the option of their own preferred digital verifications. American Airlines uses the VeriFLY app for this list of countries and Delta offers Delta FlyReady . United has its Travel-Ready Center . But you can usually use your paper CDC card for travel, as I have for the past half-year without issue.

The CDC guidelines for international travel start with the following warning: “Do not travel internationally until you are fully vaccinated.”

Employer verification : If your employer requires proof of vaccination, it will detail which documents they accept and how to submit them. Ford Motor Co., which recently announced a vaccine mandate for most of its workers, is collecting digital scans or photos of the CDC card, a spokeswoman said. Federal workers can submit a wider variety of documentation . 

Venues : As highlighted throughout this article, different museums, concert halls, and other venues have different rules, and may sometimes be mandated by local rules in cities such as New York or Los Angeles. For example, the Getty Villa Museum and Getty Center in the Los Angeles area require vaccination proof or negative test and advance reservations ; the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland does not ask for vaccination proof but requires advance online ticket purchase . The buildings of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta are temporarily closed because of COVID-19.

“At this point it’s important for people to check with destinations well in advance to see what sort of proof is required,” says Pollak at the Commons Project. “We’re seeing requirements ranging from paper CDC cards to pictures of CDC cards to requirements for specific apps or QR code formats.”

Lining up your vaccine credentials is worth the effort because two years into the pandemic, COVID-19 is not expected to disappear overnight.

“I think that there’s going to be an ongoing need for this for quite a while as the pandemic is nowhere close to being done,” says Michaud at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “It might be something that we have to contend with here in the United States, at least for another year or so. And depending on circumstances, maybe even longer.”

Adam Tanner

Adam Tanner is a Consumer Reports contributing editor. He is also the author of “Our Bodies, Our Data: How Companies Make Billions Selling Our Medical Records” and an associate at Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science. 

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International Vaccination Certificate

Use your International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate to show proof of your COVID-19 vaccinations when you want to travel overseas.

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How to get your international certificate, how to add your international certificate to a digital wallet, if you need help with your international certificate.

The International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate provides a secure record of vaccinations for people travelling internationally. It’s been developed to meet agreed international travel standards.

You can get your international certificate online when you’re getting ready to travel if any of these apply:

• you have a current Australian passport
• you are an Australian dual citizen with a current Australian passport and a foreign passport
• you have a foreign passport with an Australian visa.

You must have had at least one dose of an approved or recognised COVID-19 vaccine. Remember to check both of the following when you’re planning your trip:

• the entry requirements on the website of the country you’re visiting
• the travel requirements for the airlines you travel with.

Your vaccination provider needs to report your COVID-19 vaccinations to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) before you can get your international certificate.

If you’re eligible for Medicare

If you have a current Australian passport, or foreign passport with an Australian visa, you can get an international certificate online.

If your Medicare online account is linked to myGov:

• Sign in to myGov.
• Select Go to Medicare on the Proof of COVID-19 vaccination quick link.
• Select Request a certificate .
• Select your name and then Next .
• Follow the steps to verify your vaccinations and passport details. You may need to update your middle name in the passport details screen to match what is on your passport.

Sign in to myGov

If you don’t have a myGov account or a Medicare online account you’ll need to create them .

Don’t forget to download or print a copy of your international certificate for your records.

If you’re using the Express Plus Medicare mobile app :

• Select Proof of vaccinations from Services.
• Select your name , and then Next .

If you’re not eligible for Medicare

You can use the Individual Healthcare Identifiers service (IHI service) through myGov.

• Select IHI service from Your services.
• Select View proof .
• Select Request an international certificate , then Next .

If your child isn’t eligible for Medicare, you need to either:

• call the Australian Immunisation Register
• visit a service centre .

If you can’t go online

If you can’t go online, you can get your international certificate after you’ve had a COVID-19 vaccination and it’s been reported to the AIR.

To request your international certificate you need to either:

If you’re using the Express Plus Medicare mobile app:

• Select your name , then Next .
• Follow the steps to verify your vaccinations and passport details.
• Select either Add to Apple Wallet or Add to Google Wallet .
• Select Medicare then View proof in Proof of vaccinations.

