Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
816. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of the availability for the EU Digital COVID Certificate to Irish citizens in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39411/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department continues to work closely with the Department of An Taoiseach, the Department of Health and the HSE, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, Government Information Services, and the Department of Transport in relation to the EU Digital COVID Certificate. As the Deputy will appreciate, specific questions around provision of EU Digital COVID Certificates to individual citizens are a matter for other Departments as appropriate.
I can advise that the EU Digital COVID Certificate is proof that individuals have either been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative COVID-19 test result, or recovered from COVID-19 within the last six months and has been introduced to help recipients to travel safely and more easily within the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DCC is valid in all EU Member States, including Ireland, and provided by the Member State within which the vaccination, COVID-19 test, or recovery took place. Each individual Member State decides on how to use the DCC as part of their own national public health measures and the information in relation to individual countries is available on reopen.europa.eu.
The EU Regulation gives the option to issue vaccination certificates to persons vaccinated elsewhere, with EMA approved vaccines, upon receipt of appropriate proof. The main development focus, at the moment, is on the delivery of the obligations of the EU Regulation with respect of persons who received a vaccination or a test in Ireland. Arrangements for provision of vaccination certificates to persons not vaccinated in Ireland, including Irish passport holders vaccinated in Northern Ireland, will be actively considered once the initial roll-out is in place.
Information on the DCC is available on www.gov.ie/en/publication/3a698-eu-digital-covid-certificate/, while gov.ie - Government advice on international travel (www.gov.ie) has the latest advice on travelling to and from Ireland. Passengers arriving or departing Northern Ireland via Dublin airport need to adhere to the guidelines for arriving in and out of Ireland.
For those who intend on travelling from Ireland and require a negative test result certificate this can be accessed through private providers.
