How to get proof of your COVID-19 vaccination
As millions of Australians in NSW and Victoria come out of lockdown, they’re being asked to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination to do things like dine in at cafes and restaurants, visit the hairdresser and the shops. Your COVID-19 digital certificate is what you need to show proof of your COVID-19 vaccination, and there are several ways you can access it.
After you have had your second COVID-19 vaccination, you will automatically get a COVID-19 digital certificate. You can access it through your myGov account or the Express Plus Medicare app. The certificate can be printed out via your myGov account or saved to your smartphone to show proof of your COVID-19 vaccination when you are out.
In this article:
- myGov: how to access your COVID-19 digital certificate
- Express Plus Medicare app: how to access your COVID-19 digital certificate
- How to save your COVID-19 digital certificate to your smartphone
- How to get proof if you are not online or don’t have a smartphone
- How to get proof if you are not covered by Medicare
- Can you get a COVID-19 digital certificate if you have only had one dose?
- A word on vaccination scams
myGov: how to access your COVID-19 digital certificate
To access your COVID-19 digital certificate from myGov, you will need to link your myGov account to Medicare. If you need help with this, see our step-by-step guides on how to set up a myGov account and how to link services in myGov . If you already have Medicare linked to your myGov account, you can follow these steps to get your COVID-19 digital certificate.
- Sign in to myGov (my.gov.au)
- Select the Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination quick link.
- Select View history.
- Scroll down the page and select View COVID-19 digital certificate.
The COVID-19 digital certificate includes your name, date of birth, the dates you received each vaccination and the type of vaccine received (Astra Zeneca, Pfizer etc).
To print your digital certificate, look for the printer icon in the top right-hand corner of the page.
Express Plus Medicare app: how to access your COVID-19 digital certificate
If you have the Express Plus Medicare app on your smartphone, you can follow these steps to access your COVID-19 digital certificate.
- Open the Express Plus Medicare app on your smartphone.
- Under Services, select Proof of vaccinations.
- Select View history.
- Scroll down and select View COVID-19 digital certificate.
When you have opened your certificate, select the Save offline option. This will give you easy access to your digital certificate when you’re out and need to show proof of your vaccination. The main benefit being you don’t need to use your mobile data or be connected to Wi-Fi to access it.
Once you have saved your COVID-19 digital certificate offline, you can retrieve it by following these steps:
- Open the Medicare Express app (no need to sign in).
- Select the green Offline items button at the bottom of the screen.
- A banner with your name and the green tick appears, you can select this to view your certificate in full.
If you need help with downloading and setting up the Express Plus Medicare app on your smartphone, see More information in this article.
How to save your COVID-19 digital certificate to your smartphone
There are several ways you can show your COVID-19 digital certificate on your smartphone.
- If you are in NSW and Victoria you can add your COVID-19 digital certificate to the same state service app you use to check-in with. This way you only need to use the one app to check-in and show proof of your COVID-19 vaccination. See More information in this article for instructions on how to add your COVID-19 digital certificate to your state service app.
- You can save your certificate offline to the Express Plus Medicare app, as outlined above. So you will need to use your state service app to check-in and open your Medicare app to show your digital certificate.
- You can also download your digital certificate to your apple or android wallet. See More information in this article for instructions on how to do this.
How to get proof if you are not online or don’t have a smartphone
There are several ways you can get proof of your COVID-19 vaccination if you’re not online or don’t have a smartphone.
- Call the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) on 1800 653 809 and ask for proof of your vaccination to be sent to your address. They will ask you for your details including your Medicare number and address. The letter can take up to 14 days to reach you in the post.
- Ask the place where you got your COVID-19 vaccine to print your Immunisation history statement or COVID-19 digital certificate for you.
How to get proof if you are not covered by Medicare
You can still get proof of your COVID-19 vaccination if you’re not covered by Medicare. There are several options you can try:
- Link the Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) service to your myGov account. You can find IHI under the list of Services you can link to in myGov.
- Ask your vaccination provider to print your Immunisation history statement for you.
- Call the Australian Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809.
Can you get a COVID-19 digital certificate if you have only had one dose?
Your COVID-19 digital certificate will only be available after you have received the recommended two doses of your COVID-19 vaccine. If you have only had one dose, it will be recorded in your Immunisation history statement along with every other vaccine you have received. If you have only had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and need to provide proof, follow the steps outlined above to view your Immunisation history statement in your myGov account and / or Express Plus Medicare app.
A word on vaccination scams
Scamwatch has been receiving reports of scammers sending a text message or email stating that your vaccine passport is available. This is a scam. Do not click on any links and delete the message.
It’s important to remember that all COVID-19 vaccines are free. Also, at this stage, the only way you can access your COVID-19 digital certificates online is via myGov or your Medicare Plus Express app. The Government is not sending individual text messages about the availability of your certificate or passport.
More information
- How to add your COVID-19 digital certificate to your Service NSW app
- How to add your COVID-19 digital certificate to your Service VIC app
- How to set up the Express Plus Medicare app on your smartphone
- How to add your immunisation history statements to your digital wallet
- How to get proof of your COVID-19 vaccinations for your situation
- How to add overseas vaccinations to your immunisation statement
- COVID-19 vaccination scams