If your name or details don’t match what’s on the passport details screen, you may need to contact the Australian Immunisation Register .

This information was printed 15 September 2024 from https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/international-covid-19-vaccination-certificate . It may not include all of the relevant information on this topic. Please consider any relevant site notices at https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/site-notices when using this material.

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Accessing My Vaccination Certificate and Vaccination Certificate QR Code in VAMS

Frequently asked questions, when is my vaccination certificate available.

• A vaccination certificate is created in VAMS after a healthcare professional logs a COVID-19 vaccine dose for a recipient in VAMS.
• VAMS automatically updates vaccination certificates if healthcare professionals make applicable edits to the recipient vaccination records in VAMS.

What is in my vaccination certificate?

• The vaccination certificate will include information about the date(s) of COVID-19 vaccine administration, vaccine manufacturer, lot number, and clinic (vaccine administration site) name.
• The recipient’s vaccination certificate only reflects the COVID-19 vaccination dose(s) documented in VAMS.

How can I use my vaccination certificate?

• After the recipient receives the required number of COVID-19 vaccine dose(s) to complete the vaccination schedule, the certificate can serve as a recipient’s COVID-19 vaccination record documented in VAMS.
• Recipients can access their vaccination certificate in the Recipient Portal at any time.

How to View Your Vaccine Certificate and Generate Your Vaccines Certificate QR Code

View my vaccination certificate.

• If you selected VAMS Recipient Login , enter the email and password associated with your VAMS Recipient Account.
• If you selected Proceed as Guest , select Manage Appointments . Enter all required information to identify your Recipient Profile. A Confirmation Code will be sent to your preferred method of contact. Enter this Confirmation Code into the blank field in the Verification Code pop-up window. Click Verify .
• Within the Recipient Portal, select the My Appointments tab at the top of the screen.
• Click the blue hyperlinked text, View Your Vaccination Certificate .
• A pop-up window will display your Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination.

Generate my vaccination certificate QR code

• From the pop-up window with your Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination, select Generate QR Code .
• The PIN needs to be 6–8 alphanumeric characters.
• Click Save .
• VAMS will return you to your Recipient Portal.
• To print the QR code, select Print , located under the QR code.
• To change the pin for accessing your vaccination certificate, select Change QR Code PIN . Follow the same steps as you would to initially set up your QR Code PIN.
• When scanned by an external user, the QR code will generate a link to an external site. The page will prompt you to enter your QR Code PIN. Enter your PIN and click Continue . Once you enter your PIN, vaccination details will display.

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Proof of vaccinations

Types of proof.

There are 3 types of proof of vaccination you can get for you or your child:

• Complete immunisation history statement
• COVID-19 and influenza (flu) immunisation history statement
• International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate. \r\n

Using your proof

You can use the history statements to:

• check all the vaccinations you’ve had
• check if any vaccinations are overdue or are due soon
• prove your vaccinations are up to date
• prove you’ve had COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations.

How to get proof

If you’re 14 or older, you can get proof of your vaccinations through myGov:

• If you’re enrolled in Medicare, use your Medicare online account.
• If you aren’t eligible for Medicare, use the Individual Healthcare Identifier service.&nbsp;

If you can’t get proof online, you can get it printed for you or posted to you.

Learn more about how to get proof of vaccinations .

Get consent from children 14 or older

If your child is 14 or older, you’ll need their consent to view their immunisation history. Find out more about getting an immunisation history for  children who are 14 or older  on the Services Australia website.

Help to get proof

If you need help to get proof of your vaccinations, find out more about&nbsp; how to get immunisation history statements &nbsp;on the Services Australia website.

If you’re overseas and need help to get proof of your vaccinations, call the Medicare international number &nbsp;on the Services Australia website.

• International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate.
• If you aren’t eligible for Medicare, use the Individual Healthcare Identifier service. 

If you need help to get proof of your vaccinations, find out more about  how to get immunisation history statements  on the Services Australia website.

If you’re overseas and need help to get proof of your vaccinations, call the Medicare international number  on the Services Australia website.

Help in your language

Call the Australian Immunisation Register on&nbsp; 1800 653 809 and ask to speak with someone in your language.

