NHS COVID Pass

This guidance for GP practices has been developed to provide you with up to date information on the NHS COVID Pass service and what you should do if a registered patient contacts you about incorrect information in their health record. It also provides suggested wording for practice websites, telephone messages and social media. Accessing your vaccination status does not require patient access to the detailed coded record.

If a registered patient identifies errors in their records, please correct these where possible. Examples may include:

• errors in their address or contact details
• missing information
• errors in their vaccination record

Registered patients may contact you because they have found missing or incorrect information in their record when accessing the NHS App or the web service.  People have been advised to contact their GP practice to update their personal details if these are incorrect. People who think there is an issue with their vaccination record are advised to call 119 and be referred to the Vaccine Data Resolution Service (VDRS)

People who have called 119 and requested to receive their NHS COVID Pass letter will not receive this if information is:

• missing
• cannot be matched with their vaccination record
• does not evidence that both vaccination doses were administered

Instead, they will be sent a letter informing them that a letter could not be generated. The letter will contain an error code (called a reason code on the patient letter) and advice for that person to contact their GP practice. 

If people identify potential duplication errors in their records, and the person was vaccinated at a local site, please correct them where you can.

These codes, called 'reason codes' in the letter, show why the 119 service could not generate a COVID-19 status.

From 4 April 2022 the error codes are changing. There will be 2 error codes in use

• A new failure code is being added  - 3012 - vaccination record does not show the correct dosage number, timing or manufacturer requirements  

• Failure code 3006 will  be retained - no vaccine record found

The five remaining codes (below) will no longer be in use:

Guidance was issued in the NHS England and NHS Improvement Primary Care bulletin, 13 May 2021, Issue 29.

People vaccinated at a PCN-led site

For people vaccinated at a site led by your own primary care network, please make the necessary amendments using the vaccination point of care system. This will then update the National Immunisation Management Service and the GP record. Changes must not be made directly in the GP clinical system. 

People vaccinated outside your own PCN

For people vaccinated at a hospital hub, vaccination centre, community pharmacy, or a PCN grouping outside the person's own practice, you can look at our guidance in COVID-19 vaccination record queries for advice on how to resolve the common errors.

We have provided some suggested wording that you can use to tell your patients about the NHS COVID Pass service.

You can use the following template text on your website:

People in England who have satisfied vaccine requirements against COVID-19 or can prove their prior infection (recovery) status can use the NHS COVID Pass to demonstrate their COVID-19 status.

If you’re aged 12 or over you can get a digital NHS COVID Pass for travel abroad (children aged 5-11 who have received a full primary course of COVID-19 vaccination can also get an NHS COVID Pass letter) but you should follow the entry requirements of the country you are travelling to. See the GOV.UK website for more information about the NHS COVID Pass for children.

For details of vaccination requirements, including vaccinations recognised in the UK, visit the NHS.UK website.

Vaccine status will be available through the NHS COVID Pass service from: 

• the NHS App which you can download from app stores 

• the NHS website 

• 119 - by requesting a paper letter

You will need to register to use the online services, if you have not already. It may take more than a week for your identity to be checked and verified.

If you cannot access the online services, and you have had both doses of the vaccine (or one dose of the Janssen single-dose vaccine), you can request a paper letter from the NHS by calling 119 or requesting a letter at the NHS website. Only call 119 if you are due to travel outside the UK in the near future and have had your second dose (or one dose of Janssen) more than 5 working days ago. It may take up to 7 working days for the letter to arrive.

This practice is not able to provide you with a letter that shows your COVID-19 vaccination status. Please do not contact the practice about your COVID-19 vaccination status unless you have been advised to by the 119 service.

When you're planning your travel, you should check the latest information on demonstrating your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad on the gov.uk website. Make sure there is enough time to get proof of your COVID-19 status before you are due to travel.

You can use this script for answerphone messages, or speaking to patients directly:

GP practices cannot provide you with an NHS COVID Pass letter. You can demonstrate your COVID-19 status by using the NHS COVID Pass which is available within the NHS App or NHS website. It may take more than a week for your identity to be checked and verified. For more information visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/nhs-covid-pass/.

If you do not have digital or internet access, call 119 to request a letter. Please leave at least 5 working days after your second vaccine before calling 119.

Only call 119 if you had your second dose (or the Janssen single-dose vaccine) more than 5 working days ago. It may take 7 working days for the letter to arrive.

You can use this message on Twitter:

If you need to prove your COVID-19 status please download the #NHSApp. More info at nhs.uk/nhsapp and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/demonstrating-your-covid-19-status   

Digital service

Children aged 5 and over are able to get a digital NHS COVID Pass for international travel, available through the

• NHS.UK website for a parent or guardian to request for their child aged 5 to 15
• NHS.UK website for those aged 12 and over who want to request it for themselves (as a PDF you can download or print)
• NHS App for those aged 13 and over (age restrictions apply for use of the App)

To request an NHS COVID Pass for your child aged 5 to 15, you will need to give the child’s full name, date of birth and NHS number or postcode registered with their GP surgery. You’ll also need to have access to the mobile phone number or email address on the child’s GP’s record.

To request an NHS COVID Pass for themselves, the child aged 12 and over will first need to register for an NHS login. They can do this themselves (or a parent or guardian can help register on their behalf). They’ll need to register using the child’s details (including the child’s email address) and verify the child’s identity using the child’s passport.

Verifying identity can take a few days to complete (although it normally takes around 24 hours).

Letter service

You can use the Get your NHS COVID Pass letter service for a child aged 5 or over living in England, Wales or the Isle of Man. You can also ask for other formats (audio, big print or Braille).

An NHS COVID Pass letter for a child aged 5 to 11 can be based on their vaccination status or a positive NHS PCR test within the last 180 days (6 months). A letter based on a positive NHS PCR test is available in England or Wales only (not available in the Isle of Man).

You must be the child’s parent or guardian to request this letter.

To request an NHS COVID Pass letter for travel in Wales or Isle of Man (age 12 or over), visit

• NHS COVID Pass for Isle of Man residents
• Get your NHS COVID Pass - Welsh Government

View information on COVID-19 vaccination record queries.

See more NHS App guidance for GP practices.