You now need a vaccine passport to enter pubs, cafes and shops in Victoria.
It’s happening. After a long, long road we’re at the point now where Victorians are required to prove they have had two Covid-19 vaccine jabs if they want to have a beer at the pub, get their hair done or head to a restaurant or cafe with friends.
As Victoria transitions to a “vaccinated economy”, locals and tourists alike will be asked to show they are fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 digital certificate displayed through the Service Victoria app, Medicare app, or equivalent smartphone wallet, or present a printed version of their certificate or immunisation history statement.
In order to take part, you’ll need the latest versions of the Service Victoria and either the Express Plus Medicare or myGov mobile apps.
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So how does one get their vaccine certificate? We’ll break it down for you.
First off, to get the certificate you need to be double vaxxed. It won’t be available if you’ve only had one jab.
Once you’re double vaxxed, there are a few options to get your certificate linked up to the Service Victoria app depending on your choice of app and what to do if you don’t have a smartphone).
It’s a good idea to make sure the Service Victoria app is up-to-date, which for most people will be automatic. If you’re not sure, head to the App Store or the Google Play store and double-check.
Express Plus Medicare
This app is linked to your myGov account, an online platform that connects Medicare, Centrelink, Australian Taxation Office and other federal government services.
Your vaccination certificate should automatically appear in your Medicare app within one to 10 days of having your second Covid-19 jab.
You’ll need to login to the app, tap on ‘proof of vaccinations’, then ‘view history’ and then ‘share with check-in app’.
You’ll be prompted to agree to share it, then it will take you automatically back to the Service Victoria app and then after reading the terms and conditions, you can hit ‘accept and share’ down the bottom of the screen.
Once you agree, your phone will take you automatically to the Service Victoria app as long as you’ve got it downloaded.
Tap ‘add certificate’ and you’re good to go.
MyGov
If you have the myGov app (a federal government website that links up Medicare, Australian Tax Office, Centrelink, and other services), you can stick with it if that’s what you prefer to use. Just make sure it’s linked to your Medicare.
Head back to the Service Victoria app – if it’s fully updated, it’ll immediately prompt you to link in your vaccine certificate. If not, down the bottom of the main page, next to the check-in button, will be a little box with a tick. Here, hit ‘add certificate’.
When you get to the main Medicare page, tap ‘proof of vaccination’ and you should see your Covid-19 vaccine certificate and vaccine history.
Select the option to link the vaccine certificate to a QR code app, then select the Service Victoria app and press save.
The certificate should then appear in your Service Victoria app but it will also remain accessible via the Medicare Express Plus app.
No smartphone?
If you don’t have a smartphone, or you don’t want to download any of the apps, you can carry a printed copy of your vaccination history.
If you have a myGov account and can access Medicare online on a computer, you can access your immunisation history there.
Alternatively, you can phone the Australian Immunisation Register at Services Australia on 1800 653 809 to request a hard copy, but you might have to wait up to a fortnight for it to be delivered via post.
No Medicare?
If you don’t have a Medicare card, you can still add your COVID-19 digital certificate to your Service Victoria app from myGov using your Individual Healthcare Identifier . If you don’t have one, find out how to get an .
First sign in to your myGov account using a browser on your device and then select the ‘Individual Healthcare Identifiers’ service.
Select ‘View immunisation history’ on the ‘Immunisation history’ tile and click on your name and ‘share with check-in app’.
Tap ‘Service Victoria’ and once you’ve read the conditions, tap ‘accept and share’. You’ll see the message: ‘Sending certificate’.
Once you see your COVID-19 digital certificate, tap ‘add certificate’. Your COVID-19 digital certificate is now added to your Service Victoria app and linked to the QR code check-in function.
So how do we show proof of vaccination status at businesses and venues?
Venues participating in the Vaccinated Economy Trials may ask to see proof that you’ve checked in and proof of vaccination. When you show them your check-in confirmation screen, they’ll see your vaccination status if you’ve linked your COVID-19 digital certificate to the Service Victoria app.
The confirmation screen shows a green tick to show that you’ve checked in, your name and the words ‘valid certificate’.
Businesses can’t keep or store this information.
Other eligible proofs of vaccination include a COVID-19 digital certificate on your smartphone wallet or a paper-copy of your Immunisation History Statement, or an eligible proof of exemption.
For more information, head here.
