What is EU Digital Covid Certificate and how do I apply?
Get the latest email updates for Surrey with our FREE daily newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. The EU's version of a 'Covid passport' will essentially mean that those who have proof of Covid immunity are able to travel across the EU without separate restrictions in each country they visit. The certificate was introduced on Thursday, July 1 but a deal is still being agreed on the UK getting involved. READ MORE: Fake 'digital Covid passport' email circulating asks people for payment  What it means for travel  When travelling, those with a certificate could be exempted from free movement restrictions, meaning they could cross between countries without any hassle. The certificates would be proof that you have either been fully vaccinated, received a negative test result or recovered from Covid-19. If new variants of concern come into play, for example, the Member State would still have to let the Commission and all other Member States know to justify decisions around additional travel restrictions to certificate holders. It shouldn't matter what vaccine you had as the certificate will be given to people who have had any Covid-19 vaccine. The certificate can be in both digital and paper format, has a QR code, is free of charge, in national language and also in English. It is also safe and secure and valid in all EU countries. There would be a QR code on the certificate which has a digital signature to protect against false ones  The QR code will be scanned and the signature will be verified  Each authority (hospital, test centre, health authority etc.) has its own digital signature, which are in a secure database in every country  The European Commission's gateway can verify the certificate signatures. Your personal data won't pass through  SurreyLive email updates: We bring the stories to you Signing up to the SurreyLive newsletter means you'll receive our daily news email. It couldn't be simpler and it takes seconds - simply press here, enter your email address and follow the instructions. You can also enter your address at the top of this page in the box below the picture on most desktop and mobile platforms. There's an 'unsubscribe' button at the bottom of every newsletter we send out. National authorities issue the certificate, for example by test centres or health authorities, for those who are EU Member States. As the UK is not a member of the EU, UK nationals can't get a certificate. However, the EU is working towards equivalents for non-EU countries. In the UK, this would be an NHS Covid pass. While this is not yet accepted by the EU, some individual countries are accepting it. This includes Greece and Spain. Last week it was reported that the UK and EU are close to a Covid passport deal using the NHS app, but that there was no specific timeline yet. This would mean if you have proof of immunity via the NHS app, you could take that with you to an EU country and use that to travel freely. A European Commission spokesperson said: "There are talks ongoing at the technical level which are progressing well and going in the right direction. This is particularly because the technical system architecture of the EU and the UK are aligned. "The talks are ongoing  I have no specific timeline to announce. It's good that the UK is now working with us towards that goal." The UK is still considering whether to introduce 'Covid passports' that would allow double jabbed Brits to skip quarantine when returning from amber list countries.