safe travel vaccination certificate

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How to Prove You're Vaccinated for COVID-19

You may need to prove your vaccination status for travel or work, or to attend an event. Paper credentials usually work, but a new crop of digital verification apps is adding confusion.

Retired Tennessee farmer Tom Anderson, 75, and his wife Barbara, 65, flew to Egypt in September to celebrate their 25 th wedding anniversary on a Nile River cruise. After their plane arrived in Cairo, an Egyptian official demanded to see electronic proof of COVID-19 vaccination shown in a QR code.

“We had our actual (CDC) card, and they said, ‘Where are your QR codes?’” Barbara recalls. “And we said, ‘We don’t know what you are talking about.’”

Adds Tom: “We tried our best to reason with them, and they said, ‘No, you have to have the QR code.’”

Egyptian officials put them back on the next flight out en route to Memphis, where they arrived after 57 hours total for the round-trip travel. Apparently, the Egyptian rules had changed since the Andersons had prepared their paperwork, requiring electronic proof of vaccination.

Their story is an extreme one, but it shows how fluid and inconsistent the task of proving your vaccination status can be in a world where that particular piece of information is becoming increasingly important.

Depending on where you live, you may have to show that you are inoculated to keep your job, eat in a restaurant, attend a concert or ball game, work out in a gym, or travel. So it pays to have your credential at the ready.

The most obvious way to do this is with the CDC vaccination card that vaccine providers typically give out when you get your shot. But many employers and venues are encouraging workers and consumers to use digital verification apps, and some consumers may prefer not to carry their card everywhere, thus the appeal of a digital vaccine “passport” on your cell phone.

However, electronically answering what is basically a simple yes-or-no question has become surprisingly controversial, confusing, and time consuming. That’s because the rules vary by country and by state, with some states refusing to issue or even allow such a credential. Layered on top of that, different firms offer their own versions of COVID-19 vaccination passports.

“The U.S. is a mess, because there isn’t a centralized approach,” says Darren Toh, CEO of AOKpass, a Singapore-based company working with some American companies to verify that employees are vaccinated, as well as with some airlines. 

“It’s baffling,” he continues. “The United States seems to be this unique bundle of chaotic people moving at different speeds and in different directions. You can juxtapose it with the EU response, which is quite centralized.”

Some U.S. cities, including New York and Los Angeles, are requiring vaccination for most indoor venues, but in most of the country, figuring out when you might need proof of vaccination is a confusing guessing game. For example, among amusement parks in southern California, Disneyland does not require a vaccine credential or recent COVID-19 tests, but Universal Studios Hollywood , 35 miles to the north, does.

“We’re stuck with this fractured, uneven, confusing system of ad hoc vaccine certifications, and we just have to struggle with it,” says Josh Michaud, PhD, the associate director for global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Depending on where you live in the United States, you may have rules against using digital vaccine certifications . . . mostly Republican, mostly conservative states.”

“But for the other states, where it is an option, you do face a slew of different potential options,” he continues. “Once you explain all of that, you basically have confused the hell out of people.”

Given this reality, here are some insights on how to sort through the choices consumers have in order to prove that they are indeed vaccinated.

How to Prove You're Vaccinated

Having trouble sorting through vaccine verification options? Jump to our situation-by-situation guide , below.

Good Ol' Paper

First the good news: Your paper CDC vaccination card works in most places, whether you want to attend a basketball game, go to a concert, or visit a museum. 

Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH, a professor of public health and human rights at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, carries his paper card in his wallet everywhere but acknowledges that relying on that document alone has downsides. “If you lose it or it’s destroyed, there isn’t necessarily an easy way to get it back,” he says.

Others might not want to carry that pesky card everywhere. Fortunately, a photo of both sides of the CDC card, kept on your phone or printed out, is typically accepted as evidence of vaccination. “In this case, more is more—as many forms of documentation as you can, the better,” Beyrer says.

Digital Proof

At present, about 150 million Americans can also access digital proofs of their COVID-19 vaccinations , according to Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI), a coalition of public and private organizations working on enabling standards for SMART Health Cards —a fancy-sounding term for digital medical records such as vaccine histories. (The records can also be printed out.) Its members include electronic health records companies Epic and Cerner, as well as Microsoft.

“A paper CDC card, as well as a photocopy, is not easily verifiable, can be misplaced, and is subject to forgery,” says Brian Anderson , MD, a VCI co-founder and chief digital health physician at MITRE , a government contractor that works on federally funded research. “Digital vaccination verification tools—like SMART Health Cards—contain a machine-readable QR code that provides for verification, is resistant to forgery, and can be easily re-obtained if a paper or digital copy is lost.”

Yet things become confusing when you try to figure out which digital credential you should use. Unlike a U.S. passport, which is the same for all Americans, a digital credential can come from one of many state or local entities, or dozens of private companies. But unlike regular passports, the vaccination credentials are free to individuals, with government or businesses bearing the cost.

Your first step should be to check whether your state issues COVID-19 vaccination credentials or works with an outside company. Among the states with their own vaccination verifications are New York and California , where 7.5 million residents had downloaded a SMART Health Card QR code as of early November, according to the California Department of Public Health. 

VCI currently lists eight states as issuing their own SMART Health Cards. In theory, any state can issue electronic proof of your vaccination, or allow an outside company to do so, because all U.S. states maintain their own vaccine registries, as do New York City; Washington, D.C.; and San Antonio. The CDC maintains a list of links and contacts for these registries , known as Immunization Information Systems.

