International Travel Certificate Available from Tuesday

[arbo]

Next piece of the puzzle is coming available.

International travel certificates to be available on MyGov from Tuesday

International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates will become available from Tuesday morning as proof to border authorities around the world that the holder has been vaccinated against the virus.

www.abc.net.au

 

[SYD]

Curious to see what options appear to share info - currently only NSW and VIC apps.

The IATA app is still “invitation only” (presumably those airlines trialling the tech).

 

[arbo]

Curious to see what options appear to share info - currently only NSW and VIC apps.

The IATA app is still “invitation only” (presumably those airlines trialling the tech).

Yes when I loaded the IATA app last week Australia was not included in the list of countries for whom you could upload your vaccination certificate. I presume this new certificate from the govt will go here.

 

[Telemachus]

Yes when I loaded the IATA app last week Australia was not included in the list of countries for whom you could upload your vaccination certificate. I presume this new certificate from the govt will go here.

QF intends that we use the IATA TP for international travel: it will be the digital wallet for both the vax certificate and pre-flight Covid test result. Website guidance here says:

'We're also working with IATA to facilitate use of the IATA Travel Pass for Qantas customers, which will provide an easy and secure way for you to share this information with us prior to travel. We’ll provide additional information on how to use this app when it becomes available'.

EK has also confirmed (on 23 Sep) that they are rolling out IATA TP to all destinations by end of Oct.

 

[henrus]

So anyone can now order their international certificate via my gov!

You need to login to MyGOV and head to medicare, selecting view proof of vaccinations towards the bottom.

and then select international certificate.


Here it asks you to select which person (if you have multiple people in the medicare family) followed by confirming the details of your jabs are correct. Next up you have to select and enter your passport details, the passport details are verified so they must either be an Australian passport or one with an AU visa so they can search it in their system.



You have to enter your passport number, expiry date, and middle name (noting that many on medicare only have a middle name inital so make sure it matches the passport exactly. This process is basically instant and you get a single page PDF that looks exactly like the image the ABC had a few days ago. Make sure you save this PDF because you have to go through the same process above to download a new one each time.



Also quite interesting is that the QR codes are now verifiable using a free app the government has released. This effectively makes them the most secure way for Australians to prove their vaccine status because it's actually verifiable.

This Australian gov app can now be downloaded on iOS and Android (search VDS-NC on the App Store):

‎VDS-NC Checker

‎The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has specified VDS‑NC as its standard for cross-border digital health certificates, including COVID-19 vaccination and testing certificates. VDS-NC stands for Visible Digital Seal for Non-Constrained Environments. VDS-NC certificates: -...

apps.apple.com

VDS-NC Checker - Apps on Google Play

Authenticates certificates issued as a VDS-NC, as specified for travel by ICAO

play.google.com

When you scan a QR code and are connected to the internet it'll verify the details are correct and the name on the app should match the name on the page.

Not surprising but using the Swiss (app) or Irish (mobile web app) to scan the AU QR code does nothing at this stage. Hopefully the Australian gov will assist those countries meaning an Australian QR code can be scanned using local apps in the future.

 

[jb747]

It probably took me about a minute to get this certificate, from the time I opened my.gov. Hardest part was finding my passport, to get the number.

 

[MooTime]

Very easy process, until the app told me my passport has expired & can't add certificate........better get onto renewing.

 

[Telemachus]

Downloaded and printed mine earlier this morning and confirmed validity with the VDS-NC app. Quicker and simpler than getting the 'domestic' certificate into the ServiceNSW check-in app.

That is an interesting point made by henrus about the QR code not yet being readable by foreign apps. But as VDS-NC is described as the ICAO standard for x-border digital health certificates then our new documents will surely be checkable by foreign border agencies very soon, if not already.

Next step is to obtain a second certificate linked to my foreign ppt but for the present you have to ring up AIR to request this, so I don't plan to do so on Day 1 when the poor staff are going to be having a torrid time.

 

[Pushka]

VDS-NC checker validated my certificate through QR scan. Saved a screenshot. Interesting that batch numbers are inserted as well.

 

[SYD]

VDS-NC checker validated my certificate through QR scan. Saved a screenshot. Interesting that batch numbers are inserted as well.

Oh, I didnt see batch numbers in the app but I didn’t go right through to producing the certificate. Will try later and compare with my IVC.

 

[henrus]

Interesting that batch numbers are inserted as well.

I guess it depends on where you get it done but in QLD at state based providers you get a little pointless card with those details. Mine has the batch number and expiry date of that batch written in by the person who administered the jab. I guess it's reassuring to note that the batch number written on the card matches the international certificate (as one would expect).

I never really thought much of it but after a google search you can even find when a specific batch release was completed:

Batch release assessment of COVID-19 vaccines

COVID-19 vaccine batch release information is now available

www.tga.gov.au

For those who've had AstraZeneca you can also match the batch number to the above and see if you had the overseas or Australian made version.

