The CovidSafeBE app for Android works on all devices running Android 5 and up. The iPhone app works on the iPhone 5S and all later models running at least iOS 12.5. Older devices are also supported, so the app is compatible with more devices than the Belgian Coronalert app. About 96% of all currently used smartphones will be able to use the mobile app.

The easiest way to sign in with the app is with Itsme or with one of the eHealth sign in options.

The Coronalert tracing app alerts citizens who have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. This is always done anonymously.

The CovidSafeBE app has a different purpose: you sign in with your own digital ID and your certificate is personal.

That is why we created a separate app: the Coronalert app guarantees anonymity, and the CovidSafeBE app processes personal data based on a highly secure login process.

Police services can ask you to produce your certificate for scanning e.g. border check. Some transport companies may require a certificate to avoid unpleasant surprises upon arrival.

Belgium uses the CovidScanBE app for this purpose. Starting from August 13, CovidScanBE will also be used by event organisers.

For security and privacy reasons random QR code scanners will not be able to scan your QR code and access its data. This also goes for other entry tickets (e.g. movie tickets) that use a QR code.

The app can be downloaded via the Play Store (Google) or App Store (Apple). A link to both stores can be found on the website CovidScan.be.

After scanning the QR code of the certificate the app displays the data also contained in the certificate, such as the name and the type of certificate. You can scan both your smartphone screen and a printed version of the document.

Tap the button 'Check for new certificates' to see your own certificates and those of your children. They are all shown in a single overview, so you won’t need to search for them.

To download your children's certificates, tap 'Log on with eHealth'. Select the name of one of your children and the available certificates will be downloaded instantly to your mobile app.

The updated app shows the certificates in an official format. The QR code is also framed by a moving watermark. This means that a screenshot or photo of the app can no longer be used when the certificate is scanned. This stops forgeries. It is an important protection for everyone.

Because the EU Member States have agreed the structure of the certificates, they look similar throughout the European Union. Each certificate contains a unique QR code. EU Member States can scan this code to check that the certificate is correct and valid. Belgian certificates are in English and in the country’s three national languages Dutch, French and German.

• Your birth date and first & last name are taken from the National Registry or you gave them to the pharmacist who administered your rapid test.
• Recovery certificates and test certificates show the test data that was registered by the Sciensano labs.
• Vaccination certificates show the data that was entered into Vaccinnet by vaccination centres, care centres, hospitals and so on

Each certificate is personal. This means that you will receive a separate certificate for each family member. Parents can request the certificates for minor children. A separate certificate is issued for each test and each vaccination, so you will likely receive more than one certificate.

• Vaccination certificates become available at least 48h after your vaccination (but it may take up to one week). This primarily depends on when the vaccination centre has entered the data into the Vaccinnet database. There is no set time limit for this type of data entry. It is usually done on the day of the vaccination itself, but it may also be done a few days later. As soon as these data have been uploaded and processed you can download your vaccination certificate via mijngezondheid.be, Mijn Burgerprofiel, myhealthviewer.be or using the mobile app CovidSafeBe.Note that the vaccination certificate isn't valid until 14 days after your final jab.
• Test certificates become available one and a half hours after the lab has entered the test data into the Sciensano database. This is usually around the time you are advised of your test results.

To be able to apply for a digital certificate via the CovidSafeBE app or via the online portals (see covidsafe.be) a number of conditions must be met:

• You are a Belgian citizen (or your partner or parents);
  your official place of residence is in Belgium (or your partner or parents have their official residence in Belgium);
  or you work/study in Belgium.
• You must be vaccinated with a vaccine licenced by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or with the Covishield vaccine.
• You need an NISS number (national registry number or BIS identification number). Your identity and address must be registered with the Belgian authorities.

Do you meet all these conditions?

• Then present your foreign vaccination certificate and proof of identity to a Belgian doctor to have the certificate registered in the Belgian database.

• Two days after your registration your certificate will be available in the CovidSafeBE app. Digital doesn’t work for you? Then keep your national registry number or BIS identification number handy as you call 078 78 78 50 to have a printed version forwarded.

Do not call the vaccination centre but contact the regional help desk:

• for Flanders: 078 78 78 50 from 9 am to 7 pm on weekdays

You can also check the status of your vaccination first by clicking on this link.

