The COVID-19 pandemic became present in 2020 and gave rise to the establishment of various health control regulations worldwide. In the case of Spain, it is currently governed by a regulation called digital COVID certificate of the European Union. Have you heard about it? Would you like to know how to obtain it? Stay with us and continue reading!

What is the EU digital COVID certificate?

As of July 1, 2021, a new regulation came into force within the European Union: the digital COVID certificate.

This certificate is a document that allows travel between EU countries, as it certifies that a person has been vaccinated against covid-19, has recovered from the virus, or has a negative test within the last 24 or 72 hours.

Features of the EU digital COVID certificate

As mentioned above, having this document will facilitate your mobility between EU member states and help you avoid possible quarantines or additional tests depending on the country you are going to.

Now, here are the main features of the digital COVID certificate:

Who can obtain the digital COVID certificate and how to do it?

All EU citizens and their family members are eligible for this certificate, as well as third country nationals who are legally present or residing in a Member State and have the right to move within Europe.

And, to start the process, you should know that the national authorities are responsible for issuing this document. In most cases it is done through testing centers, health centers, or directly through a health web portal.

The certificate of recovery

It is issued by the Member State where the recovered person is located, and it is necessary to have a diagnosis of the disease by PCR or antigen test more than eleven days ago in the six months prior to the application for the certificate.

Diagnostic test certificate

It is issued by the Member State in which the test was performed. In addition, it is necessary to have obtained a negative result in a test performed with antigen test in the 24 hours prior to sample collection or 72 hours in the case of PCR tests.

Vaccination certificate

This certificate is issued by the Member State in which the vaccine was administered and requires that you have the doses of the vaccines authorized by the EU, whether you have already received the complete vaccination regimen or are in the process of doing so.

Likewise, for this vaccination certificate to be valid, the administration of a booster dose must be recorded, and it will be considered valid from the same day of its application.

In the case of Spain, the digital COVID certificate is issued in the different Autonomous Communities, and it is through the website of the Ministry of Health that the application can be made as long as you meet some of the following conditions:

• You have been vaccinated against COVID-19 on Spanish territory. In addition, as of February 1st certain certificates must be submitted after the administration of the booster dose.

• You have passed the virus and can prove it with a positive test more than 11 days old.

What is certain is that, regardless of the country in which the certificate is issued, the same design will be maintained in both the online and paper version to facilitate its recognition, and contain the essential information together with a digital signature to ensure its authenticity.

Although it is true that, at present, you can move and travel to Europe without having the digital COVID certificate, the application of this health measure aims at free movement and contributes to the protection within the European Union Member States.

And you, what do you think about this certificate? Would you like to keep up to date with the regulations governing within Europe and Spain? Run to our website and consult the TAS Consultancy blog to stay informed.