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How to use the NHS COVID Pass to demonstrate your coronavirus (COVID-19) status when travelling abroad.
This page applies to England. See information about COVID certificates in Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
The NHS COVID Pass lets you share your coronavirus (COVID-19) status records in a secure way.
It allows you to show others the details of your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad to some countries or territories.
The domestic NHS COVID Pass is no longer available for venues or events to use as a condition of entry
You can get an NHS COVID Pass:
digitally through the NHS App or online via NHS.UK
as a letter sent to you in the post if travelling abroad, if you require an accessible format, language guide or have limited digital skills
You can find out the eligibility requirements on the NHS website.
Getting your digital NHS COVID Pass
Get your NHS COVID Pass letter
If you are in the UK armed forces, visit ‘My health care hub’ on the Defence Gateway (login required) to find out how to get your NHS COVID Pass.
The NHS App is not the same as the NHS COVID-19 app
The NHS App has been built to provide access to medical services such as seeing your medical records and booking GP appointments. It has been extended to support functionality to demonstrate COVID-19 vaccination status. The NHS COVID-19 App was developed to help manage the outbreaks of COVID-19 and supported features that told you if you had been near someone who tested positively for COVID-19 or you had been to a location that subsequently registered a number of positive cases.
You can show the vaccination records in your NHS COVID Pass as proof of your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad.
Proof of recovery from prior COVID-19 infection if you have tested positive with an NHS PCR test in the last 180 days is also shown.
You will also need to follow any additional rules set by the country you are travelling to when abroad.
You should register with the NHS App before booking international travel.
Read more information on travelling abroad during COVID-19.
You should check that your first name and your surname on your passport match how they are displayed by your NHS COVID Pass at least 3 weeks before you travel. If the names are different, contact your GP practice to have your details updated. Please note, name changes could result in temporary issues with matching your GP record to your hospital and prescription records.
If you have not been fully vaccinated, you should continue to follow the entry requirements of the country you are travelling to, such as proof of a negative COVID-19 test on arrival. You should carefully research the requirements of your destination country before travelling.
Further details on entry requirements can be found on the GOV.UK foreign travel advice pages and on the websites of your destination country.
If you think your vaccination record is incorrect, see what to do if your COVID-19 vaccination record is missing or wrong.
You should get your COVID-19 booster as soon as you are eligible.
If you have received a booster vaccination it will show in your NHS COVID Pass for travel within 5 days. You will see a 2D barcode for each vaccination record.
Your vaccinations will show in reverse order, with the most recent first. This is also the case if you download a PDF of your NHS COVID Pass for travel, or store it within the Apple Wallet or Google Pay Wallet.
In advance of planned travel, you should download an offline copy of your NHS COVID Pass, by saving or printing a PDF or storing a card in your Apple Wallet or Google Pay Wallet.
You will also see your detailed booster vaccination information in the ‘View COVID-19 Records’ section of the NHS COVID Pass within the NHS App and online service.
If you require non-digital proof of your booster vaccination for international travel, you can order an NHS COVID Pass letter via the NHS 119 service or via NHS.UK. Your letter will show a 2D barcode for each vaccination you have received, including booster vaccinations.
Some countries require travellers to demonstrate that they received their primary course of a COVID-19 approved vaccination or booster within a certain time period. Travellers should carefully check requirements before travelling.
Your NHS COVID Pass can be scanned to check and validate your COVID-19 status in over 70 countries and territories, including those in the EU.
Find out more about the EU Gateway
If you live in England and have had one or more of your COVID-19 vaccinations administered overseas, you can have your vaccination details added to your NHS Record. You can then generate an NHS COVID Pass for international travel if you meet certain certification requirements.
You can use this service if you or your child are aged 5 years old or over and have an NHS number.
You can use this service if you or your child have had one or more of the following vaccines outside of England:
If you received a Sinopharm vaccine, your evidence must show that it was manufactured by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products (BIBP). Other Sinopharm manufacturers are not accepted for this service.