Los Angeles County and New York City (via Google Play or the Apple Store ) also allow the vaccinated to download a credential that they sponsor.

“I’m not sure what the point of this app really is,” one user wrote in a Google Play store review of the NYC COVID Safe app. “You take a picture of your vaccine card and store it locally? You might as well just create a photo directory for your vaccine card. It’s exactly the same thing.” Spokespeople for the mayors’ offices in Los Angeles and New York did not respond to requests for comment.

Apple iPhone users with iOS 15.1 can also download verifiable credentials (as opposed to a simple photo of a vaccine card) to their Wallet or Health app. Google offers a similar feature for Android devices .

As if things were not confusing enough, MyIR, an app working with seven states—Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.—announced in late October that digital vaccine credentials were being temporarily suspended (PDF). (Residents of these states can still obtain other digital vaccine credentials.) The problem is that MyIR aggregates data from various states and providers rather than directly on the behalf of each, according to VCI, the group working on standards for SMART Health Cards.

“Chaos is the right word,” says Mike Popovich, CEO of STChealth, which operates MyIR. “There seems to be a push for who controls the credentialing space, which I suppose is natural.”

Growing Pains

Once you figure out which options are available in your state, it may take just a few minutes to get set up, but it is also possible that you may have to invest a bit of time to get your digital vaccination certification. State websites typically ask for name, date of birth, and mobile phone number or email address, but each system has its own quirks. 

For example, North Carolina’s COVID-19 Vaccine Portal tells users to click ‘Forgot Your Username’ the first time they are accessing the system.

My own initial effort to download New York State’s Excelsior Pass failed, and the website directed me to call the pharmacy where I received my vaccinations. After two calls to CVS and 15 minutes on hold I was able to update the phone number they had on file. Then I logged back in to the Excelsior site and got an error message: “It seems like we’re having some issues behind the scenes preventing us from helping you.” I tried again some hours later and somehow it then worked. 

Speaking in general about vaccine certification efforts, JP Pollak, co-founder of the Commons Project , a nonprofit group whose projects include a vaccination credential you can download via Apple’s App Store or Google Play , says, “We’re experiencing a lot of expected growing pains.”

Ramin Bastani, CEO of Healthvana , which provides digital COVID-19 credentials for Los Angeles County, says tiny differences in data can clog up the system. “It’s not a perfect process,” he says. “You may have registered in one particular area, and your name is James, but then somewhere else, you registered your name as Jim for that second shot. So those have to actually be matched in some way.”

I encountered more roadblocks when I tried to obtain additional proof of my COVID-19 vaccinations.

Electronic health records system Epic offers vaccination credentials to 64 million Americans through its MyChart system, and that number is set to raise to 100 million next year, according to implementation executive Nick Frenzer. But when I logged on to my account, MyChart showed just one of my two vaccinations. Frenzer later said there was a mismatch between the New York State registry and my healthcare provider’s record.

CVS , Walmart , and other large pharmacy chains also offer digital records from their websites. When I tried to download my vaccination record via the CVS website, I received a “PM2 error” message related to verifying my identity. Rather than invest time in untangling the problem, I gave up.

Controversy Over COVID-19 Passports

Adding to the confusion is the politicization of COVID-19 vaccinations and documentation, with 21 states, including Florida and Texas, banning vaccine passports altogether, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy, which maintains a map showing various state mandates and other COVID-related details .

“We are opposed to the idea of a national Green Pass on principle,” says Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “COVID-19 vaccination records are private medical information. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination should not be required to participate in society, and the Green Pass creates a two-tiered society that we do not want to see in Florida.”

Green Pass is a system of vaccine credentials first used in Israel and then adopted in Europe and other countries. 

The Florida governor’s office’s stance mirrors the sentiments of many Americans. For example, among Texans, 39 percent in August were strongly opposed to a vaccine passport, with only 33 percent strongly supporting the idea, according to a University of Texas at Austin poll . Some companies involved in COVID-19 vaccination documentation say privately that they have been subject to harassment or threats.

Nonetheless, residents of Florida, Texas, and other states that have banned vaccine passports may still have to prove their status outside their home states, especially when visiting cities with strict vaccine mandates for many public spaces. For example, anyone wanting to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City must either show a CDC paper vaccine card or photo of it, New York’s Excelsior Pass, a New York City vaccination record or COVID-19 app, or an official record from outside New York.

What about those without proof of vaccine? “Visitors who cannot display their proof of vaccination are welcome to enjoy the Museum’s virtual offerings,” the museum says . 

If you live in a state that does not offer digital credentials, see whether your pharmacy or electronic health system linked to your healthcare provider can provide you with a digital proof. Otherwise, carry your paper card when needed.

Convenience for Whom?

The simplest proof of vaccination—the paper CDC certificate—requires the least effort for the individual and may offer the most privacy. “Whoever is more concerned about privacy, going for the option that doesn’t require any scanning of a QR code is better,” says Lucy Yang, community director of the COVID Credentials Initiative . “But from a public health perspective, the options that don’t require verifications of a digitally signed credential are more prone to fraud.”

The cyber security firm Check Point has reported that prices for fake CDC cards have soared to as much as $200 each by early fall amid a boom in demand with the arrival of various vaccine mandates. States such as New York have warned against the use of fraudulent cards, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized shipments of fake cards .

