From today, travellers will be able to show proof of a booster vaccination within the NHS Covid Pass for international travel.
Booster vaccination and third doses will automatically appear in the pass for people in England within five days of receiving the jab.
The Pass will show a 2D barcode for your full course of vaccinations in addition to your booster vaccination, with the most recent jab appearing first.
The government advises that you download an updated PDF version of your NHS Covid Pass, or store an updated version in your Apple Wallet, if you’re about to travel.
The government said that the proof of a booster will not be immediately available in letter format, but that this will be “updated in due course”.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid commented:
“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to show their vaccine status if they are travelling abroad. This update to the NHS COVID Pass will mean people can have their complete medical picture at their fingertips if they are going on holiday or seeing loved ones overseas.”
This move comes after countries including Israel, Croatia and Austria introduced a time limit for the validity of the Covid vaccination for quarantine-free travel.
The government states:
“Some countries now require travellers to demonstrate that they have received two doses of a Covid-19 approved vaccination within 180 days, or a booster dose no less than 14 days before entering the country. You should check the Covid-19 status requirements of the country you intend to visit before planning your travel.”
People travelling into England will not be required to show proof of a booster vaccination. Additionally, at the time of writing, the booster jab is not being added to the domestic Covid pass.
The NHS Covid Pass launched in May and allows travellers to share their vaccination record when travelling abroad. It can now be used in venues in over 40 countries, including those in the European Union.