Australia is readying for international travel, but it won’t be as you know it. Many countries (and even certain airlines) will require you to be fully vaccinated to enter, particularly when no quarantine is needed upon arrival. An official certificate from the government is how you’ll be showing your vaccination status.
The Australian Government can now provide an international COVID-19 vaccination certificate via Medicare. You can download it from the MyGov website or through the Medicare Express App. Here’s how to get yours.
Steps to download your international COVID certificate
These steps will help you download your certificate from any internet-enabled device. You can print it or display a digital copy when required. We’ll assume you already have a MyGov login set up.
- Login to the MyGov website and head to the linked Medicare website.
- On the Medicare homepage, go to ‘Proof of vaccinations’.
- Under ‘International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate’, click ‘Request a certificate’.
- Confirm the displayed COVID vaccination details are correct.
- Link your Australian passport or foreign passport with a valid Australian visa.
- Enter your passport details.
- Confirm all the displayed details are correct.
- Click the button to download your certificate with a QR code.
The website will generate your vaccination certificate as a printable A4 page. It features all the details of your vaccination status and also carries a mega-sized QR code that foreign agencies can use to verify your document.
When you’re able to travel again (not long to go now!), we recommend you keep a digital copy on your phone (perhaps emailed to yourself), plus a printed copy with you as well.
Summing up
Our travel checklist is certainly longer now. Vaccine certificates and pre-departure tests might be something we’ll need to deal with for several more years.
There are apps out there designed to streamline things, such as the IATA Travel Pass which Qantas and Jetstar will be using. In time, you should be able to add your Australian vaccination certificate to these apps to have everything in one place.
I know over at least 5 people as of today who are in the same situation as me, so there must be thousands like this who now can’t get their international vaccine passport, but are able to obtain their national vaccine certificate, with their recognised name through myGov.
I think this is going to be something that has to be looked into.