Companies that must verify many credentials often prefer digital COVID-19 vaccine certificates because they are quicker to scan. Some venues, including those used by sports teams such as the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Nashville Predators, and Golden State Warriors, have partnered with CLEAR —the publicly traded, for-profit company whose security screening stations you may have noticed in airport terminals. CLEAR is also accepted to prove COVID-19 vaccination status to enter Hawaii .

CLEAR does not have direct access to state vaccination registries, so they ask people to either upload their CDC card and information, scan QR codes issued by the states, or link to a vaccine provider or pharmacy that works with them.

Privacy and Other Concerns

Many healthcare experts think that a unified national system of COVID-19 vaccination credentials akin to the European Union’s Green Pass or similar programs in some Asian countries would be far easier and less confusing. “I think these kinds of small, ad-hoc approaches are likely fraught with problems,” says Beyrer at Johns Hopkins. “This is such a challenge, the way the country is divided among these political lines.”

With so many private companies and government agencies hastily developing digital vaccine credentials, some experts fear these systems will incorporate security and privacy vulnerabilities. What’s more, vaccine apps are typically not covered by federal laws restricting the release of medical information. 

“Paper proof of vaccination raises fewer concerns, as does a digital photo of a paper card displayed on a phone screen,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote in an August article . “Of much greater concern are scannable vaccination credentials, which might be used to track people’s physical movements through doors and across time.”

Kaliya Young, an expert on digital identity verification working on the COVID Credentials Initiative, is also concerned that the rush to digitize important documents—including health cards and electronic driver’s licenses—will result in faulty designs.

“I’m happy about the digitization—just not happy about the failure to be discerning in those choices pushed by health IT people who don’t care about privacy pushing static QR codes like SMART Health Cards,” she says. Young says static QR codes can easily be copied by anyone who has access to them, and perhaps used by someone who is not the owner. “We will be stuck with bad systems that have baked within them privacy-infringing defaults.” 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation experts are also concerned that a company such as CLEAR could combine vaccination details with other personal information. “There is no logical limit to how centralized digital identifications like those created by CLEAR might spread into our lives by facilitating proof of vaccination, and with it new vectors for tracking our movements and activities,” the EFF team wrote in the August article mentioned above.

CLEAR spokesman Ken Lisaius says, “CLEAR does not sell or rent member information. Safety and security are at the heart of everything CLEAR does.”

One company, iProov, has developed a vaccine credential that relies on facial recognition technology . “Without it, a visitor would have to present a vaccine card and a form of ID, and wait while the door-person squints at them to see if the names match, and then at the person to see if they match the photo ID, a process that takes time and effort for everyone,” says Andrew Bud, iProov’s founder and CEO. “With face verification, they just present their card or QR code to the camera, look at it for an instant, and then walk on through.”

Privacy advocates have often expressed concerns about facial recognition, but to date the iProov vaccination verification system is not being used in the U.S., Bud said, and would be used only on a voluntary basis in any case.

So What Should You Do?

The bottom line is that sorting through COVID-19 vaccination credentials involves some time and hassle. Find out whether you can get a vaccine credential through your state, the pharmacy or clinic that administered the vaccination, or your electronic health record system. Then find out what proof businesses require where you live, including activities such as going to the movies, visiting a museum exhibition, or traveling. And keep in mind that the rules today may be different next week. 

Airline travel : Airlines must verify their passengers’ vaccination status for international routes, and different carriers offer the option of their own preferred digital verifications. American Airlines uses the VeriFLY app for this list of countries and Delta offers Delta FlyReady . United has its Travel-Ready Center . But you can usually use your paper CDC card for travel, as I have for the past half-year without issue.

The CDC guidelines for international travel start with the following warning: “Do not travel internationally until you are fully vaccinated.”

Employer verification : If your employer requires proof of vaccination, it will detail which documents they accept and how to submit them. Ford Motor Co., which recently announced a vaccine mandate for most of its workers, is collecting digital scans or photos of the CDC card, a spokeswoman said. Federal workers can submit a wider variety of documentation . 

Venues : As highlighted throughout this article, different museums, concert halls, and other venues have different rules, and may sometimes be mandated by local rules in cities such as New York or Los Angeles. For example, the Getty Villa Museum and Getty Center in the Los Angeles area require vaccination proof or negative test and advance reservations ; the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland does not ask for vaccination proof but requires advance online ticket purchase . The buildings of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta are temporarily closed because of COVID-19.

“At this point it’s important for people to check with destinations well in advance to see what sort of proof is required,” says Pollak at the Commons Project. “We’re seeing requirements ranging from paper CDC cards to pictures of CDC cards to requirements for specific apps or QR code formats.”

Lining up your vaccine credentials is worth the effort because two years into the pandemic, COVID-19 is not expected to disappear overnight.

“I think that there’s going to be an ongoing need for this for quite a while as the pandemic is nowhere close to being done,” says Michaud at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “It might be something that we have to contend with here in the United States, at least for another year or so. And depending on circumstances, maybe even longer.”

Adam Tanner

Adam Tanner is a Consumer Reports contributing editor. He is also the author of “Our Bodies, Our Data: How Companies Make Billions Selling Our Medical Records” and an associate at Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science. 

EU Digital COVID Certificate

To facilitate safe free movement during the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union established the EU Digital COVID Certificate.  

On 1 July 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) took up the EU system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics.

A strong tool for the reopening of our economies and societies

The EU Digital COVID certificate has been a crucial element in Europe's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 2.3 billion certificates issued.

