Update to vaccine certification APPS

The vaccine certification Apps scheme is being updated as part of planned changes to reduce the amount of personal information which is shared.

As a result, businesses should now update the customer COVID Check (verifier) App to ensure the QR code shows a green tick when scanned.

In addition, the personal NHS Covid Status app, which allows people to access venues and premises, will also be updated on Thursday 21 October.

Customers seeking to access venues affected should download the update from Thursday at noon to ensure they have the domestic QR code added to their app so it shows a green tick when scanned to confirm they are double vaccinated.

The green tick will replace the dates of vaccination currently displayed on the app and will reduce the amount of personal health data being shared.

The simplest way to update the app is to delete and reinstall. Alternatively, you can follow the instructions for Android devices or for Apple devices.

Guidance for businesses

Businesses operating the vaccine certification scheme will need to update the COVID Check app to ensure they have the latest version. Further information can be found in the following material:

• The technical guidance available for businesses and event organisers has been updated with instructions you can follow to update the COVID Check app.
• The toolkit for businesses and event organisers has been updated.

The following updates have also been made to the COVID vaccine certification guidance for businesses and event organisers (the guidance which sets out the detail of the scheme):

• Added a Q&A section for the hospitality sector which was developed with industry
• Added an example of a completed compliance plan as an illustration of good practice.

Further information

The current version of the COVID Status App will still continue to work until next week to allow people time to download the latest version. Users will eventually have to download the update in order to continue to access venues covered by the scheme.

People using a letter obtained through  NHS Inform as proof of their vaccination status will still be able to use this to access premises covered by the scheme. PDFs downloaded onto a mobile device will also continue to work.

You can download the NHS Scotland Covid Status app or get a paper record of your vaccine status from NHS Inform.

Businesses and event organisers can download the verifier app at the covidcheck.scot website.