• Recovery certificates are issued on the basis of a positive PCR or antigen test entered in the Sciensano database but that certificate isn’t valid (for example for travel) until 11 days after the test, when you have recovered. Please note this means your certificate cannot be used until the 12^th day after the day of the test. The recovery certificate expires 180 days after the day your test was taken.
  
  An example: Jan Janssens tests positive on 1 November. His recovery period starts on 2 November for a total of 11 days. He receives his recovery certificate on 13 November (day 12 after the test).
  
• As soon as a recovery certificate is issued it is available in the same way as test and vaccination certificates: in the CovidSafeBE app, via the online platforms or via Ebox by calling the regional contact centres.

• The police services of the EU countries may ask you to produce your certificate for verification when you are visiting their country.
• Travel organisations such as airlines can also demand to see your certificate. They do this to avoid unpleasant surprises in your destination country or to keep you from being refused access. Travellers should therefore consider such a check a service instead of a nuisance.

The classic Covid-19 test consists of a PCR test that detects genetic material of the virus. This is the most reliable test but you must wait for the result until the test has been analysed by an accredited laboratory. If all other conditions are met as well, this test comes with a recovery certificate. With this test patients may also receive a test certificate.

Rapid Covid-19 antigen tests measure the presence of certain proteins and don’t require analysis in a lab. They can be administered and read out instantly by medically trained personnel so that the result is available quickly (generally after 15 minutes). As of 1 July 2021 patients who take this test may also receive a test certificate. If all other conditions are met as well, this test comes with a recovery certificate.
Please note that not all countries accept antigen tests.

With antibody testing or serological rapid testing, the patients’ blood is screened for the presence of antibodies against Covid-19, telling them whether they have been infected in the past. These tests do not entitle the patient to a certificate.

Classic rapid antigen tests may only be administered by medically trained personnel. There are also simpler antigen tests that can easily be administered by patients themselves and that are also known as self-tests. These tests do not entitle the patient to a certificate.

CTPC stands for ‘Corona Test Prescription Code’. You need this unique 16-digit code for a test in a test centre. You can get a CTPC from a doctor or www.mijngezondheid.belgie.be.

A recovery certificate is available if you have a positive PCR or antigen test result. But that certificate is only valid (for example for travel) 11 days after the test, when you are recovered. The recovery certificate expires 180 days after the day your test was taken.

You have a valid recovery certificate for each positive PCR or antigen test in the past 180 days.

• Unless two tests have been done within 60 days, in which case you will only get one certificate, for the first test. That is because if there are less than 60 days between two positive tests, these tests are probably showing the same variant of the virus.
• More than 60 days between two positive tests but within 180 days? Then you were probably quickly infected with a new variant. In this case, you may have two valid recovery certificates in your CovidSafeBE app.

A recovery certificate expires 180 days after a positive test. So, if you have more than one recovery certificate, it is best to use your most recent one, as that is valid for the longest.

The recovery certificate is available for 180 days from the date of the sample collection.

Check the step-by-step plan on this page.

You will find a vaccination certificate in your CovidSafeBE app when your vaccination centre has registered your vaccination(s) with Vaccinet.

The best first step is to check whether your vaccination is registered in Vaccinnet. You can do this by logging in to mijngezondheid.belgie.be. Click on 'COVID 19 – Personal data', then on 'My vaccination data'.

• If you see an incorrectly registered vaccination, contact the centre that gave you the injection.
• You see a registered vaccination but there’s no vaccination certificate in the CovidSafeBE app? Do not call the vaccination centre but contact the regional help desk instead. For Flanders: 078 78 78 50 from 9am to 7pm on weekdays.

You can also check the status of your vaccination first by clicking on this link.

The test certificate can be found in your CovidSafeBE app if you have just had a negative result from a reliable test.

• A PCR test, analysed by a lab, passed on to Sciensano: your QR code is valid for 72 hours, starting from the time that you took the test.
• A rapid antigen test (a rapid test done by medically trained staff), with a result after 15 mins, passed on to Sciensano: your QR code is valid for 48 hours, from the time that you took the test.

A test that was done more than 72 hours ago (or 48 hours ago for an antigen test) does not give a valid test certificate, so you will not find one. Have you just had a PCR or rapid antigen test, but can't find your test certificate? Log in to mijngezondheid.belgie.be. Click on ‘COVID 19 – Personal data’, and then on ‘My test results’. Can you not see a code from the test? Then your test was not a recognized PCR or antigen test, so no test certificate can be made. Do you have a code? Copy it and click on 'COVID 19 – Personal data', then on 'Test result via CTPC code'.