The certificate, which covered COVID-19 vaccination, test and recovery, facilitated safe travel for citizens, and it has also been key to support Europe's hard-hit tourism industry.

The certificate facilitated safe travel for citizens across the European Union when Member States restricted travel on the grounds of public health. In addition, it allowed to coordinate the lifting of these restrictions from the moment it was possible. Indeed since August 2022 there have been no intra-EU travel restrictions anymore.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate has also been a success worldwide: it has set a global standard for international travel and has been the only system in operation at international level. 51 countries across four continents have benefited from this system. 

The EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation entered into application on 1 July 2021 and expired on 30 June 2023. 

A step towards global health security

On 1 July 2023, the WHO took up the EU system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics. This is the first building block of the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network that will develop a system for global verification of health documents to deliver better health for all.

The WHO will facilitate this process globally under its own structure with the first use-case being the convergence of digital COVID-19 certificates. This includes taking up EU standards and validating digital signatures to prevent fraud. In doing so, WHO will not have access to any underlying personal data, which would continue to be the exclusive domain of national governments.

EU-WHO digital partnership

To facilitate the uptake of the EU Digital COVID certificate by the WHO and contribute to its operation and further development, the WHO and the European Commission have agreed to partner in digital health.

This partnership will work to technically develop the WHO system with a staged approach to cover additional use cases, which may include, for example, the digitisation of the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis. Expanding such digital solutions will be essential to deliver better health for citizens across the globe.

The Global Digital Health Certification Network

The Global Digital Health Certification Network is a voluntary system that can help citizens to validate their health documents and use their electronic health data in a safe and secure way.

Joining the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network is voluntary for the Member States. The Council Recommendation adopted on 27 June 2023 encourages all Member States to join the WHO system, and to continue issuing COVID-19 certificates upon request.

The Commission and the WHO have signed a non-binding Administrative Arrangement  between the two organizations. The Administrative Arrangement is a technical document that sets the aim between the European Commission and the WHO to collaborate on the uptake of the EU Digital COVID Certificate framework and the further development of the Global Digital Health Certification Network. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) takes up the EU system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation expires.

Council adopts a revised Recommendation on lifting of all intra-EU travel restrictions.

Extension of the EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation until 30 June 2023. Member States are now able to issue vaccination certificates to participants of clinical trials and will recognise additional types of antigen tests.

New rules exempt minors from the acceptance period of 9 months for vaccination certificates.

Recovery certificates can now be issued based on rapid antigen tests

Council adopts a revised recommendation on measures ensuring coordination of safe travel in the EU, based on the individual situation of persons and no longer on the region of origin.

The Commission adopts rules establishing a binding acceptance period of 9 months of vaccination certificates for the purposes of intra-EU travel.

Phase-in period: if a Member State is not yet ready to issue the new certificate to its citizens, other formats can still be used and should be accepted in other Member States.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate enters into application throughout the EU.

Revised Council Recommendation on travel within the EU.

Warm-up phase: Member States can launch the certificate on a voluntary basis provided they are ready to issue and verify certificates, and have the necessary legal base in place.

EU Gateway (interconnection of national systems) goes live.

The European Parliament and the Council agreed on the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

The Commission started the pilot test of the EU interoperability infrastructure (EU Gateway) that will facilitate the authentication of the EU Certificates.

Member States' representatives in the  eHealth Network  agreed on  guidelines  describing the main technical specifications for the implementation of the system. This was a crucial step for the establishment of the necessary infrastructure at EU level.

The Council adopted its mandate to start negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal.

The Commission proposed a legislative text establishing a common framework for an EU certificate.

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Guidelines laying out interoperability requirements of digital vaccination certificates were adopted, building on discussion held between the Commission and Member States in the  eHealth Network  since November 2020.

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• 31 January 2022

Legal documents, reports, factsheets and press releases

Commission Implementing Decisionsestablishing the equivalence of COVID-19 certificates for the purpose of facilitating the right of free movement within the Union.

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COVID-19 international travel advisories

If you plan to visit the U.S., you do not need to be tested or vaccinated for COVID-19. U.S. citizens going abroad, check with the Department of State for travel advisories.

COVID-19 testing and vaccine rules for entering the U.S.

• As of May 12, 2023, noncitizen nonimmigrant visitors to the U.S.  arriving by air  or  arriving by land or sea  no longer need to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 
• As of June 12, 2022,  people entering the U.S. no longer need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test . 

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The Administration will end the COVID-19 vaccine requirements for international air travelers at the end of the day on May 11, the same day that the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. This means starting May 12, noncitizen nonimmigrant air passengers will no longer need to show proof of being fully vaccinated with an accepted COVID-19 vaccine to board a flight to the United States. CDC’s Amended Order Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic will no longer be in effect when the Presidential Proclamation Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic is revoked .

Please see: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/01/the-biden-administration-will-end-covid-19-vaccination-requirements-for-federal-employees-contractors-international-travelers-head-start-educators-and-cms-certified-facilities/

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Think Travel Vaccine Guide

As a health care provider, be sure to prepare your globe-trotting patients for travel by providing a quick pretravel risk assessment, consultation, and care. THINK TRAVEL:

• Ask your patients if they plan on any international travel .
• Make sure they are up- to- date on all routine vaccines before their trip.
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Yellow fever
• Japanese encephalitis
• Meningococcal diseases

For destination-specific vaccine recommendations, search CDC’s Destination pages.

