What is the digital vaccination certificate?
The digital or electronic vaccination certificate (e-vaccination certificate) contains the same information as the currently valid yellow paper vaccination certificate.
In the future, all information about your vaccinations will be stored in your electronic patient record (ePA) via the digital vaccination certificate. This includes the type of vaccination, the date of your vaccination appointment, the vaccination dose including batch number, and the individual signature of your vaccinating physician.
What do you need the e-vaccination certificate for?
The electronic immunization record is activated at your request as a voluntary feature of the electronic health record (ePA). As part of the ePA, it also contains your insured person data – i.e. your surname, first name and date of birth, among other things.
This consolidation of your health data will only take place if you actively agree to it and only if you grant the necessary access rights. However, it is not yet clear how this access management will be structured in detail.
What happens to the yellow (analog) vaccination certificate?
The printed yellow vaccination certificate is an internationally recognized, trilingual document in accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). The electronic vaccination certificate, on the other hand, is limited to Germany for the time being. The “yellow booklet” therefore remains an important document, especially for travelers.
For example, anyone wishing to travel to certain countries in parts of Africa or Asia may have to provide proof of a yellow fever vaccination upon entry. When such proof is necessary depends, among other things, on the region and the type of travel.
When will the e-vaccination passport be available?
The electronic vaccination passport is scheduled to be available from January 01, 2022. Its use – like the electronic patient record itself – is voluntary.
How does the e-vaccination passport work?
Provided you grant your doctor the necessary access rights, he or she will create a corresponding entry in your ePA each time a vaccination is administered.
Authorization only in direct doctor-patient contact
Access to your e-vaccination passport is the same as for the electronic patient file: Your doctor can only edit the data in direct contact with them after you have given him the necessary authorizations in your ePA app. Your physician must also identify himself at the so-called e-health connector by means of his health professional card (eHBA) in order to gain access to the data.
Accessing your own data via the ePA app
What are the advantages of the e-vaccination card?
Switching to the electronic vaccination card offers you several advantages:
- Complete, standardized documentation
- Better traceability of your vaccination history
- All vaccinations bundled, visible at a glance
- Reminder function for upcoming (booster) vaccinations
- Protection against possible vaccination gaps
- Protection against loss of the vaccination record (backup in the ePA)
- Management of health data via the respective ePA app
- Anti-counterfeiting
Data protection – where is my data stored?
As part of your ePA, the same high standards for technology, authorization and encryption concepts also apply to the electronic vaccination card. This provides the best possible protection for your data against access by third parties. The legal basis for this is the Patient Data Protection Act (PDSG) passed by the German Bundestag.
You alone decide who has access, and you retain control over your personal health data at all times.
Special case: Corona vaccination certificate
For the current Corona pandemic, the federal government has had an additional digital proof of vaccination developed. It documents your immune status with respect to Sars-CoV-2 in the form of a QR code. This is issued to you by the vaccinating doctor and printed out. You can then scan it on your smartphone and upload it via an app.
The digital vaccination certificate makes it easier to travel during the Corona pandemic, as well as to visit events, cinemas, theaters, restaurants or gyms if necessary due to current incidences.
Read more about in the article “digital Corona vaccination proof”.