• Is there a positive test result, but this is incorrect? Contact the lab of your test centre (for PCR tests) or healthcare provider (for rapid antigen tests). Have your national register or BIS number to hand. Ask them to check what could have gone wrong.
• Is there a negative test that should give a test certificate in your CovidSafeBE app? Contact our helpdesk for connection with the Sciensano database. For Flanders: 078 78 78 50 from 9am to 7pm on weekdays and for Brussels: 02 214 19 19 from 9.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays and from 10am to 5.30pm on weekends and public holidays.

Go to MyHealth.be, MijnBurgerprofiel, MyHealthviewer or Helena. Log on with one of the digital keys. Itsme is the easiest option. The website will show your certificates. You can download and print them. Be sure to print the certificate of full vaccination (dose 2/2)

You can also call the help desk 24/24 on 078 78 78 50 (in Flanders) or 02 214 19 19 (in Brussels) to have your vaccination certificate sent to you by post.

Until early December 2021, booster jab certificates of people under 65 were given a dose number 2/2, exactly like full vaccination certificates after two jabs. One of the reasons this was done was to guarantee the privacy of high-risk patients who – like care staff – were invited to have their booster jab sooner.

Now that the wider population has become eligible for the booster jab, the people who received a certificate stating 2/2 (for their booster jab) can obtain a new version of that certificate stating 3/3.

In the CovidSafeBE app, you can use the 'Check for new certificates’ button to retrieve the new certificate. The first certificate you received for your booster jab will also still be there. You can remove it if you wish (by checking the date).

A new notification will also appear on the mijngezondheid.be portal. You can click on it to retrieve the new certificate with the 3/3 dose indication.

The new certificate will not be sent automatically by post. Please contact your regional contact centre to receive the certificate by post.

Until early December 2021, booster jab certificates of people under 65 were given a dose number 2/2, exactly like full vaccination certificates after two jabs. One of the reasons this was done was to guarantee the privacy of high-risk patients who – like care staff – were invited to have their booster jab sooner.

Now that the wider population has become eligible for the booster jab, the people who received a certificate stating 2/2 (for their booster jab) can obtain a new version of that certificate stating 3/3.

In the CovidSafeBE app, you can use the 'Check for new certificates’ button to retrieve the new certificate. The first certificate you received for your booster jab will also still be there. You can remove it if you wish (by checking the date).

A new notification will also appear on the mijngezondheid.be portal. You can click on it to retrieve the new certificate with the 3/3 dose indication.

The new certificate will not be sent automatically by post. Please contact your regional contact centre to receive the certificate by post.

Yes, you will receive an extra certificate after your booster jab, because in some countries people are already being requested to show this. Your booster certificate will not automatically appear together with your other vaccination certificates. You have to retrieve it digitally or request it by phone yourself.

Your new certificate will be available 2 to 7 days after your third jab.

You can obtain your booster certificate in 3 ways.

In the CovidSafe app

Tap 'Check for new certificates', then sign in with Itsme or eHealth. After a while, your booster certificate will appear above your other certificate(s). The title will be ‘Vaccination 3/3’ or ‘Vaccination 2/1’ (if your first vaccine was by Johnson & Johnson).

On the portals

Go to MyHealth.be, MijnBurgerprofiel, MyHealthviewer or Helena. Log on with one of the digital keys. Itsme is the easiest option. The website will show your certificates. You can download and print them. Be sure to print the certificate of full vaccination (dose 2/2)

By post

You can also call the help desk 24/24 on 078 78 78 50 (in Flanders) or 02 214 19 19 (in Brussels) to have your vaccination certificate sent to you by post.

The booster jab is displayed as dose 3/3 in the CovidSafe app. If you received Johnson&Johnson as a primary vaccine your booster jab will be listed as 2/1 (first booster jab) or 3/1 (second booster jab).

The new certificates are not automatically displayed in the CovidSafe app. You must press ‘Check for new certificates’ at the bottom and log in via Itsme or eHealth. The certificate is available in the app between 2 to 7 days following registration in the vaccination centre.

The validity date of your certificates may have expired. Renew your certificates before you travel abroad. Retrieve your new COVID-19 vaccination certificates within 20 days before departure. Click on the "Check for new certificates" button and sign in securely with strong authentication. The updated certificates with the new validity period will appear in the app. Your expired certificates will be shown in a drop-down menu at the bottom.

