With coronavirus still raging around the world and foreign travel still restricted in many countries, some authorities are asking for proof of negative tests or vaccination before they let travellers in.
The European Union, for example, has launched its digital covid certificate scheme, which aims to facilitate travel around the bloc of 27 member states and other European neighbours.
The certificates, which are effectively covid passports in all but name, allow you to travel if you've either been vaccinated against Covid-19, recently tested negative for the virus, or were previously infected and so possess some natural immunity.
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The EU's digital covid certificate allows restrictions on free movement within the bloc to be waived, meaning eligible people can travel within the EU without having to quarantine or undergo testing before or after travelling.
However, the UK is not currently part of the European Union's digital covid certificate scheme.
Instead, the NHS app can display your vaccination status, though you can also request a paper copy online or by calling 119.
The EU as a bloc does not currently recognise the NHS app, but some individual countries, such as Greece and Spain, are accepting it from British residents travelling abroad.
Negotiations are ongoing between the UK and EU over mutual recognition of the two systems.
Only EU residents can apply for the digital covid certificate.
This includes EU citizens who were vaccinated in the UK, though it is up to your home country to decide if you are eligible for the EU certificate.
Some reports have also said non-EU residents travelling to an EU country can apply to that country's authorities to be granted an EU digital covid certificate - it's not clear how one would go about doing this or if this will change, after the recent UK government announcement on amber list countries.
How does it work?
The certificate can be in both digital and paper format, has a QR code, and is free of charge.
It is valid in all EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, and Vatican city.
- There is a QR code on the certificate which has a digital signature to protect against false ones
- The QR code will be scanned and the signature will be verified
- Each authority (hospital, test centre, health authority etc.) has its own digital signature, which are in a secure database in every country
- The European Commission's gateway can verify the certificate signatures. Your personal data won't pass through
Does it matter which vaccine I had?
You can get a digital covid certificate after having received any Covid-19 vaccine.
Free movement restrictions are waived as long as that vaccine has been approved for use by the European Union. Individual EU countries may also decide to extend this waiver to other vaccines.
The main covid vaccines in use in the UK at present - Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer - are all approved for use in the EU.
What kind of test do I need?
PCR tests - the kind sent off to a laboratory for analysis - can be done up to 72 hours before travel.
Rapid tests - the sort that give you an instant result at home - can be done up to 48 hours before travel.
How do I apply for a certificate?
Applications are handled by your EU country's health authority or government.
The EU advises: "National authorities are in charge of issuing the certificate. It could, for example, be issued by test centres or health authorities, or directly via an eHealth portal.
"Information on how to get the certificate should be provided by the national health authorities."
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