In Portugal, the document has been issued since 16 June and the Government approved, last week, the decree-law that implements the community regulations on the certificate in the national legal order.

Created in about six months - semester of the Portuguese presidency in the European Union (EU) – is designed to promote travels in the European space during the pandemic. Additionally, in Portugal the document will also function as a "transit pass" for access to many events.

What is the covid-19 digital certificate for?

With this document, travels can prove that they are vaccinated against the SARS-CoV2 virus, that they have had a negative test or that they have already recovered from the infection.

Issuing the certificate, which includes a QR code with a digital signature to prevent forgery, is free of charge.

What is the advantage of having a digital certificate for trips abroad?

Those who have a digital certificate, when traveling within the European Union, as well as to countries in the European Economic Area - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - are no longer forced to comply with the restrictions imposed by the destination country, unless they are necessary to protect public health.

In these situations — for example, to respond to new variants of the virus — the country has to notify the European Commission and all other Member States and justify this decision.

A citizen who travels to another country where the certificate is in force does not need to undergo a screening test or mandatory quarantine, if these measures are being applied at the destination.

What data and security does the certificate have?

The document includes data such as name, birthday, and information about vaccination, testing, and recovery.

According to the European Commission, these data remain in the certificate and are not stored or preserved when the certificate is verified in another Member State. All health data are kept only in the country that issued the certificate.

How to request the digital certificate?

In Portugal, it is possible to request the certificate since 16 June, although it only comes into force throughout the European Union on 1 July, having been issued, by the end of 30 June, about one million of these certificates.

The only way to get the document is via the SNS 24 website, where you can choose the respective certificate: vaccination, testing or recovery.

After being validated, the digital certificate is accessible on the website itself or can be sent by email.

Which conditions are necessary to get the vaccination certificate?

According to the General Directorate of Health (DGS), the certificate is issued after the administration of each dose of vaccines approved in the European Union, but containing the information if the vaccination schedule is complete.

For those who have been infected and who, for this reason, have only received one dose of the vaccine, as provided for by the DGS for those who have recovered from the infection, as of 1 July you can have access to the certificate that formally certifies that you have completed the vaccination, confirmed to Lusa News Agency the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health.

This decision by the Portuguese authorities is in line with the position of the European Commission, which proposed that people who received a single dose of a two-dose vaccine, after being infected, should be considered as having received the necessary vaccines to be able to travel.

Which conditions are necessary to get the test certificate?

According to the same DGS standard, the certificate can be issued after notification in the specific health system of the negative result for the virus that causes covid-19, only from PCR and rapid molecular tests, and for 72 hours from the time of the test.

Which conditions are required to get the recovery certificate?

The recovery certificate is valid for 180 days from the date of the covid-19 positive test and can only be given to those who have the “cured” status on the Trace-Covid-19 platform.

How long will the certificate be in effect?

The regulation on the conditions of the certificate will be in force for a period of one year, starting on 1 July.

The Commission will report to the European Parliament and the Council three months before the deadline and should propose an extension of the regulation according to the current evolution of the epidemiological situation.