Covid Status Certificates will be digitally available early next week (ween commencing Monday 18th October 2021) for Jersey islanders.
Eligible Islanders will be able to use QR codes to evidence their first and second vaccine doses when travelling to other countries or for use within UK domestic certification schemes.
The YOTI app must be downloaded and registered in order to authenticate identity, and a One Gov account needs to then be created via one.gov.je. Islanders who submit their tax return online will already be registered and do not need to create a new account on YOTI or One Gov.
Islanders will be able to view and display their vaccination record, including all doses administered, on one.gov.je and request a QR code for their first and second vaccine doses, which will be sent to their email to use as offline evidence of vaccination status.
As Jersey’s QR codes are generated in partnership with NHSX, codes evidencing third primary doses or booster doses are not currently available. A QR code evidencing a third dose of the vaccine will be available once the NHS (UK) platform and the EU Digital Covid Certificate Gateway support it. However, details of third doses will be displayed on their online vaccine record at one.gov.je.
The QR codes will be valid for a maximum of 30 days and at present can be used in certain limited situations, including domestic events in Scotland and Wales, and at the French border and domestically as part of France’s Pass Sanitaire scheme.
In the coming days, the the UK is expected to join the EU Digital Covid Certificate Gateway, which will allow Jersey-issued digital certificates to be used for travel and domestic use across Europe and beyond.
Islanders are urged to always check the travel and vaccination requirements of the country they are travelling to. Islanders should also travel with secure paper certification as many countries still require these.
Islanders aged 16 years and over will be able to log on via YOTI and view the vaccination record on a smartphone or desktop, and download a PDF certificate displaying QR codes for first and second doses. Those aged under 16 years, and those who do not have access to the internet, can call the Coronavirus helpline to request a QR code to be emailed for each vaccine dose received within their primary immunisation course (i.e. first and second dose).
The QR codes can be re-issued at any time, either by re-logging into one.gov.je or by contacting the Coronavirus helpline.
A platform which allows Islanders to save a certificate on their smartphone for use when devices are offline is being progressed. For now, for offline use Islanders should request the PDF certificate, print it out and travel with it.
Chief Minister, Senator John le Fondré, said: “I am pleased that evidence of Islanders’ vaccination status will now be available digitally. I know many Islanders will welcome the accessibility of having a QR code for first and second doses displayed on their smartphone or emailed to them.
“We are rapidly working on giving Islanders the ability to save the certificate to their smartphone which can be used offline. But for now, for offline use, please just request the PDF certificate, save a copy of it, and print it to take while travelling.
“Islanders should always check the vaccination policies of the country they are travelling to. The requirements for international travel and domestic activities within other countries are determined by each individual jurisdiction, including the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’. These policies depend entirely on the rules of that country, and the digital certificates are simply a means to provide you with evidence of your vaccination history.”
