Vax certificate: Frequently asked questions

South Africans have no reason to worry about the security of the Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate.

The certificate was designed to meet international standards and is already recognised as valid by the UK government. This is according to Milani Wolmarans, the chief director for policy coordination and integrated planning at the national Department of Health.

“This is the digital version of the paper that you received when you got vaccinated. In terms of security, we have a cybersecurity specialist working with us to ensure we are putting stringent security measures in place.”

However, should you still have doubts with regard to the safety and security of the certificate, read on

1 Why does my Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate have an expiry date?

The Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate available from October 8 does not include an expiry date.

2 Why will there be new versions of the Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate?

Additional features such as a scannable QR code and digital (cryptographic) signatures will be gradually phased in. The Department of Health will advise on the availability of newer versions as they become available.

3 When will the new versions of the Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate become available?

The next version of the Digital Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate will be ready towards the end of October. The Covid-19 Vaccine Passport linked to a mobile application will be ready towards the end of November.

4 The Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate website asks for an ID or passport number. Are foreign passports, asylum seeking and refugee numbers accepted?

Yes, provided that it is the same number from the identity document you used when you registered on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) portal, and the same one used at the vaccination site.

5 What should I do if I lost the EVDS vaccination code that was sent via SMS?

You can phone the Covid-19 public hotline on 0800 029 999. The agent will be able to provide you with the vaccination code or resend you the SMS with the required code.

6 I did not receive my Covid-19 vaccination code via SMS. Why did this happen?

There are three possible reasons:

The SMS did not reach you due to mobile network issues at the time. Your mobile number is not correct on the EVDS.

Your vaccination record was not captured on the EVDS at the time of vaccination. You can verify this by calling the Covid-19 public hotline on 0800 029 999. If the agent cannot confirm your vaccination record on the EVDS, you should contact the site where you were vaccinated to capture your record on the system.

7 Can I use the Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate for international travel?

Most countries should accept the digital Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate. However, it depends on the policy of the country you are visiting and verification requirements. You should present this certificate along with your passport. Your RSA ID number is printed in your South African passport to allow for verification of the ID number.

8 My personal details are not correct on the Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate.

It is your responsibility or the person registering you on your behalf to ensure that your information is captured correctly when registering for vaccination. You can call the Covid-19 public hotline on 0800 029 999 and an agent will be able to correct your details. Alternatively, send an email with the details to be changed to evdsqueries@health.gov.za. One of the agents will contact you.

9 The QR code on the Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate does not work?

The content of the QR code on the current version of the Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate is not human readable. The QR code on the next version of the certificate can be scanned by travel authorities and third parties to verify the validity and authenticity of the Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate.

10 What is Janssen and Comirnaty?

The name of the vaccine, and not the manufacturer, is published on the Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate. Johnson & Johnson is the manufacturer of the Janssen vaccine. Pfizer is the manufacturer of the Comirnaty vaccine.