Vaccine certification for France- teen

[sunlovingcriminal]

My son is 12 and has had both Covid jabs.
We're driving to France in a couple of weeks and using the euro tunnel.

I was unable to get him onto my electronic Covid pass- I rang the gp and they said they couldn't do it.

So the linked gp pharmacist has sent me his Covid jab records.

Will this be acceptable for travel? From anyone who knows...!

Thank you

Why were you unable to get him an online pass?

Paper passes are fine. Anything that shows date and name of vax. For what’s it’s worth, I have travelled to France 5 times this year (and Spain too) and haven’t been asked for proof of vaccination EVER. I’ve flown and gone on the tunnel and ferry. The last time anyone looked it’s was just a quick glance anyway and this was before Xmas.

I don't think it will be - I think I read that wasn't sufficient. We've just come back from France with my 13yo - I registered him for his own nhs account online and got his vaccine certificate that way. Was very quick and easy - came through within a few hours of verifying his ID online. Not sure if it might be different for younger children though.

@Oblomov22 it says on the nhs website that I can get him a linked account but my gp practice said that they couldn't do it (not sure why).

@pingster I've just checked again on the nhs website and only children 13-15 can have their own nhs pass- so he falls below that age limit.

As I said- the pharmacist was really helpful and sent me pdf copy of his Covid vaccine record. I shall ring euro tunnel tomorrow and check. Don't want to be caught out

I didn't know that. Only 13-15?
Have you tried, actually setting him up an account? Did it fail?

If go back to GP then and politely request!!

I tried to load an NHS app last week for my 11 year old and it wouldn’t do it.

i haven’t actually thought what i was going to do for her for our holiday

@AuditAngel for 11 year olds for France you're fine!

According to this you can register 12 year olds on the NHS website, but only 13 and over can use the NHS app (presumably because for some unfathomable reason the app is 13+ ).

www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-covid-pass?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8amWBhCYARIsADqZJoUg_EnPwrHVus1eiK0Adwi5TmK5cq_tVtlgbgkEH6qpyO3JAGZ_4yIaAgITEALw_wcB#children

I need to get on this as I have a 12 year old and we're off to France in 3 weeks. Added complication is that they had their vaccine as part of a trial, and I'm hoping it's all registered correctly.

You can just request a paper covid pass letter:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/nhs-covid-pass/get-an-nhs-covid-pass/get-your-nhs-covid-pass-letter/

Which is probably just another copy of the PDF your gp gave you. You don't have to download the app to access your "covid pass"

I got a covid pass for my 14yo by phoning 119. It was dead easy and received a paper pass through the post within a few days.
I don't know if that helps for 12 or 13 year olds?

I also went to France a couple of weeks ago and nobody checked my vaccine status at any time

sunlovingcriminal thanks, we’re actually going to Greece, but thanks for confirming,

I had this for Ds, you can Google ‘ how to get a digital covid pass’ and follow the NHS links for 12 year olds. It isn’t particularly clear or intuitive and I was swearing more than normal while trying to get it sorted. You need your DSs passport to scan in for proof of ID, then DS will have to say some words/ numbers into the camera before you can request the passes. It’s a total faff.

I did it! Hallelujah!

I had to set him up using a different email to my own (as mine was already registered).

It then involved uploading a copy of his passport and a video of him to confirm that his face was the same as his passport shot! Says to leave two weeks but ours has been in an afternoon. Added stress that he is currently staying with grandparents so he managed to do most of the uploading himself!

He now has a Covid pass!

Thank you to all for your suggestions. If anyone else needs to do this for ages 12+ then follow this link: covid-status.service.nhsx.nhs.uk

Go somewhere else! what utter nonsense...

Back from a week in France (flew into and out of Bordeaux). We did all the passenger locator forms and had vaccine passes etc and no one checked them or asked for them at any point.

Yes - this!!!

However, anyone who needs official NHS proof of vaccination for an under 12 then it’s an absolute farce. You can only apply for the proof once 14 days have passed since the second jab. It can then take a further 14 days for them to get it to you. By blooming post!!!! Oh, but if they can’t find the vaccination records then they will refer you to your GP, who then looks into it, contacts the vaccination service and then they’ll send it to you. Because we all know GPS are sat around twiddling their thumbs doing nothing at the moment…..

I know it’s a first world problem but we are travelling to see family for the first time in years and have to wait a month to get the proof we need. So frustrating!!

We went to France by Ferry and they did check our vaccine certificates

Glad you managed it OP. I did exactly what you did, found it really easy for ds2, so when you said it wouldn't issue, I couldn't understand why. But now I do. You hadn't actually set him up as his own account. Now done. Good.

@Oblomov22 thank you! Yes, what threw me was that on one of the nhs websites it said something about a "linked account". So that's what I naively asked the gp for- and they said they couldn't do (I think this was maybe an idea in the nhs that just hadn't happened). But they didn't tell me that he could have his own account!! That would have been useful of them to tell me. Instead they just issued the vaccine certs.

Then the whole cuffuffle of only 13+ being able to have the app! So I felt a bit in no mans land having a 12 year old who needed to demonstrate his status!

Anyway, all sorted now. Albeit, none of it is ever straightforward, and we're fairly IT literate with multiple devices and a couple of spare email addresses!! It must be even more confusing for anyone without tech access!!