Press release
EU Digital COVID Certificate Third Country portal – extension to Great Britain
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Following the rollout of the EU Digital COVID Certificate in Ireland, two weeks ago, the government added a further service to enable Irish passport holders who were vaccinated in Northern Ireland to apply for a certificate. Tomorrow, Friday 15 October, this service will extend to Irish passport holders living in Great Britain as well as the existing service to those vaccinated in Northern Ireland.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD welcomed this development saying:
“I'm delighted to announce that having worked with partners across Government, the EU Digital COVID Certificate Third Country portal is accessible to Irish passport holders vaccinated in Northern Ireland and, from tomorrow, England, Scotland and Wales.”
The Minister added:
“The Third Country portal is being made available to Irish passport holders on a phased basis, and with 8,000 certificates already issued to those vaccinated in Northern Ireland, this service will support the free and safe travel for Irish passport holders within the EU."
Applications will be accepted from individuals 18 years of age and older who hold a valid Irish passport and a vaccination certificate (including valid QR code) for a vaccine type currently authorised for use in Ireland including:
The service will be accessible at covidcertificateportal.gov.ie.
The service will be further extended again to be available to Irish passport holders vaccinated outside of the EU in November.
The Minister of State for Public Procurement and eGovernment, Ossian Smyth TD said:
“As Minister for eGovernment I am very pleased that we have been able to demonstrate so effectively how technology can be used to underpin access to travel and hospitality for people vaccinated in Ireland. I am equally delighted that we are now able to extend this service and opportunity to Irish citizens vaccinated outside the State."
Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy TD, welcomed the announcement on behalf of the Diaspora, saying:
“The extension of the EU Digital COVID Certificate to members of the Irish diaspora in Great Britain is a very welcome development. The further roll-out of this service is part of the government’s commitment to the Diaspora to address and remove barriers to them returning home. I know that the further extension of the EU DCC to Irish citizens outside of the EU in November will be warmly welcomed by Irish communities across the world.”
When accessing the service, applicants will be prompted to upload the QR code on the vaccination certificate. It is recommended that applicants upload the original PDF file which contains the verifiable QR code, ensuring the image is not blurred.
The Digital COVID Certificate helpline was setup to provide the public with a service to request their EU Digital COVID Certificate. Since launching in July earlier this year, this service has been expanded to include a number of online self-service portals and more recently a WebChat channel. The expansion of this service to include multiple communication channels is in line with the government’s commitment to the provision of accessible digital services.