To register your overseas vaccinations, you’ll need to book an appointment at a selected list of vaccination centres across England.
Book an appointment to register your overseas vaccination with the NHS
Staff are not able to register your overseas vaccinations unless you book in advance.
Details of your overseas vaccination will then be recorded in the National Immunisation Management System.
If you are registered with a GP in England and were vaccinated in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man, you do not need to book an appointment at a vaccination centre as your vaccination event details should flow automatically.
If you need help using this service, read the guidance available on NHS.UK in the first instance. If you still need help answering your query, contact the NHS COVID Pass service by telephoning:
119 from the UK
+44 151 905 0119 from overseas (you will be charged according to your carrier’s rates)
You can only book for someone else, such as your child or someone you care for, if you have their consent. You will need to enter their details when booking.
If you book for someone:
aged 18 years old or over – they must attend the appointment
under 18 years old – they do not have to attend the appointment if you go instead of them
Children under 16 years old cannot attend an appointment on their own. They must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or responsible person aged 18 years old or over.
Eligible overseas vaccinations will display within your NHS COVID Pass in the same way as vaccines administered under the UK vaccination programme. However, you may see some fields left blank for overseas vaccines.
Your NHS COVID Pass for international travel will show the vaccinations you have received. It may take up to 5 days for vaccines to show in your NHS COVID Pass.
Although you can now have the Gamaleya (Sputnik V) vaccine added to your NHS record for continuation of care purposes, it will not show in your NHS COVID Pass as it is not recognised by the UK government.
Non-eligible overseas vaccinations will not generate an NHS COVID Pass.
On 8 October 2021 the government announced that clinical trial participants of relevant COVID-19 trials would be eligible to receive additional approved vaccine doses to facilitate travel abroad.
Further information on the offer can be found by visiting the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) website.
Clinical trial participants who have received additional doses of approved vaccines will see those doses in their NHS COVID Pass for travel via the NHS App and online via NHS.UK. These doses will show in your travel pass alongside your trial vaccinations, with the most recent vaccination received appearing first.
If you need a non-digital NHS COVID Pass for travel, the NHS COVID Pass letter also includes additional ‘top up’ approved vaccinations. You can ask for this via the NHS 119 service or via NHS.UK. The letter should take up to 7 days to arrive after you order it.
If you took part in a clinical trial within England which was ‘unblinded’ (you were informed of the vaccine used), then you should be able to obtain an NHS COVID Pass for travel if your trial site has uploaded vaccination information onto the NHS vaccine database. If your vaccine records are available and uploaded, then you will see these in your NHS COVID Pass for travel, with your most recent vaccine first.
Participants should contact their clinical trial site if they cannot yet access their travel pass. Before you travel abroad, check the entry rules for any country you want to go to.
If you took part in a clinical trial within England which was ‘blinded’ (you were not informed of the vaccine used), it is recommended that you consider other options for demonstrating your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad, such as additional testing.
Check the rules on entering England from abroad
Children aged 5 and over are able to get a digital NHS COVID Pass for international travel.
A digital NHS COVID Pass will:
See ‘How to use the NHS COVID Pass when travelling abroad’ above.
A digital NHS COVID Pass is available through the:
NHS.UK website for a parent or guardian to request for their child aged 5 to 15
NHS.UK website for those aged 12 and over who want to request it for themselves (as a PDF you can download or print)
NHS App for those aged 13 and over (age restrictions apply for use of the App)
To request an NHS COVID Pass for themselves, the child aged 12 and over will either need to have access to the email address or mobile phone number on their GP record or register for an NHS login. They can do this themselves (or a parent or guardian can help register on their behalf). They will need to:
register using the child’s details (including the child’s email address)
verify the child’s identity using the child’s passport
Verifying identity can take a few days to complete (although it normally takes around 24 hours).
