How people in Catalonia who were vaccinated abroad can get Spain's Digital Covid Certificate
Catalan health authorities have launched a system which allows people who have been vaccinated abroad to obtain the Digital Covid Certificate used for travel.
Since Spain’s vaccination campaign began in late December 2020, many foreigners who weren’t registered on the public health system have faced problems getting their Covid-19 vaccine when it was their turn.
Slowly but surely, regional health authorities across the country began to open up appointments for Spanish nationals and foreigners who only had private health insurance, the primary reason why they were initially overlooked by public health bodies.
However, these same people have since faced difficulties in accessing Spain’s Digital Covid Certificate which allows people vaccinated in Spain to travel more easily across the EU by proving their vaccine, testing or recovery status.
And there’s another group which has also been left out in this regard: people who were vaccinated abroad but live in Spain.
On Thursday August 5th, Catalan health authorities became the first body to address this problem, as Digital Covid Certificates are issued primarily by the regions’ health departments.
According to the head of Catalonia’s Public Health and Preventative Medicine Agency Montse Martínez Marcos, citizens who were vaccinated outside of Catalonia or Spain can now go to their closest CAP health centre with their relevant Covid vaccine documentation.
Health workers will then input their details and generate the QR Code that’s equivalent to the Digital Covid Certificate.
Applicants will have to provide proof that they have been vaccinated with an inoculation approved by the World Health Organisation or the European Medicines Agency, which currently includes Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm, Sinovac and Covishield.
According to Catalan daily Ara, Sputnik V, CanSinoBIO, Novavax and Curevac are also included in this list.
Previously, only vaccines that were administered in Catalonia gave access to the Digital Covid Certificate as according to Martínez Marcos that was the only way they could guarantee “complete traceability”.
It has not yet been clarified whether the same in-person issuing of Covid Digital Certificates for those vaccinated abroad also applies to residents in Catalonia who have had problems getting their Covid Digital Certificate because they only have private health insurance.
However, if the intention of Catalan health authorities is to offer the EU-approved document to people who have up to know fallen through the cracks, it would imply that this group can also request the desired QR Code at a CAP health centre, especially if they were vaccinated in Spain and their vaccination details are now on Catalan health records.
Currently the option of downloading the certificate online through La Meva Salut website is only possible with a CIP public health number.
In order to get the Covid Digital Certificate through vaccination, you have to have received the full vaccine treatment, which with the exception of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, means having had two doses of your vaccine.
The vaccination certificate has to have been issued by the country’s competent authorities and include the following information:
- Name and surname of the vaccinated person.
- Date of vaccination, indicating the date of the last dose administered.
- Type of vaccine administered.
- Number of doses administered/complete vaccination treatment.
- Issuing country.
- Identification of the issuing body that provided the vaccination certificate.
The certificate has to be in either Spanish, English, French or German or if not, it should be accompanied by a translation into Spanish by an official body.
It’s important to remember that the Digital Covid Certificate is not essential for travel and is not being used in Catalonia to access bars and restaurants as is the case in Italy and France currently.
It is however a handy document which contains a QR code specific to you, that airport staff can easily scan and check that you meet travel safety requirements.
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Since Spain’s vaccination campaign began in late December 2020, many foreigners who weren’t registered on the public health system have faced problems getting their Covid-19 vaccine when it was their turn.
Slowly but surely, regional health authorities across the country began to open up appointments for Spanish nationals and foreigners who only had private health insurance, the primary reason why they were initially overlooked by public health bodies.
However, these same people have since faced difficulties in accessing Spain’s Digital Covid Certificate which allows people vaccinated in Spain to travel more easily across the EU by proving their vaccine, testing or recovery status.
And there’s another group which has also been left out in this regard: people who were vaccinated abroad but live in Spain.
On Thursday August 5th, Catalan health authorities became the first body to address this problem, as Digital Covid Certificates are issued primarily by the regions’ health departments.
According to the head of Catalonia’s Public Health and Preventative Medicine Agency Montse Martínez Marcos, citizens who were vaccinated outside of Catalonia or Spain can now go to their closest CAP health centre with their relevant Covid vaccine documentation.
Health workers will then input their details and generate the QR Code that’s equivalent to the Digital Covid Certificate.
Applicants will have to provide proof that they have been vaccinated with an inoculation approved by the World Health Organisation or the European Medicines Agency, which currently includes Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm, Sinovac and Covishield.
According to Catalan daily Ara, Sputnik V, CanSinoBIO, Novavax and Curevac are also included in this list.
Previously, only vaccines that were administered in Catalonia gave access to the Digital Covid Certificate as according to Martínez Marcos that was the only way they could guarantee “complete traceability”.
It has not yet been clarified whether the same in-person issuing of Covid Digital Certificates for those vaccinated abroad also applies to residents in Catalonia who have had problems getting their Covid Digital Certificate because they only have private health insurance.
However, if the intention of Catalan health authorities is to offer the EU-approved document to people who have up to know fallen through the cracks, it would imply that this group can also request the desired QR Code at a CAP health centre, especially if they were vaccinated in Spain and their vaccination details are now on Catalan health records.
Currently the option of downloading the certificate online through La Meva Salut website is only possible with a CIP public health number.
In order to get the Covid Digital Certificate through vaccination, you have to have received the full vaccine treatment, which with the exception of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, means having had two doses of your vaccine.
The vaccination certificate has to have been issued by the country’s competent authorities and include the following information:
- Name and surname of the vaccinated person.
- Date of vaccination, indicating the date of the last dose administered.
- Type of vaccine administered.
- Number of doses administered/complete vaccination treatment.
- Issuing country.
- Identification of the issuing body that provided the vaccination certificate.
The certificate has to be in either Spanish, English, French or German or if not, it should be accompanied by a translation into Spanish by an official body.
It’s important to remember that the Digital Covid Certificate is not essential for travel and is not being used in Catalonia to access bars and restaurants as is the case in Italy and France currently.
It is however a handy document which contains a QR code specific to you, that airport staff can easily scan and check that you meet travel safety requirements.
READ ALSO:
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