“The mobile application for reading the EU digital certificate “Covid Pass” is now available for download from mobile application shops (app shops) of Google, Apple and Huawei,” said the Ministry in a statement.

According to the same source, this application will allow entities that need to validate EUC digital certificates, which entered into force on 1 July, to “do so digitally and more quickly.”

Developed by Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda, the application can be “downloaded and used by everyone”, including air carriers and organisers of cultural, corporate, sporting and family events, such as weddings and christenings, said Marta Temido’s ministry.

In practice, by pointing the mobile phone camera at the QR code of the digital certificate, the application automatically reads it, displaying a green light, which means that the certificate was successfully validated, or red, for cases in which the certificate is not valid, the ministry explained.

“For verification purposes, only the validity and authenticity of the certificate are inspected, checking who issued and signed it, in addition to the application of the rules issued by the DGS. During the process, only the name, date of birth and information on the validity check of the same will be displayed. “No personal data is stored by the application”, the same source assured.

These certificates started to be issued in Portugal on 16 June and allow the bearer to prove that they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, have tested negative or have recovered from the disease.

Following the agreement of member states to facilitate the free movement of citizens within the EU safely during the pandemic, the document, in Portugal, may have other features, since the government said it can be used in “matters of air and sea traffic, circulation within the national territory and access to events of cultural, sporting, corporate or family nature.

The ministry also said that the SNS 24 application, which allows the issuing and presentation of the EU Digital Certificate in electronic format, is already available on Google `app stores’ and will soon be on Apple, allowing each citizen to obtain, consult and store their digital certificate.

Developed by the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health, this mobile application SNS 24 replaces the app MySNS Carteira.