How you can get your vaccine passport and certificate

This is how you can get your vaccination passport and certificate, and what you need on your phone when international travel returns.

Amid reports the ban on Aussies flying overseas could be dropped as early as November, and Qantas announcing plans to resume flying in December, vaccination passports are emerging as a reality. Here’s what you should know.

WHEN WILL THEY BE READY?

Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said Australia would have a vaccination passport system “up and ready” in weeks, ready for deployment when the country hits the 80 per cent vaccination milestone.

All states are projected to reach 80 per cent vaccination by December, and some jurisdictions (NSW, the ACT and Tasmania) sooner. Other states including WA have indicated they may keep their borders closed for longer.

WHAT WILL THE PASSPORT ALLOW YOU TO DO?

The Digital Passenger Declaration will allow you to depart Australia, and also to quarantine at home rather than in a hotel upon your return.

Mr Tehan said the vaccination passports would allow Australians to travel freely through other countries.

“We’ve been working with the International Civil Aviation Organisation to make sure that it will work with other countries,” he said.

Already an indispensable item for any traveller, the smart phone will assume new levels of importance when international borders reopen. Picture: iStock

HOW WILL THE PASSPORT WORK?

An app will be available with a QR code that can be scanned at Australian and international airports, providing your vaccination information, which can be captured up to 72 hours prior to boarding. This information will also be linked to the chip in your Australian passport.

The Digital Passenger Declaration will replace the incoming passenger cards well known to generations of Aussie flyers, as well as the travel declaration online form that has been in place since 2020.

SO IT WILL JUST BE ONE APP NEEDED TO FLY?

No. It addition to the Digital Passenger Declaration, most international airlines are likely to have their own apps which customers will need to download before they let you check in. Qantas, Air New Zealand, Emirates, Etihad, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Malaysia Airlines (among others) will be using the International Air Travel Association Travel Pass app for passengers. That app will allow passengers to store their vaccination certificates as well as test results on their phone. Qantas has said it is looking at integrating the Travel Pass app into its own app, which allows people to book flights, check in and download boarding passes. Other airlines including United and Lufthansa look to be backing a different app called the Common Pass. Downloading multiple apps may just be a fact of international travel for years to come.

WHAT ABOUT DOMESTIC TRAVEL?

Individual states may have different requirements for travellers for some time to come. Picture: iStock

Although your Australian passport will not be needed for travel across state borders, Mr Tehan said the vaccination passport was being designed so it could be used for domestic travel.

“We also want to put in place a system which will enable Australians … to freely travel within Australia and do so in a very safe manner,” he said.

The home quarantine trial currently running in South Australia is an indication of the sort of app that the federal government’s Digital Passenger Declaration will need to integrate with.

HOW TO GET YOUR PROOF OF VACCINATION

Showing proof of your Covid-19 vaccination is set to become a day to day part of life as Australia heads towards herd immunity and states emerge out of lockdowns. While proof of vaccination is likely to be mandatory for international travel, the states and territories may well mandate proof of vaccination for different sorts of activities, such as going to sporting events, flying domestically or eating in restaurants. Remember that rules have changed quickly during the Covid-19 pandemic, and will likely continue to do so. An activity that is done freely one month might be subject to tighter controls the next. Be prepared now, and get your proof of vaccination before it becomes necessary. The digital certificate is generated once both your Covid-19 jabs are registered on your immunisation history statement.

Digital vaccine passport apps are set to become a travel essential Picture: iStock

For those who do not have smart phones – and this is actually about 20 per cent of Australians – you can get a printed statement of your immunisation history from your Covid-19 vaccination provider. Alternatively, you can request a copy of your statement from the Australian Immunisation Register by calling 1800 653 809. Delivery can take 14 days.

Most people will of course want to carry their vaccination proof on their phones. If you have a Medicare card, you can do this by downloading the Express Plus Medicare App. Once you’re set up, scroll down to ‘Immunisation history’ under the section marked ‘Services’. This will allow you to view your full immunisation history statement, and your Covid-19 vaccination digital certificate.

From there, you can add your Covid-19 vaccination certificate to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay.

The Australian Covid-19 digital certificate.

You can also access your immunisation history statement and Covid-19 vaccination certificate online through My Gov. You can use a Safari or Chrome browser to do this if you’re using an iOS device, but you must use Chrome if you’re using an Android device.

If you do not have a My Gov account, you’ll need to set one up. Go to my.gov.au and follow the prompts.

Once you do that, you’ll need to link your Medicare account to your MyGov account. Again, follow the prompts.

When that is done, select ‘Medicare’, then ‘View immunisation history’, then your name.

Then select either ‘Add to Apple Wallet’ or ‘Save to Phone’ for Google Pay.

If you’re not eligible for Medicare, you can still get your immunisation history and Covid-19 vaccination digital certificate through your MyGov account.

If this is your circumstance, sign in to MyGov, then select ‘Individual Healthcare Identifiers service’, and from there, select ‘View immunisation history’.

Once your immunisation information has loaded, you can then select ‘Add to Apple Wallet’ or ‘Save to Phone’ for Google Pay.

Some people have found their immunisation history statement is not complete. While the government states it may take a few days for individual immunisations to appear on the statement, with some providers lately it has taken up to seven weeks. Call the Australian Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809 if you are unsure.

More information can be found at servicesaustralia.gov.au.

Originally published as How you can get your vaccine passport and certificate