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

This was announced during a joint briefing of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, the Ministry of Health and the EU.

The final beta test is now underway. We have directed updates to the PlayMarket and AppStore and are awaiting confirmation. We will soon launch COVID certificates in the Diia. All Ukrainians who have completed the full course of vaccination will be able to update the application to the new version and generate their COVID certificate in the application in a few clicks.

Ambassador Matti Maasikas, Ambassador, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, emphasized: "The mutual recognition of COVID-19 digital certificates between the EU and Ukraine is an amazing demonstration of smooth and effective teamwork between a number of Ukrainian ministries and bodies, which is actively supported by the EU. I am particularly pleased to announce the emergence 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 further support Ukraine's digital integration with the EU on the basis of our Association Agreement. We are pleased to see significant progress in the digital transformation in Ukraine, which is one of the most successful reforms in this country. The European Union strongly supports Ukraine through expanding its capacity to withstand various threats, including the COVID-19 pandemic."

A COVID certificate is a document in the Diia that confirms the status of a vaccinated person. The certificate can be generated in a few clicks. In the updated version of the application, one should click "Services", select "COVID certificates" and click "Generate certificate". Next using Diia.Signature one must sign a request to transfer data from the Electronic Healthcare System to the Diia. Our next step is the ability to generate a COVID certificate on the Diia portal, as well as the ability to generate a COVID certificate after a negative PCR test in the Diia application (valid for 72 hours).

"Thanks to EU support, we have been able to build an infrastructure for fast certification and implement instant data exchange between other countries. We managed to implement this project in a short time. It used to take years of development and negotiation, but this case has accelerated the development of such projects hundreds of times. We thank our partners for their political decision and recognition of our work. Such steps bring us closer to integration with the EU digital market," said Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

Last week, Ukraine joined the product infrastructure of EU COVID certificates - a common environment for all countries that launch their COVID certificates and ensure their mutual recognition. The EU Digital Directorate will now give us access to the gateway - a tool that allows other countries to verify our certificates when traveling. COVID certificates will work like the other documents in the Diia. One can check the validity by QR-code.

The Cabinet of Ministers emphasizes that this has become possible due to effective cooperation with European institutions and coordinated actions within the Ukrainian government team.

"The most important thing was to ensure 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. Meanwhile, the decision of the European Commission has a much broader context - recognition of efficiency of work and trust in state institutions of Ukraine, proper level of personal data protection and the highest assessment of the Diia application," said Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

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

The decision has already been published on the official EU website. Although the European Commission's decision on recognition is of a recommendatory nature, 100% of all countries connected to the EU industrial environment symmetrically recognize the 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 with certificates and the current mode of entry and transit in different countries 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 coronavirus disease. Today, anyone can get vaccinated by contacting the nearest vaccination point or vaccination center. Upon completion of the immunization course against COVID-19, everyone can obtain a document certifying the status of being vaccinated against coronavirus disease. I thank the European Union for its continued and strategic support to Ukraine in the fight against COVID-19 as well as assistance in the implementation of Ukrainian COVID-19 vaccination certificates in Diia. For Ukrainians, this is an additional incentive to get vaccinated," said Minister of Health Viktor Liashko.

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

The project is 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.