Frequently asked questions

The EU Digital COVID Certificate is issued by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia. You may request a certificate online using a dedicated application or from the authority licensed to issue such certificates (Croatian Health Insurance Fund, HZZO), which shall issue a paper certificate or deliver it by e-mail.

You can store the digital version on your mobile device, send it by e-mail or print it. Regardless of the version, the certificate will contain a QR code including general information and a digital stamp authenticating the certificate.

You can access the online platform via the e-Citizens system using a Level 2 Credential – Substantial Security or a Level 3 Credential – High Security.

Please find a list of credentials including such security levels HERE.

Other than the credentials of the required security levels (2 and 3), you do not need to provide any further information or documents. The system automatically retrieves user data from the database maintained by the Ministry of Health and a certificate is generated by clicking “Zatraži potvrdu”. 

The EU Digital COVID Certificate contains a QR code including a digital signature to protect against falsification, which is based on ICAO PKI specifications.

The certificate is verified by scanning the QR code and verifying the digital signature.

The digital signature key stored in a secure database is held by the issuer.

The European Commission has established an EU gateway where public components of national digital signature keys will be exchanged in a single place to allow for interoperability of EU Digital COVID Certificate systems. Personal data inserted in the certificate will not go through the EU gateways because this is not required for digital signature validation.

Yes. You can save the certificate as a PDF file or in the CovidGO mobile app and present it to the person in charge of reading the QR code and other important data.

To store the COVID certificate in the digital wallet of the CovidGO mobile application, you need to click on the link you received in the e-mail with the EU digital COVID certificate on the mobile device.

The link leads to the screen within the application with the option "Add to wallet", after which it is necessary to enter the password for the mobile application from the COVID certificate. Without entering a password, the confirmation will not be stored in the application wallet.

The certificate can also be saved by selecting the digital wallet icon within the application, in the lower left corner and clicking on the "Add new certificate" option. Then scan the certificate code and click on the "Save" option. In this case, the user also has to enter the password on the confirmation.

By storing the COVID certificate, the user agrees to save a certain set of personal data.

Deleting the COVID certificate
To delete a certificate from your digital wallet, click the "Remove certificate" option.
After deleting, you can store the same certificate in another wallet.

IMPORTANT: A COVID certificate can be stored on up to 10 different devices at the same time. If you have reached this limit, you must delete the certificate from one of the devices on which it is stored before you can successfully enter it into another wallet on the new device.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate is accepted in EU Member States and will help ease the restrictions present in the form of measures taken by Member States in a coordinated manner.

When traveling to or staying in an EU Member State, each citizen of the EU or a citizen of a third country formally residing in the EU shall, as a holder of an EU Digital COVID Certificate, be able to demonstrate in an effective and interoperable manner his/her COVID-19-related health status. If a particular Member State should continue to require that holders of valid EU Digital COVID Certificates be placed in quarantine or additionally tested, it shall be required to duly notify the Commission and all other Member States thereof and give reasons for its decisions.

Yes. The EU Digital COVID Certificate should facilitate free movement within the EU. Being a fundamental right in the EU, free movement will not be made contingent upon the EU Digital COVID Certificate. You may also use your EU Digital COVID Certificate to provide a negative test result, which is frequently required as a result of the public health restrictions in place.

Such certificate allows Member States to adjust their present public health restrictions to facilitate cross-border travel for their citizens.

Vaccination certificates in Republic of Croatia will be issued to vaccinated persons for all vaccines against COVID-19 approved by the European Commission.

In Croatia, EU digital COVID vaccination certificate is not issued for CVnCoV vaccines manufactured by Curevac AG and Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (Vero Cell) manufactured by Sinopharm Weiqida Europe Pharmaceutical s.r.o. .

The EU Digital COVID Certificate includes general information such as your name, date of birth, certificate issue date, relevant information concerning your vaccination, testing and recovery, and a unique identifier.

