Creating and using COVID certificates

The vaccination certificates for adults, confirming the completion of the initial course of vaccinations, are valid for 9 months. The initial course of vaccinations is considered completed if two does of the AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the Janssen vaccine or one dose along with recovery (the so-called equated to a vaccinated person) have been administered. The change regards all valid and new vaccination certificates. After a booster dose, the period of validity of the vaccination certificate is extended by a year starting from the date of receiving the booster dose.

The certificate issued after receiving a booster does not currently have a validity period i.e. the validity of the booster dose certificate is open-ended regardless of the number of booster doses.

• The digital vaccination certificate of the European Union enables a person vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus to prove in Estonia that they have been vaccinated by a health care provider and that the vaccination information entered in the health information system is correct.
• In addition to personal data, the certificate contains its number, the disease against which the person was vaccinated, the active ingredient, the immune preparation, the marketing authorisation holder of the vaccine, the number of doses, the date of immunisation, and the country of immunisation. The certificate also contains the details of the issuer of the certificate.
• Show the certificate digitally from a smart device or on paper. You can also present an immunisation passport on paper which you can get from your health care provider.
• The certificate is valid together with an identity document.

• A digital certificate can be created by anyone who has been vaccinated against COVID-19, regarding which an immunisation notice has been created in the health information system.
• You can view the data on the certificate and create a new certificate and view the valid certificates already created on the patient portal www.digilugu.ee. You can also download the certificate from the patient portal
• You can create the certificate as soon as the health care provider has entered the relevant information into the health information system. The vaccination data must be transmitted by the health care provider to the health information system within one working day after confirming the immunisation in their own information system.
• If the option to create the COVID certificate is not available in the drop-down menu, the immunisation information is unlikely to have reached the health information system yet. Please be patient or contact the health care institution where you were vaccinated.
• Vaccination certificates created on the patient portal before 10 June 2021 should be replaced by a certificate created based on the new standard in the patient portal. To do this, a new certificate must be created on the patient portal www.digilugu.ee. The new certificate automatically meets the new requirements.

• In addition to the digital COVID certificate, other certificates equivalent to the digital certificate can be used to attend events and activities and to visit catering establishments to prove that you have been vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19, or tested negative.
• A paper-based yellow immunisation passport, issued by a family physician or another health care professional who carries out vaccination, is also suitable for proving vaccination.
• If you already have an immunisation passport and want to use it to prove that you have been vaccinated, take it with you to the vaccination. The health care provider can then make the corresponding entry in the passport.
• People who have been vaccinated abroad can also prove that they have been vaccinated with the immunisation passport.

People who have been vaccinated abroad can prove this by presenting:

• an immunisation passport, a copy thereof, or a corresponding certificate (including the EU-compliant COVID-19 digital vaccination certificate);
• an officially certified printout of the database of another country;
• an immunisation passport (which can be requested from the health care provider on paper).

The document which proves having been vaccinated in a foreign country must be drawn up in the Latin alphabet or Cyrillic and in the Estonian, Russian, or English language, and must include the following information:

• the disease against which the person was immunised;
• the date of immunisation;
• the immune preparation used;
• how many doses have been administered to the person;
• details of the issuer of the certificate.

All vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (which have an EU marketing authorisation) are accepted in Estonia.

In addition, vaccines and vaccine schemes that are not yet approved by the European Medicines Agency but are recognised in the country of origin will be accepted.

• The vaccination certificate is not a basis for travelling abroad, but may be the basis for exemption from restrictions imposed by the country of destination (e.g. self-isolation), depending on the requirements of the country.
• Check the requirements of the country of destination before going on the trip.
• Note that although a vaccination certificate can be created immediately after the first dose of immunisation, single-dose vaccination (for a two-dose vaccine) may not result in the desired differences or exemptions in the country of destination.
• Find out the requirements of the country of destination for achieving maximum immunity, i.e. when the vaccination course is considered completed. For example, in some countries, a certain number of days must have elapsed since the administration of the second dose of a two-dose vaccine to be exempt from self-isolation.
• In addition, find out and take into account the restrictions imposed by transport companies on their transit passengers.

• With the digital COVID certificate of the European Union, you can prove that you have recovered from COVID-19. The basis for the certificate is a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test taken in Estonia, which has been entered into the health information system by the health care provider.
• In addition to personal data, the certificate contains its number, the disease for which the person was tested, the date of the first positive test, the country where the test was taken, the periods of validity of the certificate. The certificate also contains the details of the issuer of the certificate.

• You can use the certificate to prove that you have recovered from COVID-19 when travelling and at events or activities where you need to prove your infection safety.
• Depending on the requirements of the country of destination, the recovery certificate may be a basis for exemption from restrictions.
• You can present the certificate as a digital document on a smart device (PDF format) or on paper.
• The certificate is valid together with an identity document.

• An EU COVID recovery certificate can be created by any person who has given a positive Sars-CoV-2 PCR test or a positive rapid antigen test meant for professional use in Estonia, documented and entered into the Patient Portal by a health care service provider. Additionally, the rapid antigen test used has to be in the joint list of rapid antigen COVID-19 tests compiled on the basis of the recommendation of the Council of Europe.
• You can get acquainted with your data, create the certificate, and download it on the patient portal www.digilugu.ee.
• The certificate can be created from the 11th day after taking the positive test and is valid for six months after the positive test. The time of day has an important role: in order to create the certificate, at least 11x24 hours and no more than 180 days must have passed. After that, you should get vaccinated with a single dose so you can start using the vaccination certificate.

• If you get infected with the coronavirus repeatedly, you can create a new recovery certificate at the Patient Portal on the basis of your last recovery, if the period between the two positive tests confirming the beginning of recovery is at least 60 days.

• The EU digital COVID test certificate enables those who have taken a negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR or rapid antigen test for professional use in Estonia to prove their infection safety. A certificate of the result of a test taken at a health care provider can be created on the patient portal www.digilugu.ee.
• In addition to personal data, the certificate contains its number, the disease for which the test was taken, the type of analysis, the time of sampling, the result of the analysis, the name of the authority that performed the analysis, and the country where the test was taken. The certificate also contains the details of the issuer.
• You can print the certificate or use a digital PDF document to present it on a smart device.

• The test certificate can be used when travelling. Although it is not a basis for entry to a country, it can be a basis for exemptions from certain restrictions, such as self-isolation.
• When travelling, take into account possible restrictions in the country of destination. In addition, the requirements of the country of destination regarding the time of taking the test must be taken into account.
• The certificate is valid together with an identity document.

• You can create and download the test certificate immediately after the test result reaches the health information system as the response to the referral.
• You can create a certificate that meets the requirements of the European Union and get acquainted with the information on it on the patient portal www.digilugu.ee.

1. 1. Enter the patient portal digilugu.ee with an ID-card, Mobile-ID, or Smart-ID.
   2. Click on the ‘EU digital COVID certificates’ box in the left column.
   3. Click on the ‘Start the creation of an EU digital COVID certificate’ button.
   4. Select the certificate you want to create from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page and click ‘Continue’.
   5. Save or print the certificate.

• If the option to create the COVID certificate is not available in the drop-down menu, it is likely that the test result has not yet reached the health information system. Be patient or contact the health care institution where you were tested.
• The certificate is stored in the ‘Downloads’ folder on your computer or smart device.