To request an NHS COVID Pass for your child aged 5 to 15, you will need to:
Children who have had a full primary course of COVID-19 vaccination can get an NHS COVID Pass letter for international travel, with an internationally recognised 2D barcode. Children aged 5 to 11 can also get a recovery letter if they have evidence of a positive COVID-19 NHS PCR test within the last 180 days (not available in the Isle of Man).
This service is available to:
Letters sent to children living in Wales will be in English and Welsh.
Children aged 12 and over living in Wales and the Isle of Man cannot get an NHS COVID Pass letter for travel abroad using this service – they should request letters from those nations’ certification services:
This service is not available to those who have received an incomplete course of vaccination (for example, one dose of a 2-dose vaccine).
Only a person with legal responsibility for the child (such as a parent or guardian) can request the letter on their behalf. You can request the letter for yourself if you are aged 12 or over.
You can request an NHS COVID Pass letter for travel abroad:
online at Get your NHS COVID Pass letter
by calling the 119 service (0808 1624 119 for residents of the Isle of Man)
on the Welsh Government website, for children living in Wales
You should wait 5 days after the full primary course of vaccination has been completed before requesting a letter. It can then take up to 7 working days for the letter to arrive.
The letter is sent to the address held on the child’s NHS record (the address held by their GP). It will show all the vaccinations they have received. Letters for children aged 5 to 11 will not include details of the administration centre where the vaccination took place, but are still fully valid.
Your GP cannot provide you with this letter.
You should carefully check the entry requirements of the country you are travelling to. Further details on entry requirements can be found on the GOV.UK foreign travel advice pages and on the websites of your destination country.
In line with removing the domestic NHS COVID Pass for use in venues or events as a condition of entry, the medical exemptions service has closed.
Your medical exemption will still be included in the ‘View COVID-19 Records’ history section with an expiry date (if applicable).
A medical exemption is not valid for international travel. There are no arrangements in place with other countries to accept people from the UK who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and treat them the same as a fully vaccinated traveller.
Your medical exemption will not appear in the travel NHS COVID Pass. It is up to other countries to decide whether or not residents in England with a medical exemption can follow the same rules for travel as those who are fully vaccinated.
Your COVID-19 status is either held securely within the NHS App or sent to you via a PDF or a letter. It can only be accessed via a validated NHS login, or by verifying information held on your GP record. The NHS COVID Pass shows your COVID-19 vaccination or recovery status in the form of a 2D barcode and allows you to view the details of your COVID-19 vaccination or recovery record.
Appropriate technical, organisational, and administrative security measures are employed within our systems to protect any information we hold in our records from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. We have written procedures and policies which are regularly audited and reviewed.
Your NHS COVID Pass letter that you request via 119 or NHS.UK has been produced and printed with a range of embedded security features to help prevent fraud.
Read more in these privacy policies about how the NHS COVID Pass uses your information and about your data rights:
NHS App privacy policy
NHS COVID Pass privacy notice
NHS COVID Pass privacy notice for 12-15 year olds
NHS COVID Pass privacy notice for 5-11 year olds
NHS COVID Pass privacy notice (child friendly version)
On your NHS COVID Pass for international travel you will see one 2D barcode for each vaccination dose.
You will see the barcodes either:
within the NHS COVID Pass in the NHS App
if you save or print a PDF of your NHS COVID Pass
if you save a copy to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay Wallet
on the travel NHS COVID Pass letter
The expiry date does not apply to your vaccination status. The expiry date refers only to the barcode and will update automatically in the digital version of the COVID Pass. The barcodes have expiry dates to protect your data privacy.
However, if you download and save or print a copy of your NHS COVID Pass, the expiry date will eventually show as expired and will not automatically refresh. You will need to log into the NHS COVID Pass service to generate a new copy. Proof of prior infection (recovery) is only valid for 180 days.
If you order a travel NHS COVID Pass letter via the NHS 119 service or online via NHS.UK, the barcodes in your letter will expire after 180 days.
If you get your NHS COVID Pass through the NHS App or Safari web browser using an Apple iPhone, you can store your NHS COVID Pass in Apple Wallet.