 

[Tawita]

I thought that I would post my experience, as someone without Medicare (and therefore without access to the certificate online or through the app). I called the Australian Immunisation Register, fully expecting a long wait time. After an hour and 45 minutes on hold, I was told by the rep who answered that he had not yet been given access to that part of the system that would allow him to print my certificate (some 5 hours after the new system was supposed to have gone live). He had to put me on hold again while he went off to see if he could be given the necessary authorisation. Fortunately he was able to get access, after which it took about 20 minutes to work through the steps. This included playing a lengthy pre-recorded message on privacy and the sharing of data with other government agencies. After that the rep had to read through a long spiel to confirm that I was consenting to the sharing of the information. He was then able to print out the certificate and covering letter, and advised that I should expect to receive it within 2-3 weeks.

 

[Big John]

All done. Very pleased to see that my passport still has about 6 years left in it !

Just need the invitation code for IATA Travel Pass app now. I assume the airline gives this to you when you book a flight.

 

[RooFlyer]

I thought that I would post my experience,

Thanks. I just tried to generate a certificate, but it tells me that I've entered my passport number in the wrong format. I just entered whats there: Single alpha followed by 7 digits; have been using it for about 7 years!

Rather than wait on line for a long time, ... any suggestions from anyone? I note in the example they give on the site the passport has 2 alphas at the start.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Apologies if there's already discussion on this in another thread (?) but is there any idea on how this works for dual citizens? Or is that something the IATA app will resolve? Or will it be a case of having to show the Aussie passport alongside the other passport to prove vaccination status?

 

[henrus]

Apologies if there's already discussion on this in another thread (?) but is there any idea on how this works for dual citizens? Or is that something the IATA app will resolve? Or will it be a case of having to show the Aussie passport alongside the other passport to prove vaccination status?

If you were vaccinated in Australia (or have had your overseas covid jab loaded into the Australian system) then you should be able to generate two different international travel certificates (one for each passport), if your non-Australian passport doesn't have any valid link to your Australian one (which for most people is quite likely) then you'd have to call them to create one for the non-Australian passport.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If you were vaccinated in Australia (or have had your overseas covid jab loaded into the Australian system) then you should be able to generate two different international travel certificates (one for each passport), if your non-Australian passport doesn't have any valid link to your Australian one (which for most people is quite likely) then you'd have to call them to create one for the non-Australian passport.

Excellent! Thanks!

 

[Tawita]

Excellent! Thanks!

In my call today it was made clear that, for foreign passport holders, the Immunisation Register needed to cross-check the applicant's visa status with Home Affairs prior to issuing the certificate. I assume that, as Home Affairs will have no record of a dual citizen's foreign passport, this may then present a difficulty for the AIR issuing a certificate linked to that passport.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

In my call today it was made clear that, for foreign passport holders, the Immunisation Register needed to cross-check the applicant's visa status with Home Affairs prior to issuing the certificate. I assume that, as Home Affairs will have no record of a dual citizen's foreign passport, this may then present a difficulty for the AIR issuing a certificate linked to that passport.

will be interesting to see how this works… i believe my other passport has been linked somehow during a previous checkin (flying on foreign passport but needed Aussie passport to leave). If not, maybe this will be something the IATA ‘passport’ might resolve. Must be plenty of others in a similar situation.

 

[Telemachus]

In my call today it was made clear that, for foreign passport holders, the Immunisation Register needed to cross-check the applicant's visa status with Home Affairs prior to issuing the certificate. I assume that, as Home Affairs will have no record of a dual citizen's foreign passport, this may then present a difficulty for the AIR issuing a certificate linked to that passport.

Your experience means I’m glad I decided not to ring up the AIR on the day of launch of the international certificate. The staff and systems don't seem fully ready.

For foreign citizens who entered this country on a non-AU ppt, with a visa, there is the option through MyGov to generate the international certificate linked to the foreign ppt – so no phone call should be needed so long as you have jumped through the hoops to create a MyGov account and get an IHI (which you can do without qualifying for Medicare).

For dual citizens like me who of course have no AU visa there is, as you say, perhaps no record of the foreign ppt in DHA/ABF*. But that should not be an obstacle to issuing a second international certificate linked to the foreign ppt. This is exactly the scenario discussed in the Senate Covid-19 Enquiry on 30 Sep (I’ve posted the link elsewhere on AFF): Services Australia said it could be done with a call to them (AIR) until such time as they get round to providing automated (online) functionality. I'm going to leave it a week or two before giving it a try.

* It's entirely possible, though, that ABF does have details of foreign ppts entered into APIS by AU citizens departing on previous overseas trips. Some border agencies certainly do: I have past experience of finding that UKBF held details of both my ppts.