On 22 April 2021, Switzerland’s federal government said it was aiming to have developed a standardised, forgery-proof and internationally recognised Covid certificate by the summer and that the final design would be unveiled by mid-May.
According to Swiss law, anyone who has been vaccinated, has recovered from or has recently tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus should be able to obtain a Covid certificate.
The certificates, which will be in paper and smartphone formats, must be designed so that the information is held only in the certificate and at the place where the person was tested or vaccinated. The certificate must also be internationally compatible.
The government said it had consulted with the cantons, the Swiss Medical Association, Pharmasuisse, vaccinating doctors, pharmacies and experts in the field and had examined around 50 proposals. Over the next few weeks, organisations that will issue and check the certificates will also be invited to participate.
The focus will be on ensuring the security of the system and authenticating the bodies that will issue the certificates. Once the technical solutions are ready, they will be tested by internal and external specialists. The certificate must be personal and forgery-proof. This means additional identification, for example a passport or ID card, will be required when the certificate is presented.
The Swiss Covid certificate will be designed to be used to enter and leave other countries, and to be internationally compatible. The federal government is following the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) on the Smart Vaccination Certificate and the EU’s Digital Green Certificate to ensure it is internationally compatible.
Until the new Covid certificate is available, the proof of vaccination provided by vaccination centres and proof of a negative test result or evidence of recovery from the disease will be valid in Switzerland.
The government plans to have Covid certificates operational during June 2021.
More on this:
Government press release (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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