You can then show your NHS COVID Pass, even if your device is offline.
To add your NHS COVID Pass to the device’s wallet, tap the ‘Add to Apple Wallet’ button within the NHS COVID Pass service.
If you store an offline version of your NHS COVID Pass into your Apple Wallet it will only be valid until the expiry date shown on the NHS COVID Pass. The expiry date will not refresh automatically. This means you will need to store an updated NHS COVID Pass to your Apple Wallet before you next plan to use it if your original NHS COVID Pass has expired or is due to expire.
If you get your NHS COVID Pass through the NHS App or by using the Google Chrome web browser on an Android phone, you will be able to store your NHS COVID Pass to your device.
You will see the ‘Google – save to phone’ button within the NHS App.
The NHS COVID Pass will be saved on your Android phone home screen and also accessible in Google Pay. It is available to Play Protect certified mobile devices running Android 5 or above.
You can use the NHS COVID Pass and store it using the Apple Wallet or Google Pay in the Welsh language. Access your COVID Pass using the NHS website and click the ‘Cymraeg’ button at the top of the screen to change the language from English to Welsh.
The NHS COVID Pass letter for international travel can be used to show others that you have had a full course of the COVID-19 vaccine (including a booster vaccination if you have had one) when travelling to some countries or territories.
If you request an NHS COVID Pass letter, the letter you receive will be in English.
You can request a leaflet about the content of the letter and what it tells you in other languages and alternative formats.
You will still need to show the original English letter (not the supporting leaflet) to demonstrate your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad.
The letters are now valid for 180 days from the date you order them. Letters issued before 12 May had a 30-day expiry. You should get them within 7 working days from the date of request.
If you do not have access to a smartphone, computer or tablet, you can call 119 from within the UK. Select the ‘NHS COVID Pass service’ and ask for an NHS COVID Pass letter to be posted to you.
Read translated versions about what the NHS COVID Pass letter tells you.
Read an easy-read guide about what the NHS COVID Pass letter tells you.
You can get a Braille or large print version of the NHS COVID Pass letter via the NHS website or by calling 119 (select the ‘NHS COVID Pass service’).
You can get an audio version of the NHS COVID Pass letter via the NHS website or by calling 119. Your letter and the audio file on a CD will be sent directly to you. It should arrive within 7 working days.
Watch a video about the NHS COVID Pass letter for travel abroad in BSL, not including personal details.
Watch a video about the NHS COVID Pass letter for travel abroad in BSL
If your letter does not arrive after 7 working days it may be because your address is incorrect on your GP record, your vaccination details were not found, your vaccination details are incorrect or you do not meet the requirements for an NHS COVID Pass letter.
Find out more about who can get an NHS COVID Pass for travel.
If you meet the requirements, it will be quicker to get an NHS COVID Pass digitally through the NHS App or online via NHS.UK. People aged 5 and over can get an NHS COVID Pass via NHS.UK and people aged 13 and over can also get an NHS COVID Pass via the NHS App.
Alternatively, after the 7 working days, you can call 119 to report an issue. You may be referred to the Vaccine Data Resolution Service.
The letter you receive in the post will be in English. You can check your vaccination record and follow instructions in various translations of the letter, not including your personal information, in different languages. These are to help people who read those languages.
You can also access the information in a range of alternative formats.
Read an easy-read guide about what to do if you cannot get an NHS COVID Pass letter.
To get this letter in Braille or large print, please call 119 (select the ‘NHS COVID Pass service’) or order the letter online via the NHS website.
Watch a video about this letter in BSL.
Updated guidance.
Updated guidance.
From 21 July 2022, children aged 5 to 11 in England and the Isle of Man can get a digital NHS COVID Pass for international travel.
Updated to reflect that children aged 5 to 11 in England and Wales can also get a NHS COVID Pass letter for travel if they have evidence of a positive COVID-19 NHS PCR test within the last 180 days.
Updated to reflect that the domestic NHS COVID Pass is no longer available and the medical exemptions service is no longer accepting new applications.
