Vaccine Certificate in India 2023: What Is It and What Can You Do With Your Vaccine Certificate?

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Updated December 2022

The Indian mass vaccination program is processing at an impressive pace. Since starting the world’s largest vaccination drive, India has administered over 2 billion doses of COVID vaccines so far.

Those vaccinated are eager to lay their hands on their vaccine certificates. What are these vaccine certificates? Where should you get them and why? Keep reading to find out.

What is the COVID vaccine certificate?

COVID vaccine certificates are proof that you have taken one or both doses of any vaccine approved in the country. The certificate states at the top if you have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose or are fully vaccinated.

The left part of the certificate shows the beneficiary details – name, age, sex, address, verified ID, and beneficiary ID number.

The right part displays all your vaccination details – which vaccine was taken, on what dates, and at which vaccination centre.

How to download a COVID vaccination certificate with an Aadhaar number?

You can download your COVID-19 vaccination certificate online by using your Aadhaar number. There are a number of platforms available for you to download your vaccine certificates, like the Aarogya Setu, UMANG App, Digilocker app, and the Cowin portal.

Here, we detail the process of obtaining your vaccination certificate on the aforementioned portals and apps.

CoWIN website

1. Open the CoWIN online portal.
2. Click on the ‘Register/Sign In Yourself’ yellow button. Those who are using it for the first time will need to register themselves with their photo ID proof (Aadhaar Card/ Driving License/ PAN Card/ Passport/ Pension Passbook), photo ID number, name, and birth year. These details must be the same as what was given by you at the time of vaccination. Those who have registered can sign in with an OTP.
3. Once you receive your first dose, you’ll be able to see the ‘certificate’ option below your name.
4. Click on the ‘certificate’ button to download your certificate.

Aarogya Setu app

Image © News18

Note that you must already be registered on CoWin using your Aadhar number for the vaccination certificate service to become available.

1. Download the Aarogya Setu app on iOS App Store or Google Play.
2. Click on the CoWIN tab on the top and proceed to ‘Vaccination Certificate’.
3. You need to have the 13-digit beneficiary reference ID with you.
4. Once you enter the number, you’ll be able to view and download the certificate.

Digilocker app

1. Download the Digilocker app on iOS App Store or Google Play.
2. If you’re using the app for the first time, register yourself with personal details like name, date of birth, gender, contact number, and your Aadhaar Card number. Set a username for yourself.
3. Once logged in, scroll down the home page to the ‘Health’ section and click on the ‘Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’ button, where you’ll see the ‘Vaccine Certificate’ option.
4. You need to have the 13-digit beneficiary reference ID with you.
5. Once you enter the number, you’ll be able to view and download the certificate.

UMANG app

Note that you must already be registered on CoWin using your Aadhar number for the vaccination certificate service to become available.

1. Download the UMANG app on Google Play or iOS App Store.
2. If you’re using the app for the first time, register yourself with an OTP and set up your MPIN.
3. Scroll down to click on “Health” listed under the different categories, denoted with a pink heart and plus sign.
4. Select the “Co-WIN” option at the top and then click on the little arrow next to “Download Vaccination Certificate”.
5. Enter your mobile number and verify it with an OTP.
6. If you have registered more than one beneficiary on that number, click on the downward-facing arrow to open the dropdown and select the beneficiary whose certificate you wish to download.
7. Once the beneficiary is selected, click on the blue “Download” button to obtain the certificate.

Benefits for India vaccine certificate holders

Once vaccinated, Indians will be able to travel domestically and cross-border with far fewer restrictions by showing their vaccination certificates. Holders of these certificates will be able to circumvent quarantine periods, testing requirements, etc. Public transport, railways and various such services might consider this as valid proof to curb infection in future.

The majority of the countries have already opened their borders to Indian travellers, especially for vaccinated Indians, allowing them to surpass testing and quarantine requirements.

To ensure safety, public places like gardens, restaurants, malls, beaches, cinema halls, etc., may open exclusively to inoculated citizens, and vaccination certificates may be asked for at entry. Entry regulations vary across states in India.

Countries recognising India’s vaccine certificate

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has devised a list of countries that have officially agreed to the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates for travel.

Currently, over 145 countries have an agreement with India on mutual recognition of vaccination certificates of nationally recognised or WHO-recognised vaccines. Likewise, a few countries currently do not have such an agreement with India, but they exempt fully vaccinate Indian citizens with nationally recognised or WHO-recognised vaccines.