European Union COVID Digital Certificate

Laboratorios González does not issue European COVID Certificates or European Union COVID Digital Certificates, but the Conselleria de Sanidad Universal y Salud Pública is informed daily of the results of the COVID-19 tests, both positive and negative, so that the user can download the certificate with its QR code from the Conselleria’s website.

The document issued by Laboratorios González is a certificate of the result of the test performed, and it is valid for travel to any country.

How do I apply for my COVID Digital Certificate to be able to travel within the European Union?

At the moment there are two ways to apply for this certificate: at the national level or at the Autonomous Community level.

• Ministry of Health: by accessing the electronic headquarters of the Ministry of Health, it can be requested by Digital Certificate or by Cl@ve. Once inside, you have to fill in the data, accept the conditions and wait for an e-mail with a password to access and download the certificate from the Ministry of Health’s Electronic Headquarters.

• Autonomous Communities: each autonomous community controls its own health system, and at the moment each health service manages the certificate in one way or another. In the following link you will find a map of Spain with the information and the steps to follow in each Autonomous Community. Click on the corresponding autonomous community and click on the link on the right, which will take you to the official website where you can purchase the COVID certificate.

In the case of the Valencian Community, we will have to go to the following web page and click on APPLY COVID DIGITAL EU CERTIFICATE. The required data will be entered (SIP Nº, Date of Birth, Date of Issue of SIP Card and a validation code) and we will be able to obtain the document.

In the following link you can read the most common questions and answers about this topic. If you have any doubts, you can access the official website of the Ministry of Health.

Further information

As of July 1, 2021, the well-known COVID passport will come into force. Also called European COVID Certificate or European Union Digital COVID Certificate, this is a system created by the European Commission, which consists of an official and free document that certifies whether a person has been vaccinated, what type of vaccine they have, whether or not they have passed the disease or if they have tested negative in a PCR test.

This system is intended to facilitate the safe movement of citizens between European Union countries, thus guaranteeing health protection. The main purpose is that they do not suffer any restrictive measures when arriving in a new country, such as additional tests or unnecessary quarantine, since it officially certifies that the person will not carry the virus. It is expected that the certificate will be used, in addition to travel, to attend other types of activities such as concerts, exhibitions, congresses and other events, but for the time being no information has been provided in this regard.

Is the certificate mandatory for travel?

The European Commission insists that the certificate is not a passport and that obtaining it is always voluntary, as the official website of the Spanish Government makes it clear that it does not condition or restrict the right to free movement within the borders of the European Union. Therefore, it cannot become an essential requirement for travel.

In any case, if you do not have the certificate you can travel without any problem, but the admission process in the new country will be slower and the destination countries may apply additional measures and controls, as explained in the following web page.

What is the certificate about?

The certificate is a free document which can be in electronic or paper format. It includes a QR code with the minimum essential information and has a digital seal that guarantees its authenticity and integrity so that it cannot be falsified. In the country of destination this QR code will be scanned and it will be verified whether the traveler is vaccinated, has a negative PCR test or has recovered from the disease. One of the three conditions must be met in order for the person carrying the certificate to be able to continue his or her trip without restrictions. In summary, thanks to the digital COVID certificate you can know if:

• You have recovered from COVID, so the traveler may have natural antibodies. The maximum period of validity is 180 days.
• The traveler has been vaccinated against COVID. There is no maximum validity at this time.
• You are in possession of a diagnostic test, which in this case must be a negative PCR. Validity between 48 and 72 hours.

Who issues the certificates?

The health authorities or bodies in each country will issue the certificate. In the case of Spain, the Ministry of Health and the Autonomous Communities are in charge. Private laboratories do not have the power to issue this type of certificate, but they must provide their patients’ data to the Conselleria de Sanidad on a daily basis so that they can access it.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.