Updated to tell users that from 12 May 2022 the domestic NHS COVID Pass will no longer be available and new medical exemption applications will not be accepted from this point.
NHS COVID Pass letters for international travel are now available for children aged 5 to 11 living in England, Wales and Isle of Man.
Updated to reflect that the domestic NHS COVID Pass letter is no longer available. Updated to no longer encourage high-risk events and venues to check COVID status as a condition of entry. Merged with guidance on medical exemptions and guidance for organisations wanting to use the NHS COVID Pass.
Removed information about the passenger locator form, as people entering the UK no longer need to complete it.
Children aged 5 and above can now have details of eligible COVID-19 vaccinations they have received overseas added to their NHS Record.
Updated to provide information on how to contact the Vaccination Data Resolution Service.
Updated to reflect new government guidance on self isolation policy if you test positive for COVID-19.
From 18 February, residents in England who have received one or more of the following vaccines can have them added to their NHS Record to generate an NHS COVID Pass: Sinopharm Beijing/BIBP, SinoVac-CoronaVac, Covishield (Institute of India) or Covaxin (Bharat Biotech).
Added details about the information that will be needed to prove the identity of children aged 12 and over to get a digital NHS COVID Pass for international travel (available from 3 February 2022).
Updated to reflect it is no longer a legal requirement for venues or events to check the COVID-19 status of attendees as a condition of entry.
From 3 February, children aged 12 and over will be able to get a digital NHS COVID Pass for international travel.
Updated video about the NHS COVID Pass letter for travel abroad in British Sign Language (BSL).
Updated ‘What to do if you get a positive test result’ section to reflect change in self-isolation rules – people who test positive can stop self-isolating on day 6 if they have negative rapid lateral flow test results on days 5 and 6. Added a reference to the change in rules on 27 January, when it will no longer be mandatory for venues to check the COVID-19 status of attendees as a condition of entry.
Added video about the NHS COVID Pass letter for domestic use in British Sign Language (BSL).
Updated the section ‘What to do if you receive a positive test result’ to reflect that from 11 January, asymptomatic people in England with a positive lateral flow test are no longer advised to take a confirmatory PCR test to confirm they have COVID-19.
Updated the section ‘What the NHS COVID Pass letter tells you: translated versions and alternative formats’ to reflect that there are 2 NHS COVID Pass letters (one for travel, one for domestic use). Updated the section ‘How to use the NHS COVID Pass when travelling abroad’ to add information about the passenger locator form.
Updated the section on how to use the NHS COVID Pass when travelling abroad to reflect that proof of prior infection cannot be used as evidence of your COVID-19 status when entering England.
Guidance updated to reflect changes to the self-isolation advice for people who have received a positive COVID-19 test result.
Added call-out to reflect the NHS COVID Pass digital service will be offline from 10pm on Tuesday 14 December due to planned maintenance.
Updated to correct guidance in the ‘Residents in England who have taken part in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials’ section.
Added guidance on new mandatory certification rules on visiting certain venues and events coming into force on Wednesday 15 December if approved by Parliament.
Updated to reflect that fully vaccinated children aged 12 to 15 can request an NHS COVID Pass letter for international travel.
Updated to reflect that fully vaccinated children aged 12 to 15 can request an NHS COVID Pass letter for international travel from 9am on 13 December.
Updated to reflect that fully vaccinated children aged 12 to 15 can request an NHS COVID Pass letter for international travel.
Updated to reflect that you can order an NHS COVID Pass letter to show proof of your booster vaccination for international travel.
Added the section ‘Residents in England who have received COVID-19 vaccinations overseas’.
Updated information for residents in England who have taken part in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.
Added information about how to store your NHS COVID Pass in Google Pay Wallet.
Updated to reflect the latest information on how to obtain your NHS COVID Pass in digital or letter format via the NHS.UK website.
From 19 November, you can see details of your COVID-19 booster vaccination in your NHS COVID Pass.