The certificate itself contains only a limited set of strictly necessary data. A Member State you visit may not retain such information. Only the information about the issuer and digital signer of the certificate will be checked for validation and authentication purposes. All health information remains stored in the Member State issuing the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate for recovery, vaccination and testing can also be issued to minors.

Since February 1st 2022, Croatia has had new regulations for issuing EU digital COVID certificates that comply with the EU Regulation and Council Recommendation.

Booster vaccination

A booster vaccination certificate is issued from January 5, 2023 without a limitation period from the last dose in the series. Certificates are primariy issued to people who have received two doses of vaccine and a third or booster dose (3/3), to those who has recovered from COVID-19 and are then primary vaccinated with two doses and with a third dose (3/3), and for each additional vaccination, for example 4/4, etc.

Booster after single vaccination dose (Janssen)

A booster vaccination certificate will also be issued to people who were primary vaccinated with a single-dose vaccine and then received one (2/1) or two additional doses of two-dose vaccine (3/1), as well as those who were vaccinated with a single-dose vaccine and then received a second dose of the same or a different vaccine that is also received in a single dose (2/1).

These certificates can be requested from the date of vaccination with the last specified dose.

Whether the illness happened before or after vaccination, the recovery is not recognized as a booster dose in the EU digital COVID certification system.

Primary vaccination

The certificate of primary vaccination (1/1, 2/2) is issued if no more than 270 days have passed since the last dose in the series. They are issued to people who have been primarily vaccinated with vaccines given in one (1/1) or two doses (2/2), as well as to those who have been recovered and vaccinated with one dose of vaccine given in two doses (1/1) and people who have been recovered and vaccinated with vaccine given in a single dose (1/1).

Since February 1st, it's no longer possible to request a certificate of primary vaccination older than 270 days. Certificates previously issued will remain valid in the Republic of Croatia for 365 days, but not for crossing the border.

These certificates can be requested from the day of vaccination with the last prescribed dose.

Certificates are valid for crossing the border on the 14th day from the day of vaccination with the last specified dose.

The first dose

Certificates are valid for 84 days in the Republic of Croatia for people who have received the first dose of the two-dose vaccine (AstraZeneca). These can be requested on the 22nd day from the day of vaccination.

Certificates are valid for 42 days in the Republic of Croatia for those who have received the first dose of the two-dose vaccine (Pfeizer, Moderna). These can be requested on the 22nd day from the day of vaccination.

IMPORTANT! A new EU digital COVID certificate must be requested after each change in a person's vaccination status, whether it is the first, second or each additional dose of the vaccine.

If you had a positive test in the last 10 days, that was also your first such positive test within 180 days up to the date of requesting certificate, you cannot get a COVID certificate based on having a negative test result in the last 48 hours.

If none of the above applies to your situation, we advise you to contact the laboratory where you were tested to verify the data or to the e-mail address [email protected].

A person who has a negative PCR or fast antigen test can request a certificate.

PCR test: The certificate is valid 72 hours from the time the sample is taken and is available from the moment the testing is registered.

FAST ANTIGEN test: The certificate is valid for crossing the border 24 hours from the time the sample is taken and is accessible for download on demand from the time the testing is registered.

In the Republic of Croatia, the validity period is 48 hours.

You cannot receive a COVID certificate based on a negative test result within the last 48 hours if you have had a positive test within the last 10 days and this is your first positive test within 180 days of issuing a certificate.

Those whose data on recovery, vaccination or a negative test for SARS-CoV-2 are stored in the Ministry of Health's central databases can request an EU digital COVID certificate through the e-Građani website, HZZO branches, pharmacies and authorized testing laboratories.

A person who has recovered from COVID-19 may obtain a certificate after the 11th day from the date of the first positive test conducted in one of the health institutions or laboratories that perform COVID-19 tests in the Republic of Croatia.

The certificate is valid for 180 days from the date of the first positive test.

The certificate cannot be issued in case the person has a positive test result within 11 days from the day of submitting the certificate request.