Using your NHS COVID Pass for travel abroad and at venues and settings in England

How to use the NHS COVID Pass when travelling abroad

You can show the vaccination records contained within your NHS COVID Pass as proof of your COVID status when travelling abroad.

You will also need to follow additional rules when travelling abroad.

You should register with the NHS App before booking international travel.

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 2 weeks before you travel. If the names are different, contact your GP practice to have your details updated.

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.

See advice about travelling abroad from England during the pandemic

COVID booster vaccinations

If you’ve received a booster vaccination it will show in your NHS COVID Pass within 5 days. You’ll see a 2D barcode for your full course of vaccinations plus your booster vaccination.

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.

If you’re about to travel, you should download an updated PDF version of your NHS COVID Pass, or store an updated version in your Apple Wallet or Google Pay Wallet.

You’ll 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.

Some countries now require travellers to demonstrate that they have received 2 doses of a COVID-19 approved vaccination within 180 days, or a booster dose no less than 14 days before entering the country.

How to use the NHS COVID Pass at domestic venues and settings in England

Some events and venues may ask you to show your NHS COVID Pass as a condition of entry.

Use of the NHS COVID Pass is voluntary for individual organisations in England. However, the government encourages the use of the NHS COVID Pass in facilities or events where people are likely to be in close proximity to a large number of people from other households for a sustained period of time.

This is likely to include:

• crowded indoor settings such as nightclubs and music venues
• large unstructured outdoor events such as business events and festivals
• very large structured events such as business events, music and spectator sport events

See guidance around working safely from step 4, including how the NHS COVID Pass can be used to reduce the risk of transmission at venues or events in England.

Further guidance on how organisations can use the NHS COVID Pass.

What the barcodes and expiry dates mean

On your NHS COVID Pass for domestic use, you’ll see a single barcode.

On your NHS COVID pass for travel, you may see more than one barcode. If you’ve received a full course of a vaccine requiring 2 doses, you will see 2 barcodes: one barcode for each vaccination dose. A full course of vaccine requiring one dose will be displayed as a single barcode.

If you’ve had a booster jab, this will appear as an additional barcode.

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

The expiry date does not apply to your vaccination status. Any 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 COVID Pass service in order to generate a new copy.

Storing your NHS COVID Pass in Apple Wallet

If you get your NHS COVID Pass through the NHS App or Safari web browser using an Apple iPhone, you can store your COVID Pass in Apple Wallet.

You can store separate passes in Apple Wallet for:

• entry into events and venues in England
• international travel

You can then show either 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 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 COVID Pass has or is due to expire.

Storing your NHS COVID Pass in Google Wallet (officially called Google Pay)

From 6 December, if you get your NHS COVID Pass through the NHS App or by using the Google Chrome web browser on an Android phone, you’ll be able to store your NHS COVID Pass to your device.

You’ll see the ‘Google – save to phone’ button within the NHS App. You can then show your NHS COVID status at events and venues in England and for international travel.

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.

What the NHS COVID Pass letter tells you: translated versions and alternative formats

If you request an NHS COVID Pass letter, the letter you receive will be in English.

You can get information about what the letter tells you in other languages and alternative formats.

However, you’ll still need to show the original English letter to demonstrate your COVID status, for example when travelling abroad. You do not need your letter in a language to match the country you’re intending to travel to.

Translated versions

Read translated versions about what the NHS COVID Pass letter tells you.

Easy read

Read an easy-read guide about what the NHS COVID Pass letter tells you.

Braille and large print

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’).

Audio format

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.

British Sign Language (BSL)

Watch a video about the NHS COVID Pass letter in BSL, not including personal details.

Watch a video about the NHS COVID Pass letter in BSL

If you cannot get an NHS COVID Pass letter

If the 119 service cannot provide you with a letter, there may be some information that is either missing or incorrect. The service will write to inform you if this is the case.

If you cannot get an NHS COVID Pass letter: translated versions and alternative formats

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.

Easy read

Read an easy-read guide about what to do if you cannot get an NHS COVID Pass letter.

Braille and large print

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.

British Sign Language (BSL)

Watch a video about this letter in BSL.

Watch a video about this letter in BSL.

If you’re unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons

There are a small number of exemptions for individuals who have a medical reason which means they should not be vaccinated, and in some cases should not test either. Medical exemption status cannot be based on testing alone.

You can apply for proof of evidence that you have a medical reason why you should not be vaccinated and/or tested. If you are eligible for proof of medical exemption, or a carer obtains this on your behalf, you will be able to use the domestic NHS COVID Pass wherever you need to prove your COVID status.

Currently, businesses and event organisers in England that choose to use the NHS COVID Pass as a condition of entry can also decide whether or not to allow in people who self-declare that they are unable to be vaccinated or tested.

Businesses can continue to accept people who self-declare that they are medically exempt until mid-December 2021. From that point you will need to use the NHS COVID Pass to gain entry in the same way that people who are fully vaccinated do. Your NHS COVID Pass will not show that you have a medical exemption.

You can find out more information including how to apply for the NHS COVID Pass to prove that you’re unable to be vaccinated and/or get tested.

Protecting your data

Your COVID status is held securely within the NHS App. It can only be accessed via a validated NHS login. The NHS COVID Pass shows your COVID-19 vaccination status in the form of a 2D barcode and allows you to view the details of your COVID-19 vaccination record.

Your NHS COVID Pass letter that you request via 119 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

Residents in England who have taken part in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials

If you live in England and have taken part, or are taking part, in a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial, you will have received a letter from your clinical trial site.

The letter ensures that anyone vaccinated as part of a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial can prove they were in a clinical trial and therefore should be recognised as fully vaccinated.

If you did not receive this letter, contact your clinical trial site.

This commitment was made by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer in an open letter on 11 June 2021.

The government is working with the devolved administrations to ensure a consistent UK approach. It is also working to ensure that all those who took part in COVID-19 vaccine trials can access their vaccine records via the NHS App or NHS.UK.

Domestic use in England

If you took part in a clinical trial within England you should also be able to use the NHS App or NHS.UK to obtain an NHS COVID Pass for domestic use in England.

The letter and NHS COVID Pass can be used when demonstrating your COVID status in England.

International travel

If you took part in a clinical trial within England which was ‘unblinded’ (that is, you were told which vaccine was used), then you should be able to use the NHS App or NHS.UK to obtain an NHS COVID Pass for international travel from England. Before you travel abroad, check the entry rules for the country you want to go to.

If you took part in a clinical trial within England which was ‘blinded’ (that is, you were not told which vaccine was used), it is recommended that you consider other options for demonstrating your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad, such as additional testing.

All UK residents who have taken part or are taking part in clinical trials will not need to quarantine when returning to the UK from abroad, unless they’ve been in a country on the red list in the 10 days before they arrive.

Check the rules on entering England from abroad.

Novavax vaccine

If you took part in clinical trials and received a full dose of the Novavax vaccine, you can now use the NHS COVID Pass to demonstrate your COVID status. If you experience issues with obtaining your NHS COVID Pass, contact your clinical trial site.

Before travelling abroad, you should check the entry requirements of your intended destination country, including which vaccines are recognised by them.

Children

Children under 18 do not have to demonstrate their COVID 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. Further details on entry requirements can be found on the GOV.UK foreign travel advice pages and on the websites of your destination country.