The Services Australia website also has&nbsp; information in your language about Medicare .

Call the Australian Immunisation Register on  1800 653 809 and ask to speak with someone in your language.

The Services Australia website also has  information in your language about Medicare .

Thank you for your feedback

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What to Know About Testing and Vaccine Requirements for Travel

Do you need to be vaccinated or have a negative Covid-19 test for your next trip? Check this guide before traveling domestically or abroad.

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By Concepción de León

As vaccinations ramp up and regulations loosen for people in the United States, many are planning travel for summer and beyond, with experts predicting that July 4 will be the biggest travel weekend since the beginning of the pandemic.

But with regulations shifting, people might have questions about testing or vaccination requirements for their trips. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently eased travel recommendations to more than 100 countries. On June 18, the European Union added the United States to its “safe list” of countries , meaning that both vaccinated and unvaccinated American travelers should now be able to visit the 27 member countries, but these member states are allowed to set their own requirements and restrictions for travelers.

In the United States, the C.D.C. has advised that vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most places and released new travel guidelines that said domestic travel is safe for them. But travelers must take note of local advice and regulations, as these can vary state by state.

Here’s everything you need to consider about testing and vaccinations before you travel within the U.S. or internationally.

Are there testing and vaccination requirements for domestic travel?

For most places, no. You do not need to be vaccinated for any domestic travel. Hawaii is the only state that requires a negative test for travel.

In Hawaii, the test must be administered within 72 hours of arrival and the results uploaded to its Safe Travel platform to avoid a mandatory quarantine when entering the state.

Alternatively in Hawaii, you can also provide proof that you’ve recovered from Covid-19 in the past 90 days, including both a positive test result and a letter from a doctor clearing you to travel.

The state’s governor, David Ige, said this month that people who received their vaccination in the state of Hawaii may bypass testing and quarantine requirements starting on June 15, and that anyone vaccinated in the U.S. will be able to enter Hawaii without testing once the state has reached a 60 percent vaccination rate.

If you are unvaccinated, you should continue to adhere to social distancing and mask-wearing protocols while traveling domestically, the C.D.C. said . You can use the C.D.C.’s Travel Planner to check guidelines by state.

What are the testing and vaccination rules for international travel?

While testing and vaccination requirements vary by destination country, everyone arriving in the U.S. — even vaccinated Americans — must present a negative test result upon entry .

Many nations are still closed to American travelers. Those that are open may require a negative test, proof of vaccination or evidence of recovery (or a combination of these) to enter.

The United Kingdom , for instance, requires that American travelers, regardless of vaccination status, provide proof of a negative test taken within 72 hours of departure, quarantine upon arrival and take two additional tests during their stay. Children under 11 are exempt from these requirements, as are some other people depending on their reason for travel.

Some European countries have been allowing in Americans who are vaccinated or who can show a negative test. Americans are on the European Union’s “safe list” of countries, but while the bloc aims to take a coordinated approach to travel this summer, member states will be allowed to set their own requirements for travelers from individual countries, which could include testing and vaccination.

The E.U. “safe list” also applies to Europe’s border-free Schengen Zone, which includes non-E.U. countries such as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Lichtenstein.

Canada is still closed to Americans , with few exceptions, and will remain so until at least early July, said Patty Hajdu, the country’s minister of health, in a news conference in June.

The U.S.-Mexico land border is closed for nonessential travel until at least June 21, but air travel is allowed and the country does not require a negative test for entry. Because of its high risk level, the C.D.C. recommends that travelers be fully vaccinated before traveling to Mexico.

Consult the C.D.C.’s inventory of international travel health notices for more information on regulations by country.

“Travelers should always check with their airline and the embassy of the country they are visiting to ensure they have the proper documentation required to enter the country,” said Perry Flint, a spokesman for The International Air Transport Association, a global airline industry group.

What test should I take, and where and when?

To enter the U.S., travelers must show a negative result to a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) — PCR is a type of NAAT test — or an antigen test, also known as a rapid test, taken in the three days before departure, according to the C.D.C .

Some airports offer on-site testing, such as Heathrow Airport in England, or Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport in Italy.