Added information about COVID-19 booster vaccinations: The NHS COVID Pass for travel does not currently include COVID-19 booster vaccinations. You do not need a COVID-19 booster vaccination to get an NHS COVID Pass for domestic use in England. Also updated to reflect the UK linking with the EU Gateway. Your NHS COVID Pass can be scanned to check and validate your COVID-19 vaccination status in venues in over 40 countries, including those in the EU.
Updated content to reflect changes to international travel rules on 4 October 2021 (the red, amber, green traffic light system was replaced by a single red list of countries and simplified travel measures for arrivals from the rest of the world).
Added information on using the NHS COVID Pass if you’re unable to get vaccinated and/or tested for medical reasons.
From 23 September, you will be able to store your NHS COVID Pass for international travel in Apple Wallet, even if your device is offline.
Updated the ‘Children’ section: children under 18 do not have to demonstrate their COVID-19 status for entry to domestic events or venues in England. Children aged 16 or over can get an NHS COVID Pass for travel but should follow the entry requirements of the country they are travelling to.
Added a link to information about COVID certificates in the Isle of Man.
Updated to clarify that if you’ve been vaccinated in Scotland, to obtain your NHS COVID Pass you must be resident in England and registered with a GP in England.
Updated to confirm that you can get NHS COVID Pass if you have been fully vaccinated in England, Wales or Scotland. Updated information for those participating in vaccination clinical trials. Added the phone number for contacting the NHS COVID Pass service from overseas.
Added: ‘If you’re in the UK armed forces, visit ‘My health care hub’ on the Defence Gateway (login required) to find out how to get your NHS COVID Pass.’
Updated the BSL guide (video) for people who have received an NHS COVID Pass letter.
Updated to add a link to guidance for people fully vaccinated by the USA or EU.
Updated to reflect that proof of natural immunity shown by a positive PCR test can be used to demonstrate COVID-19 status when travelling abroad; the NHS COVID Pass can be stored used the Apple Wallet when using an iPhone or iPad; and those who received the Novavax vaccine as part of a formally approved vaccine trial, can now obtain the NHS COVID Pass.
Updated to remove information on the Events Research Programme trials, which ended on 25 July 2021.
Updated to reflect that from Monday 19 July, you may be asked to demonstrate your COVID-19 status as a condition of entry to a venue or event in England. Added the conditions of obtaining an NHS COVID Pass for use at domestic events in England.
Added links to guidance about COVID-19 vaccine certification in Guernsey, Jersey and Northern Ireland.
Updated to reflect that the NHS COVID Pass letter has new branding, and that a full course of approved vaccinations now includes the single-dose Janssen vaccine.
Updated to reflect that from 21 June 2021, the NHS service to demonstrate your COVID-19 vaccination status is now called the NHS COVID Pass. Also added that people taking part in event trials as part of the Events Research Programme will also be requested to use the NHS COVID Pass.
Added video in British Sign Language about what to do if you cannot get a post-vaccination letter.
Added information about what to do if you cannot get a post-vaccination status letter.
You can now request a COVID-19 vaccination status letter to be posted to you via the NHS.UK website.
Added link to easy-read version of the COVID-19 post-vaccination confirmation letter.
Updated information on how to access your COVID-19 vaccination status on the NHS website and NHS app.
Updated to add a link to a video about the post-vaccination confimation letter in BSL.
This page has been updated to reflect the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccination status service and includes information on obtaining information in foreign languages and alternative formats.
Updated to reflect that if you call 119 to request a letter about your vaccination status, we expect the letter to take up to 7 working days to reach you.
Updated to reflect that you must wait at least 5 working days after you’ve completed your course of the vaccine before asking for a letter confirming your vaccination status to be posted to you. The letter can take up to 5 working days to reach you. It will be sent automatically to the address registered with your GP.
Updated to reflect that if you’re aged 13 to 15, you’ll need to contact your GP surgery to request access to GP online services before you can use the NHS App.
Updated to reflect that you should register with the NHS App before booking your international travel.
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