An important step for the gradual transition to the post-Covid era was the introduction of European digital certificate Covid, which was officially presented today in Athens in the presence of the Prime Minister of Greece and President of the European Council Charles Michel.
The digital certificate confirms that the citizen has either been vaccinated against any of the vaccines obtained from the EU marketing authorization, or his results have been negative, or he has recovered.
Greece is one of the first countries to launch this service as the relevant Regulation takes effect on 1 July.
Our country will be technically ready to receive a certificate from June 1, and it will start working on the 3rd day of the month. In fact, the certificate will be submitted to parliament for approval next week, as the European Parliament is expected to vote on it on June 23rd.
How to get this certificate
Citizens interested in obtaining a certificate will be able to receive it digitally or print it out on paper through the gov.gr website for public services.
To do this, you need to go to the site gov.gr, select the section of health and social services, (Υγεία και πρόνοια) and then you need to go to the section “Coronavirus COVID-19” (Κορωνοϊός COVID-19).
In the list with various certificates of vaccination against a pandemic, negative diagnostic test, etc., the possibility of issuing a green certificate has been added in the near future.
Then the person wishing to receive the certificate must enter his personal Taxis net and AMKA code, and after that the process of issuing the document will follow.
Eight key points
1. How will it work?
The European COVID digital certificate will be valid in all EU member states as well as Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. This will help ensure that existing restrictions are lifted in a coordinated manner, as it will allow the authorities in each country to confirm that the traveler has either been vaccinated against the coronavirus, recently tested negative, or has recovered from Covid. 19.
2. What does he certify?
The European COVID digital certificate is digital proof that a person:
has been vaccinated against COVID-19 with any of the EU-approved vaccines or tested negative or recovered from COVID-19.
3. When will it be issued?
The COVID European digital certificate can be issued:
If the person concerned has completed the vaccination procedure, or if the person has recently undergone a diagnostic test (PCR or rapid test). If more than one diagnostic test has been performed, a certificate must be issued indicating the result of the most recent or if the person concerned has been ill in recent months.
It should be noted that each condition has a specific expiration date or can be valid from a specified date. Therefore, travelers are advised to contact the competent authorities to find out if their certificate is valid.
4. How will its authenticity be verified?
The European Commission has created a portal through which all signatures on certificates can be verified throughout the EU. The personal data of the holder of the European COVID digital certificate does not pass through the portal, as this is not required for the digital signature verification.
5. When will it be implemented?
According to the decisions of the institutions of the European Union, the European digital certificate COVID will be implemented at the EU level on July 1, 2021. Greece is already ready and in the meantime will be able to apply the certificate in cooperation with all European countries that are also ready.
6. Does its application mean that I cannot travel without it?
The European digital certificate COVID is designed to facilitate free movement within the EU. It will not be a prerequisite for free movement, which is a fundamental right in the EU. Moreover, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted, “The European digital certificate is nothing more than just a fast lane. This will make travel much easier, especially in summer. ”The COVID European Digital Certification can also showcase test results that are often required by current public health restrictions.
7. What personal data will it include?
To protect personal data, the COVID European Digital Certificate will only contain essential information such as name, date of birth, date of issue, vaccine / test / reconstitution information and a unique identification code.
8. In what form will it be issued, where and how can it be obtained?
The COVID European Digital Certificate is issued free of charge in digital form and can be printed. It has a digitally signed QR code and its contents are written in both national and English, so it is valid in all EU countries.
The national authorities of each country are responsible for issuing the certificate. For Greece, initially the European COVID digital certificate will be issued through the government services website, gov.gr, and in a few days it will be available through Citizen Service Centers (CEPs).
More Stories
Shocking report from Japanese scientists: “Cancer deaths increase sharply after mass Covid vaccination”
Study: Scientists have discovered why children are more susceptible to coronavirus
22 arrests and confiscations took place in Italy and other EU countries in the case of "covid" EU funds (video)