Josh Alexander, a New York-based luxury travel agent for Protravel International, said that many international hotels, including most Four Seasons hotels and resorts , are offering on-site rapid tests for free or at a nominal cost.

Testing at local clinics is also available in many places, though you should check availability at your destination ahead of time and book if you can. It may also come at a high cost. Mr. Alexander said that PCR tests abroad can range from $50 to $150.

The C.D.C. said that it allows for a three-day time frame rather than 72 hours to allow flexibility in the time of day the test can be taken. For instance, if you are flying out on a Friday, the test may be taken at any time on Tuesday.

But, when it comes to international destinations, Mr. Alexander recommends erring on the side of caution when timing your test by calculating it based on time of arrival at your destination.

“Rules are constantly changing,” he said, “so we’re just trying to always tell people they should always be as conservative as possible to eliminate any gray area.”

What are the requirements for minors?

The C.D.C. testing recommendations apply to all children 2 years and older, which means your toddler also needs to deliver a negative Covid-19 test to enter the U.S. from abroad. When traveling, children should wear masks, practice social distancing and wash hands often, the C.D.C. said .

“If the kids are age 12 and older, get ’em vaccinated,” said William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, in an email.

If you’re traveling to a country within the European Union that is open to travelers from the U.S., children who cannot be vaccinated should have a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival at your destination, and additional testing may be required upon arrival.

Travelers should check with their airline or destination country website for relevant requirements.

What if I want to go on a cruise?

Rules vary from one cruise line to another, with some planning to require that all passengers and crew be vaccinated, and others adopting a hybrid model.

But recent laws passed in Florida and Texas banning businesses from requiring proof of vaccination to use their services may complicate this plan.

Celebrity Cruises, set to be the first U.S. cruise ship to restart operations on June 26 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said it’s optimistic that a resolution would be reached in time . It is requiring that guests 16 years and older be vaccinated, while children will be tested at the terminal.

Carnival Cruises said on Monday that its first ship would set sail from the Port of Galveston, in Texas, on July 3 and would be available only for vaccinated passengers. Norwegian, which will begin to operate cruises from Miami in August, said it will require the same through October 31 and has threatened to skip Florida ports if the state does not allow cruise lines an exemption from the law banning vaccine requirements.

Christine Duffy, the president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement on June 7 that “the current CDC requirements for cruising with a guest base that is unvaccinated will make it very difficult to deliver the experience our guests expect, especially given the large number of families with younger children who sail with us.”

“As a result, our alternative is to operate our ships from the U.S. during the month of July with vaccinated guests,” she said.

But even if you are vaccinated, you must also consider the requirements of the country where the cruise is disembarking. The Caribbean island of St. Maarten, for instance, where Celebrity Cruises started sailing on June 5, requires a negative test in addition to proof of vaccination.

What documents should I bring with me if I travel?

This will also depend on where you’re going, but a good rule of thumb is to carry your physical vaccine card, if you have it, and proof of a negative test, if it is required.

Mr. Alexander, the travel agent, recommends people bring the original documents. While a number of digital health certificates — which show vaccine status and test results — are in the works, he said, they are not yet widely accepted. You should check, also, that your document is in the correct language. The United Kingdom , for instance, requires that test results be in English, Spanish or French.

CommonPass , from the Geneva-based nonprofit the Commons Project Foundation, and the I.A.T.A. Travel Pass are two apps providing digital access to vaccine and testing records for travel. The European Union will be releasing its own digital Covid certificate for E.U. citizens by July 1, though it is unclear whether Americans will be able to use it.

You should check with your airline to see if the app you want to use will be accepted at your destination. Both the CommonPass and I.A.T.A. websites list destinations and airline partners accepting the digital health certificates.

Mr. Alexander added that some countries, such as Croatia, may also require proof of a return flight or confirmation of your hotel booking or other accommodation, though this is rare. In South Africa, which has implemented a curfew, travelers may need to show their flight ticket to law enforcement officers to show they are allowed to be in transit.

But these shifting regulations should not dissuade people from traveling, Mr. Alexander said.

“If you’re vaccinated and you’re following safe precautions, you can still have a great experience,” he said.

