Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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661. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the portal for Irish passport holders who were vaccinated outside of Ireland and the UK to obtain an EU digital Covid certificate is still not accessible although the gov.ie website states it would be live from 21 October 2021; when the portal will be fully functional; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54599/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The EU Digital COVID Certificate is a document which is issued to help facilitate enable the safe and free international movement of people across the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation allows for Digital COVID Certificates to be provided to Union citizens vaccinated in a third country provided that the Member State has been provided with reliable proof of vaccination.

Ireland launched an online portal to receive applications from individuals vaccinated in third countries for Irish passport holders vaccinated in Northern Ireland from 28th September and this was extended to Great Britain on 15th October.

The further development of the portal to accept applications for Irish passport holders vaccinated in other third countries is underway, taking into account the need to ensure reliable proof of vaccination in a varied and diverse global context to support the robust trust framework on which the EU Digital COVID Certificate is built. This additional extension is expected to be available in November.

This portal will accept applications from individuals vaccinated in a third country, outside of the EU Member States and countries which have been awarded an equivalence decision, who are 18 years of age and older, hold a valid Irish passport, and a reliable proof of vaccination for a vaccine type currently authorised for use in Ireland.