Demonstrating Your COVID-19 Vaccination Status When Travelling Abroad

Demonstrating your COVID-19 vaccination status: what it is

Demonstrating your COVID-19 vaccination status allows you to show others that you’ve had a full course of the COVID-19 vaccine when travelling abroad to some countries or territories. A full course is currently 2 doses of any approved vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccination status is available to people who live in England and are registered with a GP, or have an NHS number.

You can get your vaccination status in digital or paper format.

The NHS appointment card from vaccination centres cannot be used to demonstrate your vaccine status.

What you can use it for

You can show your COVID-19 vaccination status as proof of your status when travelling abroad.

There are currently not many countries that accept proof of vaccination. So people will still need to follow other rules when travelling abroad, such as getting a negative pre-departure test.

You should:

You may still be required to show other proof like a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and you may still have to isolate on arrival. You will only be asked to prove your vaccination status for international travel. You should not be asked to prove it for any other reason (for example by an employer or a venue).

The government is working with the devolved administrations to ensure this facility is available to everyone across the UK.

If you have not been fully vaccinated

People should continue to follow the entry requirements of the country they 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 travel advice for British people travelling abroad during the pandemic.

How to access your COVID-19 vaccination status

Through the NHS App

You can access your COVID-19 vaccination status through the free NHS App. You can access the app through mobile devices such as a smartphone or tablet. Proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status will be shown within the NHS App.

We recommend that you register with the app before booking international travel. For access via the NHS App you do not need to contact your GP.

The NHS App will continue to be developed with further updates in the future. This will include the ability to show your COVID-19 test results.

By calling 119

If you do not have access to a smartphone and know that the country you are travelling to requires COVID-19 vaccination status, you can call 119 and ask for a letter to be posted to you.

Request a letter only if you:

  • have been fully vaccinated by the NHS in England (you should wait 5 working days after your second dose)
  • are planning to travel in the next 4 weeks to a country that requires evidence of COVID vaccination
  • cannot access the digital service via the NHS App

We expect the letter to take up to 7 working days to reach you.

The letter will be sent to the address registered with your GP. The 119 call handler you speak to will not be able to see your address to check this with you. If you have recently moved house, make sure you’ve given your new address to your GP practice before calling 119.

Do not contact your GP surgery about your COVID-19 vaccination status. GPs cannot provide letters showing your COVID-19 vaccination status.

What the post vaccination confirmation letter tells you: translated versions

Get vaccination status information in other languages.

If you do not have access to a smartphone and know that the country you are travelling to requires evidence of COVID-19 vaccination status, you can call 119 and ask for a letter to be posted to you.

The letter you receive will be in English. You can access translations of the letter, not including your personal information, in different languages. These are to help people who read those languages.

You will still need to take the English letter with you because this contains the information about your vaccination status. You do not need your letter in a language to match the country you are intending to travel to.

What the post vaccination confirmation letter tells you: alternative formats

If you do not have access to a smartphone and know that the country you are travelling to requires evidence of COVID-19 vaccination status, you can call 119 and ask for a letter to be posted to you.

The letter you receive will be in English. You should keep the original English language version of your letter as you may be asked to show it if you travel abroad.

You can access the information in a range of alternative formats.

What the post vaccination confirmation letter tells you: Easy Read

There will soon be an easy-reading version of the letter.

What the post Vaccination confirmation letter tells you: Braille

Call 119 to request a Braille version. Your letter in Braille will be sent directly to you. It should arrive within 7 working days.

What the post vaccination confirmation letter tells you: large print

Call 119 to request a large print version. Your letter in large print format will be sent directly to you. It should arrive within 7 working days.

What the post vaccination confirmation letter tells you: audio format

Call 119 to request an audio version. Your letter and the audio file on a CD will be sent directly to you. It should arrive within 7 working days.

What the post vaccination confirmation letter tells you: British Sign Language (BSL)

You’ll soon be able to watch a YouTube video of the post-vaccination letter in BSL, not including your personal details.

Using the NHS App

To use the NHS App, you must be:

  • registered with a GP in England
  • aged 13 or over
  • 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 app.

Find out more about the NHS App

All the information displayed is derived from the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) database operated by NHS England. The COVID-19 vaccination status service does not capture any new information. All it does is enable secure access to your immunisation records within NIMS and use a small subset of that information (NHS number, name and COVID vaccination history) to enable the creation of a 2D barcode that can later be shown when travelling abroad. The service has been developed in strict compliance with GDPR and privacy regulations.

Your COVID-19 post vaccination status letter that you request via 119 has been produced and printed with a range of embedded security features to help prevent fraud. It includes a barcode which provides a unique reference that can be used to verify your individual COVID vaccination record.

In the future, it will also show your COVID-19 test results.

NHS App privacy policy

Status service privacy notice

Children

Children cannot get COVID-19 vaccination status, as children are not currently being vaccinated against COVID-19.

If you’re travelling abroad, you and any children you’re travelling with may need to show proof of a COVID-19 test, with or without a completed vaccination course.

See the GOV.UK foreign travel advice pages for guidance on the entry requirements of your intended destination country.