Vaccine certificate for overseas travelers - apply to the municipality

Recently Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition reported the following:

ワクチン証明書、市区町村に申請　海外渡航者向け

【イブニングスクープ】

新型コロナ

2021年6月24日 18:00 (2021年6月25日 0:01更新) [有料会員限定]

政府が新型コロナウイルスのワクチン接種証明書の発行手続きの概要を決めた。市区町村が窓口となり、7月中下旬をめどに当初は紙のみで発行する。用途は海外渡航者向けに限り、国内での利用は想定していない。

欧州など国際社会で証明書発行の動きが広がっているのを踏まえ、ビジネス往来の正常化に向けた環境整備を急ぐ。

年内にもオンラインで申請・発行できるようにし、スマートフォンのアプリを活用した方式での発行もめざす。政府は25日に自治体向けの説明会を開いて説明する。

申請時は氏名や接種券、接種済み記録、パスポート情報などとともに紙で提出する。郵送での申請も認める。市区町村はワクチン接種記録システム（VRS）の接種データと照合して証明書を発行する。

証明書に旅券番号やローマ字表記の氏名、国籍、ワクチンメーカーなどを記載する。偽造防止対策で専用の用紙を使う。

接種券が発行されていて、VRSに接種済みだとのデータを登録してあることが要件となる。接種を済ませているのに自治体からまだ接種券を交付されていない人などには、各自治体がワクチン証明書と同等の証明書を発行するよう求める。

飛行機への搭乗時や海外での入国審査、宿泊時などに提示できるようにする。旅行者やビジネス・留学で渡航する日本人、日本に滞在中で母国に戻る外国人などの利用を見込む。

政府は5月に加藤勝信官房長官をトップとする省庁横断のチームを発足させ、制度設計の検討を進めてきた。

ワクチン接種の有無で差別されないよう国内での利用は当面想定しない。イベント参加などで観客の選別につながりかねないためだ。アレルギーなど特別な事情で接種できない人への配慮もある。

Translation

The government had outlined the procedure for issuing vaccination certificates for the new coronavirus. Local governments became the windows, initially aiming the issuing at mid or late in July and only on paper. It was intended for overseas travelers only and not for domestic use.

Given that the movement to issue a certificate was spreading in the international communities such as Europe, to improve the environment for normalizing business traffic should be hurried.

 It would be possible to apply and issue online by the end of this year, and the aim was to issue it using a method that utilized smartphone apps. The government would hold a briefing session on the 25th for local governments to explain.

When applying, one had to submit the application on paper along with the name, vaccination appointment ticket, vaccination record, passport information, etc. Applications by mail were also accepted. Municipalities would issue a certificate by collating with the inoculation data from the Vaccination Recording System (VRS).

On the certificate the passport number, name in Roman letters, nationality, vaccine manufacturer, etc. would be written. Special paper would be used as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

Information on being issued with the vaccination appointment ticket, and all the data of the vaccination done had been registered in VRS were important. For those who had been vaccinated but had no vaccination appointment ticket issued by the local government, individual local government was requested to issue them a document equivalent to the vaccine appointment ticket.

It would be possible to present the certificate at the time of boarding an airplane, immigrating overseas, lodging, etc. It was expected that this certificate would be used by travelers, and those Japanese traveling for business or study abroad; and foreigners staying in Japan and would return to their home countries.

In May, the government launched a cross-ministerial team headed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, and a review on the system design was being pushed forward.

For the time being, no domestic use for this certificate was intended so that no possible discrimination could be done on whether one who had or had not been vaccinated. This was because when participating in an event etc. it could lead to the selection of spectators. There was also a consideration for those people who could not be vaccinated due to special circumstances such as allergies.

              So, the Japanese government has outlined the procedure for issuing a vaccination certificate for the new coronavirus.