Press release by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the Social Insurance Institution of Finland:
More information about the timetables for vaccination certificates

Finland’s digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate, available in the My Kanta Pages, will be introduced in stages.

At the end of May, Finland will launch a national certificate of COVID-19 vaccination that will contain information about the COVID-19 vaccines the certificate holder has received. This certificate can be used when crossing the border to an EU Member State that accepts the certificate as proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Each EU Member State can decide whether such a certificate entitles the holder to cross their border.

In July, the EU will launch the Digital Green Certificate that will include a vaccination certificate, a test certificate and a recovery certificate. This more extensive certificate can be issued and used in all EU Member States once the EU Regulation on interoperable certificates on vaccination, testing and recovery (Digital Green Certificate) enters into force. The regulation is due to be adopted in late June, and the Member States must implement it by the beginning of August.

Why launch the Finnish certificate in stages?

The Finnish digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate will be launched in May, in advance of the Digital Green Certificate, because a lot of development work has already been done. Data about administered COVID-19 vaccines are already available in the Kanta Services.

The Digital Green Certificate will be launched later, because it can be used only after the EU regulation has entered into force. At the same time, it will be ensured that people can get information about their COVID-19 tests from all healthcare units in a comprehensive and uniform way.

The Finnish vaccination certificate may facilitate travel already in May: it is readily available and other EU Member States can accept it as proof of COVID-19 vaccination, if they so wish, even before the EU regulation enters into force.

What are the benefits of a vaccination certificate?

The Finnish vaccination certificate is easy to get and use as you can show it on your mobile device or print it out. The certificate is free of charge.

You do not need to contact a healthcare professional to get the certificate: the certificate will be created automatically in the My Kanta Pages. In this way, healthcare resources can be used elsewhere.

The certificates are easy to scan and interpret in other EU Member States, because they have the same content across the EU. Each Member State can decide what certificates they require from incoming travellers and how many vaccine doses the travellers need to have received. Under the EU regulation, Member States must accept the Digital Green Certificate if they accept other similar certificates.

Why does the Finnish certificate use the My Kanta Pages?

People are familiar with the My Kanta Pages, and the service has a high level of information security. It had EUR 2.7 million users in 2020. It is possible to use the My Kanta Pages on behalf of a minor and, as of March this year, on behalf of another adult.

The My Kanta Pages is an online service for citizens, and it is the only service in Finland that shows information recorded in the system by healthcare providers across the country. However, no one is obligated to use it.

Strong identification is needed to use the My Kanta Pages. Available identification tokens include online banking codes, mobile certificate and electronic identity card.

The information in the Finnish vaccination certificate will be consistent with the forthcoming international model of vaccination certificates.

Is it possible to get a vaccination certificate without using My Kanta Pages?

As some people do not use or are not able to use the My Kanta Pages, they can request a paper version of their vaccination certificate from the healthcare provider that administered their vaccine. People can already now request a vaccination certificate from their healthcare provider.

Inquiries

Minna Saario, Director, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, [email protected] (general questions)
Paula Tiittala, Senior Medical Officer, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, [email protected] (questions about the uses of the vaccination certificate)
Jari Keinänen, Director, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, [email protected] (questions about the uses of the vaccination certificate)
Aleksi Yrttiaho, Director of Information Services, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, [email protected]
Marina Lindgren, Director of Information Services, [email protected] (questions about the Kanta Services)