Yahoo Finance Had the COVID-19 jab? Here’s how to get proof on your phone
Getting as many Australians jabbed as possible has become the dominant message from all levels of government, as well as health authorities.
And with the Prime Minister outlining the goal of 70 per cent vaccination rate for lockdowns to ease and to travel freely, being vaccinated – and proving it – is shaping up to be crucial key to returning to normal life.
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If you’ve been vaccinated already, there’s an easy way to get that proof on your phone, by adding your COVID-19 digital certificate to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay.
COVID-19 digital certificate: What you need to know first
For your vaccine certificate to show up, note that you must have had both doses of a vaccine.
Your vaccine information comes from your vaccine provider, who reports it to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
Then, you might need to be patient: it can take 10 days for this information to show up.
"We know Australians are increasingly using digital wallets so people can choose to store their certificate in this way, if it suits them. It replicates the certificate they’re already able to access through myGov," said Minister for Government Services Linda Reynolds.
Your digital certificate will feature a Coat of Arms watermark as a sign it's the real thing, and to prevent fraud.
How to get your COVID-19 digital certificate on your phone
There are two ways to make that happen. Here’s how.
1. Through your online Medicare account via myGov
You’ll need to have a Medicare account linked to your myGov account. If you don’t have one, you can create one here.
Sign into your myGov account and select Medicare.
Head to the Immunisation history tile, and select View statement.
Click your name, then hit View COVID-19 digital certificate.
From there, you can choose to either Add to Apple Wallet or Add to Google Pay.
2. Through the Express Plus Medicare mobile app
Once you have the app downloaded and you’ve logged in, this follows quite a similar process to accessing Medicare via myGov.
In Services, select Immunisation history.
After selecting your name, hit View COVID-19 digital certificate.
From here, you can choose to Add it to Apple Wallet or Add to Google Pay.
When you see your digital certificate via the Medicare app, you'll see the Coat of Arms shimmer and move position when your phone is tilted.
In the app, your certificate will also have an animated tick to show you've had your two doses, and a live clock showing the current date and time.
What if I don’t have a Medicare account?
There’s still a way to get your immunisation history statement online.
If you’re not eligible for Medicare, you might have an Individual healthcare Identifier (IHI).
If you don't have one, good news – you can get one through myGov.
Just grab your passport (with your valid Australian visa) or your Australian driver’s license, and sign into myGov.
When you select Services, choose IHI service, then follow the prompts.
And if you haven’t got the above identity documents, you can request an IHI using a form, but this will take longer, according to Services Australia.
Another way of getting your immunisation history statement is by asking your vaccine provider to print the statement out for you.
Alternatively, you can also call AIR and ask it to be sent to you, but it might take 14 days to arrive via post.
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