When checking the certificate, the QR code is scanned and the signature is verified. The European Commission has created a gateway to ensure that all certificate signatures can be verified throughout the EU. The personal data of the certificate holder will not pass through the gateway.
There are many misconceptions regarding the EU’s digital COVID certificate, ranging from conspiracy theories to disinformation and reflecting otherwise legitimate concerns and questions. According to some, the certificate will be used to restrict the travel of people who are not vaccinated, but this is not true.
One of the fundamental principles of the EU digital COVID certificate is non-discrimination: Member States requiring proof of vaccination would be required to accept, under the same conditions, a negative test result or a certificate of recovery.
The certificate does not add any further restrictions or travel bans, but it simplifies travel within the EU.Above all, it is a temporary measure. The Commission will suspend it as soon as the World Health Organization declares the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.Find out more about the EU digital COVID certificate and keep up to date with the latest news
Learn more about the gateway used to verify EU digital COVID certificates across borders
See the questions and answers on the EU digital COVID certificate
Download the EU digital COVID certificate fact sheetFind out more about the guidelines adopted on proof of vaccination for medical purposes
Any side effects from the vaccine tend to be very mild and temporary.Undesirable effects are not unique to vaccines. Food and other medicines are also known to cause side effects, some more serious than others, but most of the time we don’t experience any of them.
In the rare cases where side effects occur, they are almost always mild and of short duration. This also applies to COVID-19 vaccines. The most common side effects of any vaccination include temporary mild pain or swelling at the injection site, fatigue, chills, nausea, vomiting and fever.
Less than 1 in 10 people may be exposed to a rash, hives or redness at the injection site. Itching at the injection site occurs even more rarely in one in a hundred cases. A full list of potential side effects is publicly available for vaccines developed by BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen, and you can also consult your doctor for more information.
While any suspicion of serious side effects in response to a COVID-19 vaccination should be taken seriously, caution should be exercised before jumping to conclusions. Even if a symptom occurs shortly after vaccination, this does not automatically mean that it was caused by the vaccination; the underlying causes could be independent and their manifestation could be an unfortunate coincidence.
The only way to know for sure whether a side effect has been caused by vaccination is to wait until health professionals have carefully examined all recipients of the vaccines and to separate actual cases of side effects from those not related to vaccination.
If you experience any side effects after a COVID-19 vaccination, you should report it to your doctor.See the EMA presentation on monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccinesMore information offered by EMA’s public meeting with stakeholders on COVID-19 vaccinesRead WHO questions and answers on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines