From 1 July Digital COVID Certificates will no longer be issued
On 1 July 2023 the EU regulation under which European Digital COVID Certificates (DCC) are issued will expire. As a result, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport will stop issuing international digital certificates in the CoronaCheck app as of 1 July 2023.
The DCC is a QR code that travellers can show to prove they are vaccinated, have recently recovered from COVID or have tested negative. This is a way for them to meet the COVID-related entry requirements for the country they are travelling to. The DCC was developed in 2021 to facilitate free movement of persons within the EU during the coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) last month announced that COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency. At this stage the use of DCCs is no longer contributing to the protection of public health. Very few countries still require travellers to have a COVID certificate and their number is expected to fall further.
With the relevant EU regulation now expiring, EU member states are no longer required to issue digital proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative test result. From 1 July 2023, members states are free to decide whether or not to continue issuing COVID certificates and in what way. There is no legal reason or requirement for the Netherlands to continue issuing international QR-code certificates in the CoronaCheck app.
Travelling to countries that require a COVID certificate
As of 1 July 2023 the Netherlands will no longer issue DCCs in the CoronaCheck app. An archived version of the app will exist until the end of 2023. COVID certificates that were generated before 1 July will remain available in the app. These will also be available to download as a document. If a user has not already generated a COVID certificate, the app will serve no purpose after 1 July.
As an alternative to the CoronaCheck app, travellers can show their vaccination status using an overview over their vaccinations. This overview can be accessed on mijn.rivm.nl or through the organisation that vaccinated them. Vaccinations can also still be entered into the yellow vaccination booklet. The few countries that still require proof of vaccination often also accept also forms of proof besides the DCC.
Countries that still have COVID-related entry requirements include Bolivia and the Philippines. For the latest information see wijsopreis.nl or the website of the country’s embassy.
PDFs with a QR code can be downloaded and/or printed via coronacheck.nl until 1 July 2023. This COVID certificate will remain valid for one year. Older test results will be available on coronatest.nl only. People who are planning to travel abroad can still get tested by a commercial test provider if they need to show a negative test result. For questions relating to COVID certificates see COVID certificate for travel (for people living in the Netherlands).