Concepción de León is a travel reporter based in New York. More about Concepción de León

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Proof of vaccination while travelling.

Last updated: 16/02/2022

Proving your vaccination status has become another item to tick off on your checklist when planning an overseas trip.

Many countries have eased border entry rules for travellers who can prove they’re fully vaccinated.  For this critical purpose, international vaccination certificates issued by countries around the world, including Australia’s International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC), are widely accepted. All you need to do is make sure you meet your destination’s definition of fully vaccinated, as this may differ from Australia’s definition.

So your ICVC will allow you to leave Australia and enter your destination. But beyond the border is where things can get a little more complicated.

Some countries need proof of vaccination as a condition for using services such as public transport. They may also need it for entering restaurants, shops, theatres and other venues. This is often done through ‘vaccine passports’, which are issued by local authorities and linked to local smartphone apps, similar to Australia’s domestic COVID-19 Digital Certificate and state check-in systems.

These systems have generally been designed for local residents, not international travellers. If you’re just visiting a country for a short stay, you may not be able to get a local vaccine passport.  And the local smartphone app might not be able to read the vaccination certificate you brought from Australia.

Australians are not alone in this. Apps used in Europe aren’t configured to read digital certificates from North America, and vice versa. The same applies to most certificates from Asian countries.

Governments around the world are working hard to iron out these issues. Some have already put workable digital solutions in place. But it will be some time yet before we’re moving around overseas countries as smoothly and conveniently as before the pandemic.

Vaccine passports aren’t an issue everywhere. In many countries, it’s enough just to show a printout of an Australian ICVC. In some countries, you only need to prove your vaccination status at large events. And many countries don’t require vaccine passports at all.

But rules can change quickly. It’s important to know the requirements of your destination and keep up to date so you don’t get caught out.

Travel to Europe

European countries have relatively widespread vaccination checks. 

The local vaccine passport is the European Union’s Digital COVID Certificate (DCC), also known as a ‘Green Pass’.

EU apps that scan and verify DCCs haven’t been configured to read other certificates. Travellers with vaccination certificates from Australia, the United States, Canada, Japan, China, India, Brazil and other locations can sometimes face difficulties. Australia is working with other countries to encourage the European Commission to address this.

In the meantime, individual European countries are taking steps to minimise inconvenience to travellers. Some will recognise a print-out of an Australian ICVC. Others will let you use your ICVC to apply for a local vaccine certificate, which may be recognised in other EU countries. Before travelling to any EU country, make sure to check what it will accept before you leave Australia.

Our embassies continue to advocate to streamline processes further with other governments, wherever travellers face difficulty accessing domestic services and venues. But understanding what the requirements of each country are before you travel there is the best way to avoid unexpected problems.

Before you travel It’s your responsibility to know all the rules and requirements for Australia and all your destinations before you travel.  Stay up to date with all of the latest proof of vaccination requirements by reading the travel advice for your destination and transit locations . Understand what your destination means by “fully vaccinated”. Contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate of the countries you plan to visit, to confirm what proof of vaccination is required. Check whether your airline has COVID-19 vaccination or testing requirements. Read our step-by-step guide to travel during COVID-19 to find out what else you need to think about before you plan your trip.  

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CoWIN vaccination certificate: How to download international travel certificate

Cowin has introduced a new feature that allows the fully vaccinated individuals to download an international version of the covid vaccine certificate that reflects their full date of birth..

Here's how you can download an international travel certificate.

The date will follow the "yyyy-mm-dd" (Year-Month-Day) format and it will be as per World Health Organization (WHO) standards for international travellers.

The users will be able to download the WHO-compliant vaccine certificate from a new “International Travel Certificate" option on the CoWIN portal. Here’s how you can get the international travel vaccine certificate through CoWIN.

CoWIN: How to download the international travel certificate

• Visit the official portal of CoWin — cowin.gov.in.
• Login with your registered mobile number.
• Once logged in, tap on the 'International Travel Certificate' option right next to the 'Certificate' option.  
• Now, enter all the required details such as, your passport number and DOB.
• Click on the 'Submit Request' option.

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