NHS Covid pass still not recognised in some EU countries

British tourists face difficulties in proving their vaccine status in Europe following a delay in linking the NHS Covid pass to the EU’s system due to gaps in the British government’s application to Brussels.

An IT tie-up would ensure automatic recognition across the 27 member states of the information held on the NHS app, facilitating both international travel and access to hospitality where proof of vaccine status is required.

The UK government made an application to link up to the EU’s digital certificate on 28 July but the European Commission has held off on giving its approval as it has sought extra technical information from Whitehall, the Guardian understands.

While at least 19 EU countries, including major tourist destinations such as France and Spain, have unilaterally accepted the NHS app as proof of vaccine status, difficulties remain for some travellers from England and Wales due to the lack of pan-EU recognition.

According to the UK government’s latest advice, Hungary will only accept a locally issued immunity certificate as proof of vaccine status from travellers from the UK by air.

In Italy, travellers from England and Wales have reported problems in entering bars and restaurants using the NHS Covid pass while those seeking to enter Latvia and the Czech Republic have been told they need to have a paper certificate.

The UK has been in technical talks with the commission for months over linking the NHS Covid pass to that of the EU. Both systems use a QR code that can be scanned to allow for verification.

A link-up between the two would ensure that both sides can digitally verify Covid certificates without the need for physical checks. UK officials said it would offer further assurance to travellers.

While the UK’s application has been slow to be submitted and accepted, Switzerland’s vaccination passport was approved on 8 July while use of vaccine certificates issued in Ukraine, Turkey and North Macedonia has been possible in the EU since last Friday.

North Macedonia had applied for recognition on 8 July, while Turkey submitted their application on 9 July and Ukraine sought equivalence on 16 July.

A UK government spokesperson said: “We have applied to link into the EU’s digital Covid certificate (DCC) scheme. We expect the EU’s technical assessment of our DCC application to take a few weeks, as was the case with Switzerland and other states.

“We have had good technical exchanges with the EU commission concerning our application. While the application is considered, member states are still able to decide individually to accept UK Covid certificates.”

Since 2 August, people who are fully vaccinated are allowed to travel to the UK from the EU without the need to quarantine on arrival.

Border policy is a national issue for the EU’s 27 member states but most governments have followed the guidance issued by Brussels by opening up to those who can prove they have been fully vaccinated. Unlike England and Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland does not yet have an app that carries vaccine information.

The EU’s digital Covid certificate shows whether a person is fully vaccinated, has recovered from a Covid-19 infection or has a recent negative Covid test

The EU recognises only four vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency – BioNTech/Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – although governments can decide to accept those produced in Russia and China.

A commission spokesman was unable to say when so-called “equivalence” would be granted to the NHS Covid pass.