Irish citizens vaccinated in NI and EU to avail of EU Digital Covid Certificate portal

Following the successful rollout of the initial implementation phase of the EU Digital COVID Certificate in Ireland the Government is adding a further service to enable Irish citizens vaccinated outside of the EU to obtain a Digital COVID Certificate valid in Ireland and across the EU.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly T.D. welcomed today’s announcement saying:

“My Department has worked tirelessly with partners across Government to deliver the EU Digital COVID Certificate to the Irish public. With over 4 million certificates issued, this project has helped support the safe reopening of our society and facilitated the recommencement of non-essential travel. I am delighted to announce that today we are expanding the service to allow Irish passport-holders who have been vaccinated outside of the EU to access an EU Digital COVID Certificate. This service will be made available to Irish citizens who have been vaccinated in Northern Ireland from today, with the service extending to other Irish citizens in October.”

Applications will be accepted from individuals 18 years of age and older who hold a valid Irish Passport and reliable proof that they have received a vaccination type currently authorised for use in Ireland including: Pfizer-BioNtech Vaccine (Comirnaty®); Moderna Vaccine (Moderna®); Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine (Vaxzevria® or Covishield) and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Vaccine (Janssen®)

The service will be accessible at covidcertificateportal.gov.ie

This service will be released in a two phased approach.

During Phase 1 the portal will accept applications from Irish citizens vaccinated in Northern Ireland who hold a Northern Irish COVID vaccination certificate with a QR code

Applicants will be required to hold a valid Irish Passport and a Northern Irish COVID vaccination certificate with a QR code issued by the Department of Health Northern Ireland

Information on how to access NI COVID vaccination certificates is available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/coronavirus-covid-19-covid-certificate-ni-residents

Phase 2 – Thursday, 21 October

During this phase the portal will accept applications from Irish citizens vaccinated in all countries outside the EU, except those which have been awarded an equivalence decision as the COVID Certificates issued in those countries and territories are accepted under the same conditions as the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

Applicants will be required to hold a valid Irish Passport and proof of vaccination from the relevant issuing authority in the country of vaccination

Currently vaccine certificates issued from third countries are being assessed to support the application process for this phase and specific requirements for vaccination proof will be published in line with the portal launch.

Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy, T.D., welcomed the announcement on behalf of the Diaspora, saying:

“The establishment of this portal will bring renewed hope to our Diaspora who have endured long and painful separations from their families and friends. It is part of our commitment to the Diaspora to address and remove barriers to them returning home. There are still many who will not be able to travel and, until they can, we will continue to focus our efforts on helping them and to ensuring that all of our communities and people abroad feel closely connected to home.”The Minister of State for Public Procurement and eGovernment, Ossian Smyth T.D. said: “Building on the successful rollout of the EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) system across Ireland, which has been key to the opening up indoor hospitality within the country and enabled international travel outside of Ireland, I am delighted that the Irish Government is now able to offer the option of an EU DCC to Irish passport holders who were vaccinated in Northern Ireland.

“With a combination of high vaccine rates and our approach to DCC rollout in Ireland, this digital certificate solution has been a key part of our recovery from the pandemic. The EU DCC system is quickly emerging as the defacto standard for digital covid certificates internationally and we are pleased to be at the forefront of making this important digital service more widely available.”

The Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne T.D. said:

“The EU Digital COVID Certificate has helped to facilitate the free movement of people across the European Union since its launch at the beginning of the summer. The Digital COVID Certificate is an excellent example of how EU solidarity and cooperation has been vital in enabling us to overcome the many challenges posed by the pandemic. I am very pleased that today’s announcement will facilitate Irish passport holders living outside the EU who are already fully vaccinated with an EMA-approved vaccine to exercise their rights as EU citizens to travel freely within the Union, including in travelling back to Ireland.”

Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy, T.D., welcomed the announcement on behalf of the Diaspora, saying:

“The establishment of this portal will bring renewed hope to our Diaspora who have endured long and painful separations from their families and friends. It is part of our commitment to the Diaspora to address and remove barriers to them returning home. There are still many who will not be able to travel and, until they can, we will continue to focus our efforts on helping them and to ensuring that all of our communities and people abroad feel closely connected to home.”