Think about...

*Travelers may also need routine (non-travel) vaccines or boosters before travel including influenza; measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); tetanus (Td or Tdap); varicella; pneumococcus; and polio. Check CDC’s Destination Pages for country-specific vaccine recommendations.

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Infectious diseases.

This page has information about the risk of infectious diseases for Australians overseas.

This page only gives general advice. Always talk to your healthcare providers for advice specific to you and your situation.

Read this page to learn about:

• infectious disease risks overseas
• vaccine-preventable diseases
• insect-borne diseases
• water or food-borne diseases
• contact, droplet or airborne diseases
• blood-borne diseases
• sexually transmissible infections (STIs)
• diseases spread by animals
• consular services and infectious diseases

Infectious disease risks overseas

Infectious diseases exist everywhere. But you have a higher risk of getting an infectious disease in some destinations. This can be due to:

• water and sanitation issues
• insects that carry diseases
• low vaccination rates.

Research the risks before you go. Then you can take preventive measures to reduce them.

• Read our travel advice for your destination . See if there are any health risks or suggested vaccines listed.
• Talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Tell them where you're going and ask their advice on prevention.

Vaccine-preventable diseases

Vaccination can prevent some diseases.

Get your travel vaccinations. Particularly if there's a travel warning for a vaccine-preventable disease where you're going. Ensuring you're vaccinated can protect you and those around you.

Talk to your doctor. Ask what travel vaccines they recommend. And find out if your standard vaccinations need boosting.

Get the vaccinations you need well before you go. Some take 6-8 weeks to work or need several doses.

Visit the Vaccine Hub to explore  suggested vaccines for where you're going . Common travel vaccines include:

• chickenpox (varicella)
• hepatitis A  and  hepatitis B
• influenza (flu)
• Japanese encephalitis
• meningococcal
• tuberculosis (TB)
• yellow fever .

This list doesn't include everything. You may need to vaccinate against other diseases depending on your health and where you're going. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Learn more about  travel vaccinations .

Proof of vaccination

You may need proof of certain vaccinations when you're travelling.

Rules will vary between each country. Contact your destination's embassy or consulate in Australia  for information.

Yellow fever

Some countries need you to show an international yellow fever vaccination certificate if you:

• arrive from a  yellow fever-infected area
• transit through an infected area before arriving
• have been in an infected area within a number of days before arriving.

Your airline can stop you from boarding if you don't have one.

It's important to  get your yellow fever vaccination at an approved clinic . You need it at least 10 days before you travel. The clinic will give you your certificate.

Read  more about international yellow fever vaccination certificates .

Some countries may need you to show a COVID-19 vaccination certificate on entry or to access some services.

You can get your certificate through  myGov  or the  Express Plus Medicare mobile app . If you can't use these options

• visit a  Services Australia services centre
• contact the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) at 1800 653 809 (in Australia) or +61 2 8633 3284 (from overseas).

Learn  more about international COVID-19 vaccination certificates .

Insect-borne diseases

Insects can carry disease and spread it between people. They can also spread disease between animals and people.

You're more likely to get an insect-borne disease in tropical climates. This includes parts of

• Central America
• the Pacific.

You're also at risk in parts of Europe and the United States. Risks may differ depending on what you plan to do.

Some common insect-borne diseases are:

• chikungunya
• Lyme disease
• yellow fever
• Zika virus .

If you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, your unborn child may face more risks from Zika virus. As a precaution, the Department of Health advises you to consider delaying travel to countries with Zika.

Reducing your risk of insect-borne diseases

You can get vaccinated against some insect-borne illnesses. For others, such as malaria, there's oral medicine you can take. Discuss options with your doctor or pharmacist.

Take steps to avoid insect bites.

• Cover exposed skin with light-coloured long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Use insect repellents with DEET or picaridin. If you use both sunscreen and insect repellent, apply the sunscreen first and then the repellent.
• Treat your clothing and gear with insecticides containing permethrin.
• Sleep in screened or air-conditioned rooms. Use bed nets if you can't keep mosquitoes from coming inside the room.

After walking through high grass or brush in tick-prone areas:

• brush off your clothes before getting in a car or going inside
• check yourself and others for ticks 
• tumble dry your clothes hot for 20 minutes to kill ticks that may have hitched a ride.

Water- or food-borne diseases

Water- or food-borne diseases are common in many countries. You can catch them from:

• drinking or using tainted water
• drinking any drink with ice cubes made with tap water
• eating food washed with tap water
• brushing your teeth or washing your face with tap water
• eating tainted food, including meals prepared by people following poor hygiene practices
• taking part in activities in tainted water, such as swimming or water sports.

Some water- and food-borne diseases include:

• infections causing  gastroenteritis  (vomiting and  diarrhoea )
• campylobacter
• hepatitis A
• leptospirosis
• polio (poliomyelitis)
• salmonella  (including  typhoid and paratyphoid )
• schistosomiasis

Cholera  is less common, but it's very contagious and deadly.

Reduce your risk from water- or food-borne diseases

There are vaccines for some water and food-borne infectious diseases, including hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera.

You can do a lot to reduce your risk of infection where water and food-borne diseases are common.

• Wash your hands often and use hand sanitiser before you eat.
• Drink bottled water from a sealed bottle.
• Use water-sterilising tablets or filtration bottles to make tap water safe.
• Wash fresh produce thoroughly using bottled or sterilised water.

