On 4 June 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council adopted an ordinance on Covid-19 certificates, which forms the legal basis for issuing the certificates in both forgery proof paper and electronic formats.
The ordinance will enter into force on 7 June 2021 and provide the legal basis for issuing the certificates.
The certificates are aimed mainly at foreign travellers as many nations are expected to restrict entry based on a traveller’s Covid status.
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT) is creating a system for issuing and checking the Covid-19 certificates, which will provide proof of vaccination, proof of infection and recovery, or proof of a recent negative test for the virus.
Both types of certificates will contain the certificate details in readable format, as well as a forgery-proof QR code equipped with an electronic signature of the Confederation. This makes it possible to securely check the certificate without personal data being transmitted or saved in the process.
The first certificates are to be issued gradually from 7 June 2021, and they will be available to the general public by the end of June at the latest, said the government in a press release.
A video on how the certificates will work is shown above in French. For a German version click here.
More on this:
Government press release (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
