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The EU has officially recognized Ukrainian COVID certificates in the Diia app. At the same time, Ukraine recognizes the certificates of EU member states and other countries that have joined the Digital COVID Certificate initiative.

This became known during a joint briefing of the Ministry of Digital Development, the Deputy Prime Minister for European integration, the Ministry of Health and the EU.

The final beta testing is currently underway. We have sent updates to the PlayMarket and AppStore and are waiting for confirmation from them. We will soon launch COVID certificates in Diia. All Ukrainians who have completed a full course of vaccination will be able to update the app to the new version and generate their COVID certificate in the app in a few clicks.

Ambassador Matti Maasikas, head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, stressed: “The mutual recognition of COVID-19 digital certificates between the EU and Ukraine is an amazing demonstration of uninterrupted and effective teamwork between a number of ministries and bodies of Ukraine, which is actively supported by the EU. I am particularly pleased to announce the appearance of this useful tool on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, as it brings Ukraine closer to the EU. We will continue to support further digital integration of Ukraine with the EU on the basis of our Association Agreement. We are pleased to see significant progress in digital transformation in Ukraine, which is one of the most successful reforms in this country. The European Union strongly supports Ukraine, expanding its ability to counter various threats, in particular the COVID-19 pandemic”.

A COVID certificate is a document in Diia that confirms the status of a vaccinated person. The certificate can be obtained in a few clicks. In the updated version of the app, click Services, select COVID certificates and click Get a certificate. Next is Diia. The signature must be a request to transfer data from the electronic health system to Diia.

“Due to the support of the EU, we were able to build an infrastructure for quickly obtaining certificates and implement instant data exchange between other countries. We managed to implement this project in a short time. Previously, years of development and negotiations were spent, but this case accelerated the development of such projects hundreds of times. We thank our partners for their political resolution and recognition of our work. Such steps bring us closer to integration with the EU digital market”, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of digital transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov.

Last week, Ukraine joined the EU COVID-certificate food infrastructure - a common environment for all countries that launch their own COVID-certificates and ensure their mutual recognition. Now the EU digital directorate will give us access to gateway, a tool that will allow us to check our certificates in other countries while traveling. COVID certificates will work just like other documents in Diia. It will be possible to check its validity by using a QR code.

The Cabinet of Ministers notes that it has become possible due to effective interaction with European institutions and coordinated actions within the Ukrainian government team.

“The most important thing was to guarantee the safety of citizens and restore the freedom of travel that was restricted by the pandemic. It was important to achieve compatibility and mutual recognition of certificates. We did it together. At the same time, the resolution of the European Commission has a much broader context, that is, recognition of the effectiveness of work and trust in state institutions of Ukraine, an appropriate level of personal data protection and the highest rating of the Diia application”, said Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro — Atlantic integration of Ukraine.

Currently, the terms of relevance of certificates in accordance with international requirements are described. For example, if you have generated a COVID certificate, you can show it within 180 days in most countries. It is important to understand that these terms can vary depending on medical research data, or from country to country.

The resolution has already been published on the official website of the EU. Although the European Commission's resolution on recognition is advisory in nature, 100% of all countries that are connected to the EU industrial environment symmetrically recognize COVID certificates of the participating countries. To avoid unpleasant situations at the border, we recommend that Ukrainian citizens check the list of countries that can be accessed using certificates, and the current mode of entry and transit in different countries of the world on the interactive online map of the Ministry of foreign affairs of Ukraine: http://tripadvisor.mfa.gov.ua .

“Vaccination is the only way to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus disease. Today, everyone can get vaccinated by contacting the nearest vaccination point or vaccination center. After completing the course on immunization against COVID-19, everyone can get a document certifying the status of a person vaccinated against coronavirus disease. I thank to the European Union for its continued and strategic support to Ukraine in the fight against COVID-19 and assistance in implementing Ukrainian COVID-19 vaccination certificates in Diia. For Ukrainians, this is an additional encouragement and stimulation to get vaccinated”, said Health Minister Viktor Liashko.

The introduction of COVID certificates will restore regular communication between the two countries and allow Ukrainians to travel.

The project was implemented with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, the EU4DigitalUA project and the EGAP program implemented by the East Europe Foundation and funded by Switzerland.