Try to avoid:

• drinking tap water or using it to clean your teeth
• drinks with ice cubes. Some restaurants may use water straight from the tap
• uncooked and undercooked food or food that has been left sitting for a while
• fresh salads and raw vegetables
• contact with water or soil that may be contaminated with sewerage
• in some places, swimming or wading in any fresh water.

For more information, see the Better Health Channel's advice on  food safety while travelling .

Contact, droplet and airborne diseases

Some diseases can spread:

• through close contact with a person who is coughing, sneezing, or unwell
• through something an infected person touched after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose.

These are called diseases spread by contact, droplets or through the air.

These include:

• chickenpox  (varicella)
• coughs and colds
• influenza  (flu)
• Middle East respiratory syndrome  (MERS)
• Severe acute respiratory syndrome  (SARS)

Reducing your risk of contact, droplet and airborne diseases

Protect yourself from contact, droplet and airborne diseases.

• Stay up to date with your vaccinations for measles, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, flu, COVID-19, and other vaccines recommended by your doctor.
• Wash your hands often or use hand sanitiser if soap and water aren't available.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick or showing early symptoms.
• Avoid close contact with wild or domestic animals.

Blood-borne diseases

Some infectious diseases can be spread by blood. This can be:

• when an infected person's blood comes into direct contact with another person's blood, mouth or eyes
• when blood is on an object such as a needle or razor blade
• through bodily fluids (see also  sexually transmissible infections )

Common blood-borne diseases overseas are:

• hepatitis B
• hepatitis C

Reduce your risk of blood-borne diseases

You can get vaccinated against some blood-borne diseases.

You can also reduce your risk of infection by being careful and making smart choices.

• Avoid contact with any objects that could be tainted with blood or body fluids.
• Never share needles, syringes, or other injecting tools.
• Choose tattoo, piercing and medical services that carefully sterilise their tools and surfaces. If you're not sure, ask for proof before they start.
• Practise safer sex.
• Cover wounds and cuts with a waterproof dressing.
• Don't share toothbrushes, razors and other personal items that may be tainted with blood.
• Use gloves and other relevant protection when giving first aid.

These diseases may not have symptoms in the early stages. If you think you've been exposed, seek medical advice early. There may be preventive treatment.

Sexually transmissible infections (STIs)

STIs are infections or diseases passed on during unprotected sex with an infected partner, including vaginal, anal and oral sex. Some STIs can spread through skin-to-skin contact with a person's infected genitals or mouth.

STIs include:

• genital herpes
• gonorrhoea 
• human papillomavirus (HPV)

Other diseases can spread through sexual contact but are not called an STI. For example, water-borne diseases shigellosis and hepatitis A can also spread through sexual activity, including oral and anal sex.

Reducing your risk of STIs

Vaccines can prevent some STIs. But you must also take preventive measures to reduce your risk of infection.

Reduce your risk of infection by taking and using your own condoms from a brand you trust.

STIs may not have symptoms. If you think you've been exposed, seek medical advice.

If you're a victim of  assault , including  sexual assault , get  medical care  immediately to reduce the risk of infection.

For more information, see the Department of Health's information on  STIs  and  HIV / AIDS .

Diseases spread by animals

Some animals can spread disease through close contact, scratches or bites. These diseases include:

• influenza A subtypes , including avian and swine influenza
• Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)

Reduce your risk of infection.

• Get vaccinated for rabies and influenza before you go, if recommended.
• Avoid contact with sick animals.
• Wash your hands well after contact with animals.
• Don't eat raw or undercooked meat or animal products.

If you have a pre-existing illness, you may need to avoid all contact with some animals. Seek medical advice.

If you're bitten, scratched or licked on an open wound by an animal:

• use first aid
• wash the wound out well with soap and water for at least 10 minutes
• use antiseptic solution
• get urgent medical advice about preventing rabies, tetanus, and bacterial infection.

Consular services and infectious diseases

You're responsible for protecting yourself against infectious diseases.

Read the Consular Services Charter for what the Australian Government can and can't do to help you overseas .

What we can do

• We can update our travel advice if we learn of a disease outbreak.
• We can give you a list of local English-speaking doctors and health services.
• We can help you get in contact with family and friends in Australia.
• We can provide emergency support if we declare a disease outbreak a crisis.

What we can't do

• We can't tell you every infectious disease in your destination.
• We can't give you medical advice.
• We can't tell you all the vaccines you may need.
• We can't tell you what to do or take to protect your health in your destination.
• We can't guarantee your health in any destination.
• We can't pay your medical costs if you get sick overseas.
• Read about  travelling with medication and medical equipment .
• See our advice on  travelling while pregnant .
• Learn about  medical tourism .
• See our  health advice for everyone .
• Read advice about  travelling with children .
• See our advice on  taking care of your mental health .
• See our advice for  travellers with a disability .
• Read about health risks in all your destinations .
• Understand how and when  consular services  can help Australians overseas.
• Learn about  infectious diseases  and  travel vaccinations  (Department of Health).
• See a range of advice on  international travel and health  (World Health Organization).
• Read advice on  food safety while travelling  (Victorian Department of Health and Human Services).
• Learn about  immunising your child  (Department of Health).
• See information about  insect-borne diseases  (World Health Organisation).

Related content

Read our general advice for Australians planning to travel overseas with medications or medical equipment.