Children aged 6 to 18 do need a certificate to travel just like adults. As long as they are not vaccinated they can get a recovery certificate or test certificate. Once they’ve been vaccinated they will receive a vaccination certificate, just like adults.

Please note that each EU Member State is free to set different conditions for travellers aged 6 to 18. The conditions of all countries (and often separate regions) are available on the ReOpen EU website.

Parents can find their children’s Covid certificate under MijnGezondheid. Insert your child’s ID card in the card reader to log in. Now you can download the right certificate.

• Your child can also use this procedure if he/she has a smartphone of his/her own.

• If your child is (fully) vaccinated then the help desk can also forward the vaccination certificate to your child’s official home address.

Watch the video to learn how to use the app.

• In Belgium, you are considered fully vaccinated when you have received the final dose of your vaccine. For most vaccines, that is the second dose. For some vaccines only one dose is given.
• Most EU countries require travellers to present a vaccination certificate that is at least 14 days old. Check the ReOpen EU website.

To be able to apply for a digital certificate via the CovidSafeBE app or via the online portals (see covidsafe.be) a number of conditions must be met:

• You are a Belgian citizen (or your partner or parents);
  your official place of residence is in Belgium (or your partner or parents have their official residence in Belgium);
  or you work/study in Belgium.
• You must be vaccinated with a vaccine licenced by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or with the Covishield vaccine.
• You need an NISS number (national registry number or BIS identification number). Your identity and address must be registered with the Belgian authorities.

Do you meet all these conditions?

• Then present your foreign vaccination certificate and proof of identity to a Belgian doctor to have the certificate registered in the Belgian database.
• Two days after your registration your certificate will be available in the CovidSafeBE app. Digital doesn’t work for you? Then keep your national registry number or BIS identification number handy as you call the help desk to have a printed version forwarded.

If you live or work in Belgium for a long period you probably have a BIS identification number. With this number you can retrieve your digital certificate via the CovidSafeBE app or the online portals (see covidsafe.be).

Click here for more information on the activation of digital keys.

If you have a recognised digital key from a different European country you can also log on via eIDAS to download your certificate. Click here for more details on the use of eIDAS identification.

Would you rather receive your certificate via regular mail? Then the paper version is sent to your official address. Contact the call centre to make the necessary arrangements:

• for Flanders: 078 78 78 50 from 9 am to 7 pm on weekdays
• for Brussels: 02 214 19 19 from 9 am to 5.30 pm on weekdays and from 10 am to 5.30 pm on weekends and public holidays.

Your new certificate will be available in your CovidSafeBE app between 2 to 7 days after your third jab.

• If you received a booster jab on top of your two primary vaccines you get an additional certificate that is displayed as dose 3/3.
• If you received a booster jab on top of your Johnson&Johnson vaccine you get an additional certificate that is displayed as dose 2/1 (first booster jab) or 3/1 (second booster jab).

Attention: these new certificates are not automatically displayed in the CovidSafe app. You must press ‘Check for new certificates’ at the bottom and log in via Itsme or eHealth. The certificate is available in the app between 2 to 7 days following registration in the vaccination centre.

• All EEA countries, plus the UK (England & Wales), Switzerland, the Vatican, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino will accept proof of full vaccination. Click the following link for the exhaustive list.
• However, not every EU member state will accept partial vaccination certificates. The conditions of all countries (and often separate regions) are available on the ReOpen EU website.

Visit this page for full details.

In the app you can tap on a link to info-coronavirus.be. This is the site of the Federal Government. There you will find info on travel to and from Belgium in your own language.

There is also a link to reopen.europa.eu. This European website details the specific rules of each EU country.

The Commission has established a binding acceptance period of 9 months (precisely 270 days) of vaccination certificates for the purposes of intra-EU travel. More information: https://ec.europa.eu/commissio...

The validity date of your certificates may have expired. Renew your certificates before you travel abroad. Retrieve your new COVID-19 vaccination certificates within 20 days before departure. Click on the "Check for new certificates" button and sign in securely with strong authentication. The updated certificates with the new validity period will appear in the app. Your expired certificates will be shown in a drop-down menu at the bottom.

With code yellow the CST is no longer required and the CovidScanBE app can no longer be used to scan certificates. When you start the CovidScanBE app you get a notification explaining that use of the app is not necessary (under code yellow).

Conversely, the CovidSafeBE app where you can display your own certificates, does remain active. You can find more details on the Corona Barometer here.