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Green pass: Italy launches Covid-19 digital health certificate

The Local Italy
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Green pass: Italy launches Covid-19 digital health certificate
The EU Digital Covid Certificate becomes operational across the bloc from July 1st. Photo: Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP

People in Italy can now use an online portal to claim a digital "green pass" showing they have been vaccinated, tested or recovered from Covid-19, before the scheme goes into operation throughout the European Union on July 1st.

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The Italian government's certificazione verde website went live on Thursday, giving the option to request a digital certificate online at www.dgc.gov.it.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi signed a decree later the same day that officially launched the pass, which will allow people to access certain events and facilities in Italy as well as travel domestically and abroad.

The new certificates are free, contain a scannable QR code, and are available in Italian as well as English, French or German.

EXPLAINED: What is Italy’s digital ‘green pass’ used for and how do you get it?

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They can be downloaded for use on a smartphone, or to be printed out.

How the new certificate will appear on a smartphone. Image: dgc.gov.it

The website is designed for residents of Italy who were vaccinated, tested or recovered from Covid-19 here. 

It also details other ways to claim a certificate, including accessing your online public healthcare records (Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico, available on your regional health system's website), via either the IO public administration app or the Immuni contact-tracing app, or by asking your doctor or pharmacist to download the document on your behalf.

While most methods require a tessera sanitaria (public healthcare card) and in some cases a SPID digital ID or electronic ID card (CIE), the new site also includes an option for people who are not enrolled in the Italian public health system and therefore do not have a health card.

People without a tessera sanitaria can request their certificate using an official ID alongside a unique code that will be issued from now on when they get vaccinated, tested or recover from Covid-19 in Italy, called an AUTHCODE.

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People who already have a certificate from their vaccination centre, test provider or regional health service can continue to use it within Italy until June 30th, but should request the standardised version once the EU-wide scheme comes into force next month.

For those already vaccinated, their new certificates will be automatically generated in the coming days and they'll be notified by email or SMS with the details of how to claim it.  

They will receive their new certificate by June 28th, the government said.

The paper version of the new heath certificate. Image: dgc.gov.it

Going forward, it will be possible to claim your certificate 15 days after your first dose of a vaccine (including the Johnson & Johnson single shot), within 48 hours of your second dose, the same day as you receive a negative test result, or within 24 hours of being confirmed recovered from Covid-19.

Certificates will remain valid until you get your second vaccine dose (if applicable), for nine months after you are fully vaccinated, six months after you recover, or 48 hours from when you get tested.

Italy plans to require a green pass to attend large gatherings such as weddings or concerts, with more and more public events expected to ask guests for the certificate as it becomes more widely available.

The green pass will also be valid for quarantine-free travel in the EU from July 1st, with certificates issued in any member state valid throughout the rest of the bloc.

That means that residents of other EU countries planning to visit Italy should claim a certificate from their own country, which will be accepted in Italy. 

It is not yet clear if or how the EU will recognise vaccination certificates from outside the bloc, such as from the US or UK. 

Q&A: What you need to know if you’re travelling to Italy in summer 2021

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snibbo_2000 2021/06/19 11:55
Will Italy's Green Pass be accepted by UK? Thanks Amanda

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