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The U.S. Is Reopening. Here’s What Travelers Need to Know About Testing, Boosters and More.

Millions of travelers are expected to hit the skies and the road this holiday season. They will likely have questions about the new regulations.

By Ceylan Yeginsu

On Nov. 8, the United States lifted an 18-month ban on international tourists , as long as they show proof of vaccination and a negative coronavirus test. The land borders with Canada and Mexico also reopened for international visitors who are fully vaccinated and American citizens residing in those countries, as well as U.S. tourists returning home. Currently, passenger traffic in the United States is close to reaching 2019 levels, with millions of domestic travelers passing through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints each day.

Millions more are expected to hit the skies and the roads in the coming weeks . But as pandemic regulations ease in some countries, others are tightening entry rules to contain new waves of the virus. The shifting rules, rapidly changing course of the pandemic and lack of international coordination on travel regulations continue to leave consumers — and many travel operators — flustered and confused.

Travelers, both those going abroad and those entering the United States , are likely to have questions about the complicated regulations this holiday season . Here’s what we know so far, but be sure to come back — as rules are constantly changing.

Where can I find a test to get into the United States?

Both PCR and viral tests are accepted for travel to the United States. Vaccinated travelers must take the test within three days of their departure, while unvaccinated American travelers must take the test within one day.

Many hotels offer in-house testing facilities for an additional fee. If not, ask the concierge service or hotel reception for the nearest place you can get tested that will guarantee results within the required time frame.

Many pharmacies offer tests for travel and most major cities have walk-in test sites, which do not require appointments. Test prices can vary between $25 and $150, depending on the country and PCR tests are more expensive and results take longer to process.

As a fallback, most airports offer coronavirus testing, but expect to pay a hefty price and lines could be long, so make sure to go early.

What about a self-test, is that accepted?

Yes, as long as the test meets several requirements. It must be an antigen or nucleic acid amplification test that has been approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration.

Make sure you have a good internet connection when you take the test because you will have to connect to a telehealth service that verifies your identity and provides supervision during testing.

The F.D.A. has authorized eight home-tests , but not all of them provide digital supervision and prompt results.

The Abbott’s BinaxNOW Covid-19 AG Card Home Test usually produces results within 15 minutes and comes with a digital app called NAVICA, which can be helpful for travel as it facilitates easier access to results. Once you receive a negative test result, the app will generate a QR code that is renewed each time you take a new test.

How much does a rapid-self test cost?

A six-pack of the BinaxNow tests costs $150 and can be purchased online at eMed . Packs of two home tests are also available at select pharmacies for around $25.

The Ellume home test, another popular option for international travel, costs between $30 and $40. The home-tests are in high demand, so make sure to order them well in advance of your trip.

Will I need a digital vaccine certificate to travel?

While most countries accept the white paper C.D.C. vaccination card, some places, like the Cayman Islands, require digital certificates and impose quarantine restrictions on people who are unable to provide them.

There are several digital health passes in the United States that are convenient for travel, but make sure you check country-specific requirements before your departure. The Smart Health Card is a verifiable digital proof of vaccination that generates a QR code, which only shows the individual’s name, date of birth and vaccination status. It can be obtained in states using the Smart health system or through the retail pharmacy program.

Healthpass by Clear is another option that generates a QR code and vaccination details, including the type and number of shots received. Clear has partnered with the Hawaii Safe Travel program, and provides verification of a passenger Covid-19 test results or proof of vacation to satisfy the state’s quarantine exemption requirements. The app allows visitors to skip the verification line upon arrival in the state.

Several states, like New York and California, have their own digital apps, which pull data from the state’s immunization registry and can be used for travel.

While most countries will accept the digital passes for entry, some require visitors to apply for local digital passes to secure access to restaurants, bars, and cultural activities. Switzerland was one of the first countries to adopt this measure last month, requiring all tourists from outside the European Union and Schengen Area to register for a Swiss health pass before arrival.

Are booster shots necessary for international travel?

For most places, not yet. But as new coronavirus variants emerge and concerns grow over waning vaccine efficacy, some countries are setting vaccine “expiration dates” for travelers.

Croatia and Austria were among the first countries to introduce the expiration dates this summer, only accepting second vaccine doses or booster shots administered within a year of entering the county. For those who have received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the validity period is 270 days, around 9 months. Anyone who does not meet the criteria also has the option to submit a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours before departure. The United States does not have an “expiration date.”

Israel took a more stringent approach when it reopened to fully vaccinated foreign travelers on Nov. 1, only accepting vaccines that have been taken within the last six months.

Many countries say they are open to fully vaccinated travelers, but as booster shots roll out around the world, it is important to read the fine print to understand which vaccines are accepted and how long they are valid for.

Will I have to show proof of vaccination to fly domestically?

No. As of Nov. 8., only those entering the United States from abroad will have to show a vaccination certificate and proof of a negative coronavirus test taken within three days before departure. Unvaccinated U.S. travelers are permitted to travel, but upon returning must present a coronavirus test taken within one day of departure.

Masks continue to be required for domestic air travel.

Do my children need to be vaccinated to travel internationally?

Every country has its own entry requirements, so first check the policy for your destination. Unvaccinated children under the age of 18 are permitted to enter the U.S. if they are over the age of 2, are traveling with a vaccinated adult and have taken a coronavirus test with negative results three days before departure. If a child is traveling alone or with an unvaccinated adult, they will have to test within 24 hours of travel.

