Advertisement

Sweden to introduce digital 'vaccine passport'

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Sweden to introduce digital 'vaccine passport'
Doses of a Covid-19 vaccine are prepared. Photo: Malin Hoelstad/SvD/TT

Sweden on Thursday announced that work was under way to offer a digital 'vaccine certificate' to all those who get a Covid-19 vaccine in the country.

Advertisement

The government has also instructed three state agencies to work on a digital vaccination certificate, which is intended to be ready in time for the summer, the government said at a press conference with Health Minister Lena Hallengren, Digitalisation Minister Anders Ygeman, and the Public Health Agency's director-general Johan Carlson.

This certificate will be used to prove that the holder has been vaccinated, and could for example be used as a vaccine passport, "to travel abroad on holiday or to meet a loved one", Hallengren explained.

Advertisement

It is already the case that everyone who receives a vaccine in Sweden has the right to get a certificate from the vaccine provider, including for the Covid-19 vaccine. The change announced on Thursday is the digitalisation for this.

"Now we are putting together digital infrastructure for a 'vaccine passport' and verification of this. It will make the vaccination certificate more secure, simple and international," said Ygeman.

"When Sweden and the countries around us begin to open up, there will likely be requirements for vaccination in order to travel and take part in other activities," he explained.

Ygeman said that individual businesses, including restaurants, may choose to require proof of vaccination from customers in future, but that the level of infection spread would be what determines the restrictions in place.

The aim is to have the digital vaccine passport in place by June 1st this year. The government has pledged to offer the Covid-19 vaccination to all adults before Midsummer (the final weekend of June), but whether this will be possible depends on availability of vaccines, and could be affected by any problems with deliveries or with organisation at the regional level.

Sweden's neighbour Denmark has also announced plans to roll out a vaccine passport, which it said would be ready "in three to four months".

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also