Social distance, masks and vaccine. They are the three axes to beat the coronavirus. And since all help is little, the recent increase in infections by COVID-19 has forced more drastic measures to be taken. Some countries have chosen to go back into lockdown. Others promote quarantine if we travel abroad. And, in general, most countries have adopted another measure: requiring the COVID certificate or passport. Both to leave its borders and to go to certain establishments such as gyms, hotels, nightclubs, bars or restaurants.
In Spain, the COVID passport was established as a security measure for travelers entering and leaving its borders. But as winter arrives and the number of infected cases rises, several autonomous communities have decided to make the COVID passport essential to access closed public establishments. This is the case, for example, of Catalonia, Valencia or Euskadi. The authorities of the Balearic Islands are also going to implement it. And it is likely that when you read this, more autonomous communities will have joined the list. The objective is to curb contagion in closed public places or with a lot of social contact, such as concerts.
But how do you download the COVID certificate or COVID passport? How can you carry the COVID passport on your mobile, be it Android or iPhone? These, and other questions, we answer in this article. So you can prove in a few seconds that you have been vaccinated against COVID-19, have recovered from the disease or have a negative test in the last 48/72 hours. It will suffice to show said certificate or passport, which integrates a QR code that can be easily scanned by the verification applications used in each autonomous community. This is the case, for example, of VerificaCOVID in Catalonia.
Where to obtain the COVID certificate?
In Spain, the Autonomous Communities are in charge of providing the COVID certificate to citizens who request it, although it is also possible to request it directly from the Ministry of Health.
Emphasize that the COVID certificate or COVID passport is a common document throughout the European Union, with a specific appearance and information. It should not be confused, for example, with the proof of vaccination document that is often delivered after receiving the doses of the vaccine.
Request the COVID Certificate from the Ministry
To facilitate the obtaining of the COVID certificate for Spanish citizens who wish to travel outside its borders and within European territory, the Ministry of Health created a page where they can request it. This asks you several questions, such as if you have had the disease, if you have been vaccinated or where you received your doses.
At one point, you will be asked if you want to request the COVID passport directly from your autonomous community or continue with the request to the Ministry. In this step, we choose the second option, although below we also explain what the process would be like if you request it from your autonomous community.
After choosing the option to request the COVID certificate directly from the ministry, we will be required to verify our identity through the Digital Certificate or the permanent Cl@ve. This represents a significant barrier to entry, as not everyone has these active systems. If that is your case, you can scroll down to see how to apply directly to your autonomous community, which usually offers other verification methods to obtain the COVID passport.
Having made this clarification, let's continue with the request to the ministry (assuming you have a permanent Cl@ve or Digital Certificate). You will have to fill in different information about yourself, such as the date of birth or email. Depending on your situation regarding the coronavirus, you can choose between three options:
Certificate of vaccination against COVID-19: certifies that you were vaccinated with the two doses of Pfizer, Moderna or Astrazeneca or a dose of Jensen.Certificate of negative test COVID-19: certifies that you have a negative PCR test in the last 48 hours.Certificate of recovery from COVID-19: certifies that you have a positive PCR test from more than 11 days ago. At the end of the application process, you will be able to download the corresponding COVID certificate or passport in PDF. You will have the possibility to save it on any device, print it and show it when requested. Later we will explain how to integrate the COVID certificate in PDF on your Android or iPhone.
If you want to obtain the COVID certificate directly in Wallet or Passbook format, to integrate it into iOS or Android, you can do so during the application process if you choose to do so through the Ministry of Health.
Request the COVID Certificate in your Community
As we have seen, another quick way to obtain your COVID certificate or COVID passport is to request it directly from your health ministry. The Ministry itself provides links to the corresponding official portals. In addition, most autonomous communities have official mobile application. So you can perform this and other administrative tasks related to Health.
Using your personal data you can access the corresponding section. In Catalonia, for example, you have to go to La Meva Salut. With certificate, with DNI or with the number of the health card. In the Vaccines and COVID EU Certificate section you can see when you got vaccinated and click on the link to request said COVID certificate or passport.
As we saw in the previous section, there are three options to choose from to obtain the COVID certificate. If you were vaccinated, if you have a negative PCR or if you have already passed the coronavirus. You will see a preview with your personal and medical data related to COVID, the QR code in case you want to save it and a link to download the COVID certificate or passport in PDF.
Add the COVID Passport to your Android or iPhone
You already have the COVID certificate or COVID passport in PDF. Now let's see how to integrate it into your Android phone or iPhone. So you can carry it in your Apple Wallet or in your Google Wallet. And it will be more comfortable for you to always carry it with you to show it when requested and easily scan it.
First method. From Digital Covid Pass, a service created by Your Pass. Its goal is to create “a digital copy of your EU Covid Certificate” and store it “securely in your mobile wallet”. It supports all three certificates that we have seen before. It's free and safe. It works for both iOS (iPhone) and Android. It works in 5 steps.
Open the Digital Covid Pass page on your phone. Click on Create your own.Upload a screenshot of the PDF QR code or scan the paper certificate.The service creates the digital pass.Download the digital pass following the instructions.The pass is saved in the Wallet app on your iPhone. On Android, you can choose from many options, such as YourWallet. Second method. In COVID 19 Passbook you will find an online app that will allow you to convert the QR code and/or the PDF of the COVID certificate or passport. You can integrate it into your Apple Wallet or your Android app, such as Stocard or WalletPasses.
You only need to scan the QR code or import it in image format. The online app will create the corresponding file to integrate the COVID certificate in your Wallet. It will be easier for you to do it directly from your phone.
More methods. Some of the applications for iOS and Android specialized in barcodes and QR codes include the possibility of integrating the COVID certificate or passport in your Wallet. Simply by scanning the QR code on your certificate. Two examples with iOS and Android version: Pass2U Wallet and Stocard. In both apps you have to import the QR code. The app will generate the corresponding Wallet card. Fast and safe.
With all these methods you can easily obtain your COVID certificate or passport. In PDF format or directly the QR code. You can also integrate them into your iPhone or Android within your card and electronic certificate applications.