Are the rules different at land border crossings?

As of Nov. 8, the U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico will reopen for fully vaccinated foreign nationals. While visitors will need to show proof of vaccination, there is no testing requirement for land-border crossings. Children under the age of 18 are allowed entry if accompanied by a vaccinated adult.

I’m an American citizen. Where can I find rules for entering other countries?

The Times keeps an updated list of countries where Americans can currently visit with details of specific entry requirements.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places list for 2021 .

An earlier version of this story misstated the timeframe in which travelers must take a coronavirus test before departure for the United States. Vaccinated travelers must take the test within three days of their flight, not 72 hours. Unvaccinated American travelers must take the test within one day of departure, not 24 hours.

How we handle corrections

Ceylan Yeginsu is a London-based reporter. She joined The Times in 2013, and was previously a correspondent in Turkey covering politics, the migrant crisis, the Kurdish conflict, and the rise of Islamic State extremism in Syria and the region. More about Ceylan Yeginsu

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• Places of interest
• Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
• Central Museum of the Air Forces at Monino
• Peter the Great Military Academy
• History of Russian Scarfs and Shawls Museum
• Balashikha Arena
• Ramenskii History and Art Museum
• Balashikha Museum of History and Local Lore
• Bykovo Manor
• Pekhorka Park
• Malenky Puppet Theater
• Drama Theatre BOOM
• Likino Dulevo Museum of Local Lore
• Pavlovsky Posad Museum of Art and History
• Saturn Stadium
• Noginsk Museum and Exhibition Center
• Fairy Tale Children's Model Puppet Theater
• Fifth House Gallery
• Church of Vladimir
• Malakhovka Museum of History and Culture
• Orekhovo Zuevsky City Exhibition Hall

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• The flag of Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, is a striking combination of Old Glory red, representing strength and courage at 81%, complemented by a subtle touch of light grey at 5% for balance and harmony. The bold black stripe at 3% adds a touch of sophistication, while the shimmering gold stripes at 3% each symbolize prosperity and success. The flag is completed with a touch of very dark grey at 1%, representing the city s resilience and
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From August 1 Onward: Required Documents for Bringing a Dog into the United States

The documents on this website are specific to the importation of dogs under CDC’s updated dog and cat regulation, effective August 1, 2024. All suspension rules remain in effect through July 31, 2024. If your dog is entering the United States before August 1, 2024, you must follow the rules of the temporary suspension. Please find relevant information (and use the DogBot) at What Your Dog Needs to Enter the United States . On August 1, the new requirements become effective.

The documents required depend upon where your dog has been vaccinated for rabies, and what countries they have been in during the six months before traveling to the United States.

Required documents for dogs with a current rabies vaccination administered in the United States that have been in a high-risk country for dog rabies within the 6 months before entry:

• The CDC Dog Import Form will be accessible beginning July 15, 2024. Check back at that time for travel occurring on or after August 1, 2024.
• The Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form must be completed by a U.S.-accredited veterinarian before the dog leaves the United States. U.S.-accredited veterinarians can access the form and its instructions at Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS) Help Page
• Instructions for veterinarians are available here: Instructions to complete the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination Form [PDF – 4 pages] .
• This document can be shown instead of the  Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination  form.
• The rabies vaccination must be valid (not expired) on the date of return or the form will be invalid.

Required documents for dogs that departed the United States and have been only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries during the 6 months before entry:

AND one of the following:

• The Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form must be completed by a U.S.-accredited veterinarian before the dog leaves the Unites States. U.S.-accredited veterinarians can access the form and its instructions at Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS) Help Page
• Lists the destination as the dog rabies-free or low-risk country from which the dog is returning (the form will only be valid for 30 days if it does not contain rabies vaccination information) (the form will only be valid for 30 days if it does not contain rabies vaccination information), or
• Documents a valid (unexpired) rabies vaccination administered in the United States (the form will be valid for the duration of the rabies vaccination (1 or 3 years)).

Required forms for dogs that have been in a country at high-risk for dog rabies within the 6 months before entry (and do not have Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form)

• Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form [PDF – 2 pages] Fillable Adobe PDF forms don’t function properly within web browsers (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, etc). You should download fillable PDFs and complete them using Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat.
• Instructions to complete the Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form [PDF – 2 pages]
• For information on CDC-registered animal facilities, see: CDC-registered animal care facilities .

Optional, in addition to above forms, to avoid 28-day quarantine at a CDC-registered animal care facility:

• For information on CDC-approved laboratories, see: Approved Rabies Serology Laboratories for Testing Dogs .

Required documents for dogs that have been ONLY in countries that are dog rabies-free or low-risk during the 6 months before entry (and do not have Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form or USDA-endorsed export health certificate)

• Certification of Dog Arriving from DMRVV-free or Low-Risk Country into the United States form
• Certification of Dog Arriving from DMRVV-free or Low-Risk Country into the United States form [PDF – 2 pages] Fillable Adobe PDF forms don’t function properly within web browsers (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, etc). You should download fillable PDFs and complete them using Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat.
• Instructions to complete the Certification of Dog Arriving from DRMVV-free or Low-Risk Country into the United States form [PDF – 2 pages]
• Veterinary records (including microchip number) for the previous 6 months
• Certification of Foreign Rabies Vaccination and Microchip form
• Valid rabies serology titer OR veterinary records (including microchip number) for the previous 6 months
• Contact your local veterinarian in the country of export for assistance obtaining this form.
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