The European Regulation enabling the issuance of the European Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) is set to expire on July 1, 2023. As a result, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport (VWS) has decided to cease the issuance of international digital certificates via the CoronaCheck app from that date.
The DCC enables travelers to demonstrate through a QR code that they have been vaccinated, recovered from, or tested negative for Covid-19. This allows travelers to show that they meet the entry requirements of their destination. The DCC was developed in 2021 to facilitate free movement within the EU during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the international emergency situation regarding Covid-19. The use of the DCC in this phase contributes little to public health protection. Few countries now require proof of Covid-19 status, and it is expected that this will continue to decrease over time.
With the expiration of the European DCC regulation, member states are no longer required to issue digital vaccination certificates and digital test and recovery certificates. From July 1, member states can decide for themselves whether they continue to issue Covid-19 certificates and in what form. The legal basis and obligation to continue issuing the international QR code in the CoronaCheck app also ceases to exist in the Netherlands.
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