The below briefing was produced in early February 2022 to help Members respond to frequently-asked questions about the Covid Pass.

From 18 February, the Welsh Government has confirmed the domestic Covid Pass will no longer be a legal requirement for entry to events and venues in Wales, however premises will continue to be able to opt to use the pass as one of the reasonable measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Covid Pass will continue to be used for international travel.

BRIEFING – Covid Pass updates

When are we going to show the boosters on the pass?

We are waiting for a UK Government decision on a change in the definition of fully vaccinated – once this decision is made, it will enable the digital changes to be made to allow boosters to show in the domestic Covid Pass. This date has moved a number of times.

When these changes are made, to be “fully vaccinated” in Wales, for the purposes of the domestic Covid Pass, you must have had your first, second and booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

At the moment, “fully vaccinated” means first and second dose only.

Booster doses are currently added to people’s records shortly after the vaccination is carried out – the information is recorded in people’s vaccination records and then transferred to the Covid Pass, which can be accessed via your NHS login details (used when registering for and updating the Covid Pass) – this transfer can take up to five working days but typically the pass is updated within 24 hours.

For the travel Covid Pass, boosters are already shown in the Covid Pass for outbound international travel.

The UK Government is due to consider if the definition of fully vaccinated for inbound international travel should include boosters and whether there should be a time-limit on a primary courses’ validity in February.

Paper certificates requested after 7 February include booster vaccinations.

When are we going to add the vaccine for the immunosuppressed to the pass?

The third primary dose for people who are immuno-suppressed has been not showing up on the Covid Pass for outbound international travel because of an issue with the way NHS England has been recording the third dose on the system.

We have been pressing for this to be resolved – the Health Minister has raised this repeatedly with the Secretary of State for Health and Welsh Government officials have raised it with their counterparts in the Department of Health and Social Care.

We are continuing to work with NHSX, NHS Digital and Digital Health and Care Wales to push for these issues to be resolved as quickly as possible to enable third doses of the vaccine to be visible on the digital Covid Pass so people who are immuno-suppressed can use the Covid Pass for international travel.

We continue to urge everyone to check the entry requirements of the country they want to travel to before booking travel arrangements/holidays on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office website – these vary from country to country and can change suddenly, depending on the state of the pandemic: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

The rules for international travel when returning to the UK/Wales are available here – these include the latest changes, which will come into force on February 11: https://gov.wales/rules-international-travel-and-wales-coronavirus

When are we going to have the new NHS Wales app ready?

The first version of the new, dedicated NHS Wales App, which will have a range of functions, is expected to go live in early June.

What do people do if they need a covid pass for under-16s before they go on holiday?

The Covid Pass will be available for 12 to 15-year-olds from 3 February in Wales.

More information about the rules for children when travelling to Wales is available at: https://gov.wales/rules-children-travelling-wales-coronavirus

What do people do if a country requires a Covid Pass for children to go on holiday but we haven’t offered the vaccine for children under 12 in UK?

The Welsh Government does not have any influence over the coronavirus-related entry requirements of other countries.

Covid-19 vaccination is routinely offered to children aged 12 and over in Wales and to children aged five to 11 who are in an at-risk group or who live in a household with someone who is immunosuppressed.

We urge everyone to check the entry requirements of the country they want to travel to before booking travel arrangements/holidays on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office website – these vary from country to country and can change suddenly, depending on the state of the pandemic: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

When will people who are unable to get the vaccine or take a lateral flow test likely to have the waiver shown on their pass and how do they get this?

The announcement confirming the definition of “medically exempt” will be made this month (February). This will include exemptions for people who are medically unable to receive a vaccine or to take a lateral flow test.

Initially, an interim system will identify individuals and health boards will provide written confirmation that they are exempt (no medical information will be included in the letter). The letter will be used to provide evidence of exemption until the digital system can be updated with the exemptions. An appeals process will be available.