Vaccination passport: how to get and what gives Ukrainians

The coronavirus has brought the world to new realities. Now, in order to travel, people, along with foreign passports, also need "covid passports." This is the name of the vaccination certificate that a person receives after completing a full course of vaccinations against Covid-19. Since the beginning of July, such a certificate is officially considered a "pass" to the countries of the European Union. But Europe is not yet shining for Ukrainians. They do not want to recognize our documents, which are issued upon receiving two doses of the coronavirus vaccine. The reason is the non-compliance of the documents with the EU requirements. Therefore, it is simply impossible to verify their authenticity at the border.

What vaccination certificate can be obtained in Ukraine

According to the Ministry of Health, vaccination against Covid-19 in Ukraine is proceeding at a fairly rapid pace. The country has entered the fifth (or last, according to the National Vaccination Plan) stage of mass vaccinations. Now everyone over the age of 18 can be vaccinated. Now almost 1.5 million have received two doses of the vaccine. Human. And according to the logic of things, all borders should already be open for them.

However, this is still in theory. After all, the majority of vaccinated citizens receive only a certificate with a wet seal from a medical institution. This certificate is quoted only on the territory of our country and is not suitable for travel even to Egypt. True, since the beginning of July, digital Covid certificates have been issued in Ukraine in beta testing mode. It is they, in theory, that should become for vaccinated tourists an absolute pass to foreign countries.

Get this vaccination passport it is possible through the application "Diya". It will be displayed in any version of the program - both on a computer and on a smartphone. Each passport has its own unique QR code, which can be read to verify its authenticity. It is interesting that the passport is generated in two forms - internal (for use in Ukraine) and external (which will need to be shown when traveling abroad).

The difference between the two types of passports is in the completeness of information. The document for external use is drawn up in English. It contains all the information about the vaccination (down to the dose number). In the future (tentatively from the fall), other information will be added to this document. For example, the results of PCR testing and the fact of a past illness.

Why, in this case, do you need an internal vaccination passport? The Ministry of Health says that this document will be useful to people in case of a lockdown. By showing it, you can get certain privileges. For example, commuting to work, going to a cafe, hairdresser or gym while unvaccinated citizens stay at home due to quarantine restrictions.

Why Europe does not recognize our "covid passports"

Europe has already opened its internal borders according to vaccination certificates. From July 1, citizens and residents of the EU can freely travel to the Schengen countries. To do this, you need a certificate of one of three types: on the passage of a full course of vaccinations, with the presence of a PCR test or data on the past illness.

Vaccination passports also work for foreigners. But here a lot depends on a particular country. Despite the general rule, each state reserves the right to change the rules of entry: somewhere tourists are accepted even on an antigen test (for example, in Greece or Turkey), and somewhere "wrapped" back even if you have a digital passport with a QR code.

This depends on several reasons, experts say. First, the type of vaccine that was given a course of vaccinations against coronavirus. Europe today recognizes only four COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer / BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson. In this case, AstraZeneca must be of a certain type. The Vaxzevria vaccine is suitable for traveling in the EU, but Covishield (which was used by most Ukrainians at the beginning of the mass vaccination) was only grudgingly recognized by only seven European countries. There will also be problems with entry for those vaccinated with the CoronaVac vaccine: despite the fact that it is approved by the WHO, Europe refuses to recognize it.

The second nuance (which is exactly what those Ukrainians who have already "got hold" a digital passport from "Diya" will face) is a unified database, which can be used to verify the authenticity of the vaccination certificate. This is necessary so that any border guard can read the QR code and make sure that it is not a fake. So our system, into which all information about vaccinations is entered, is not synchronized with the European one. Therefore, there seems to be a passport for entering Europe, but it is impossible to check it at the border.

They promise to develop all the technical regulations for synchronizing our database with Europe by the beginning of autumn. Now the Ministry of Digital Industry, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Border Service and the National Health Service of Ukraine are actively working on this issue. After that, the European Union will still have to test the operation of the system. However, when this will happen and how long it will take is still unknown.

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