Do vaccination certificates expire?

The national health department has clarified questions about the Covid-19 e-certificates being issued to all fully vaccinated adults.

Officially launched on October 8, the certificates allow jabbed individuals access to venues they otherwise would not be able to access.

Here are five important things you need to know about the e-certificates:

What to do about incorrect personal details?

The department encourages individuals to ensure their personal details are captured correctly in the EVDS system before vaccination. In instances where some information is missing or captured incorrectly, this can be rectified by calling the Covid-19 public hotline or sending an email with the amended details to evdsqueries@health.gov.za. 

How is authenticity of the certificate verified?

All vaccination certificates have a QR code. The department said the code is not human readable, but travel authorities and other third parties can verify its authenticity by scanning the code. 

Will there be new versions of Covid-19 vaccination certificates?

The department said the next version of the digital Covid-19 vaccination certificate will be available by end of October 2021 while the Covid-19 vaccine passport linked to a mobile application will be ready by end of November 2021. 

Do vaccination certificates expire? 

Only the vaccination certificates issued in the testing phase before October 8 have an expiry date. 

Why are there new versions of the certificate?

The versions of vaccination certificates will be gradually phased in with new features including scannable QR codes and digital (cryptographic) signatures.