EU digital COVID certificate to stay until 2023

The European Council and European Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement to extend the regulation establishing the EU digital COVID certificate. The certificate has played an important role in allowing free movement of people during the pandemic.

The regulation establishing the EU digital COVID certificate will be prolonged by one year, until 30 June 2023.

The extension of the regulation will ensure that EU travellers as well as those from third countries connected to the system can continue to use their EU digital COVID certificate for travel within the EU in member states where these travel certificates are required.

If the health situation allows, the regulation can also be repealed earlier.

The Commission will submit a detailed report by 31 December 2022. This report could be accompanied by legislative proposals to allow for a new assessment of the need to repeal or maintain the certificate, depending on developments in the health situation.

One clarification is that vaccination certificates should reflect all doses administered; regardless of the member state where people received their vaccination.

The law will also allow the possibility for countries to issue a certificate of recovery following an antigen test. There has been an extension of the range of authorised antigen tests used to qualify for a COVID-19 certificate.

The law will also add the possibility for countries to allow vaccination certificates to be issued to persons participating in clinical trials.

The provisional agreement reached must now be approved by the  European Council and the European Parliament.