Irish passport-holders who received their COVID vaccination outside of the European Union can now apply to receive an EU Digital COVID Certificate online.
Applications will be accepted from individuals 18 years of age and older who hold a valid Irish passport and a vaccination certificate for a vaccine-type currently authorized for use for international travel into Ireland.
The service will be accessible at CovidCertificatePortal.gov.ie.
The Department of Health notes that the EU Digital COVID Certificate will be issued to applicants who have had any combination of the following:
- Spikevax (previously Moderna)
- Vaxzevria (previously AstraZeneca)/Covishield
- Comirnaty [BioNTech, Pfizer]
- Janssen (only one dose required)
It adds, “To prevent to delay in the portal launch, CoronaVac and SinoPharm will not be included in the launch today, but we expect to capture them soon.”
The Department further notes: "When accessing the service, applicants will be prompted to upload a copy of their original proof of vaccination as provided by the country where they received the vaccine. The proof of vaccination must show evidence of both vaccine shots where a two-course regimen was applicable.
"Individuals who received doses in two different countries must upload proof of vaccination for both doses.
"QR-coded certs issued for outside the UK cannot be scanned into the portal.
"Applicants will also need to provide an Irish passport.
"Applications won’t be accepted from countries (apart from Great Britain and Northern Ireland) that have a mutual recognition agreement with the EU."
Today’s rollout comes after the successful rollout of the EU Digital COVID Certificate in Ireland, and the extension of this service to Irish passport holders living in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, welcomed this development, saying: "I am so pleased to announce that having continued to work with partners across Government, the EU Digital COVID Certificate Third Country portal is now accessible today to all eligible Irish passport holders vaccinated outside of the EU.
"With over 23,000 certificates issued through the Third Country portal to date, this extension to our existing accessible digital services now offers access to all our eligible Irish citizens.
"I’m particularly proud that Ireland is one of the few EU countries making this service available to citizens abroad to date, helping to support safe travel for Irish passport holders within the EU."
I’m pleased to announce that today Irish passport holders who were vaccinated outside of the EU can access an EU DCC.
This is on top of the service being available for passport holders in NI & GB https://t.co/q4t53NPL3G to get yours pic.twitter.com/nNt7A4f2he
— Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) November 18, 2021
Minister of State for Public Procurement and eGovernment, Ossian Smyth TD, said: "The further extension of the Digital COVID Certificate to include Irish passport holders vaccinated outside the EU is an important milestone for travel and connectivity.
"The EU DCC has become the standard for international travel and it’s great to see this valuable document being made available to our citizens around the world. My department has been at the forefront of the delivery of the Digital COVID Certificate and I am delighted that this service can now be offered to our citizens outside the EU."
🚨 *New Service*
— Ossian Smyth TD (@smytho) November 18, 2021
If you are an Irish passport holder who was vaccinated outside the EU, you can now apply online for a free EU Digital Covid Cert. https://t.co/XQVn8TN6ZM pic.twitter.com/yFWYKKLJir
Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy TD, welcomed the announcement on behalf of the Diaspora, saying: "The government have been very conscious throughout this pandemic of the difficult situation that many Irish living abroad have found themselves in, especially in regard to travel. We will continue to take additional measures to support our Diaspora maintain their links to home."
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