Questions remain on how EU Digital Covid Certificates will work

The Government says the DCC will only contain necessary key information including your name, date of birth, the date of issue, relevant information about your vaccine or test or recovery, and a unique identifier number. File Picture: iStock

The first EU Digital Covid Certificates (DCC) will be issued to almost 2m fully vaccinated people in Ireland next week — but there is already an acknowledgement from the Government that there could be “teething problems” as the system is rolled out.

As some details were announced yesterday, many questions emerged about how the system will work in less than two weeks, with assurances from Government that a one-stop webpage and call centre will be established to answer questions about travel advice, passports and mandatory hotel quarantine.

The digital certs are the result of an EU-wide agreement to facilitate safe, free movement within the EU during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The system came into technical effect on July 1, and is already in operation in several European airports. It will be required for all non-essential international travel from Ireland within the EU from July 19.

The DCC, which is available in digital or paper format, is proof that a person has either been vaccinated against Covid-19; has received a negative test result; or has recovered from Covid-19 in the last six months.

The Government says the DCC will only contain necessary key information including your name, date of birth, the date of issue, relevant information about your vaccine or test or recovery, and a unique identifier number.

Certs issued by email or post

From July 12, if you were vaccinated after registering through the Health Service Executive (HSE) portal, you will get your documentation by email.

The Revenue Commissioners will assist with the initial batch of postal deliveries.

If you got your vaccine through a GP or a pharmacy you will get a letter in the post.

Each email or letter will contain a QR code — a type of matrix barcode — that contains the essential information, as well as a digital signature to protect it against falsification. It can be stored digitally or printed.

The Office of the Chief Information Officer will generate the DCCs for fully-vaccinated and recovery status, using data provided by the HSE, while certificates for negative tests will be issued through private operators.

The European Commission says the DCC is checked by scanning the QR code, and that each issuing body in each EU member state has its own digital signature key, all of which are stored in a secure database in each country.

Pre-departure checks will be carried out by airlines or ferry companies through an enhanced passenger locator form process, with spot checks by the border management unit or gardaí on arrival.

The commission says it has built a gateway through which all certificate signatures can be verified across the EU. It says the personal data of the certificate holder does not pass through the gateway — it’s just not necessary to verify the digital signature.

Cert obviates the need for quarantine

It means that, from July 19, and subject to public health advice, if you arrive in Ireland with a DCC you will not need to quarantine.

People who are fully vaccinated and have a DCC, will be able to travel from Ireland without a PCR test.

People arriving here without a DCC will need proof of a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival.

Children aged between seven and 18 who have not been vaccinated must also have a negative PCR test before they can travel.

However, the definition of a child varies in various EU countries, with some requiring children as young as four to have a negative PCR test.