The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), as the central institution of the Federal Government in the field of public health and as the national public health institute, publishes the CovPass app for the German Federal Government. The app allows the digital COVID certificates of the EU to be stored directly on the smartphone. Anyone who uses it can prove their vaccination protection or recovery quickly and securely. The app can also be used to store the EU's digital COVID certificates of other people (for example family members) on the smartphone. Users of the app decide when and to whom they show their information and data.

In 2021, the European Union introduced the digital COVID certificate as an EU-wide recognised proof of vaccination, recovery or negative testing for COVID-19. This regulation expired on 30 June 2023. On a transitional basis, the EU will continue to operate the technical systems to enable cross-border certificate testing until 31 December 2023. The transitional operation will end on this date. There is currently no international system with comparable functionalities and comparable scope.
In Germany, the possibility of issuing digital COVID certificates such as vaccination and recovery certificates will therefore be discontinued on 31 December 2023. The CovPass app and the CovPassCheck app will therefore also be discontinued. The CovPass app will be switched to wallet mode, in which the stored certificates will be retained.
In Germany, the possibility of issuing digital COVID certificates such as vaccination and recovery certificates will therefore be discontinued on 31 December 2023. The CovPass app and the CovPassCheck app will therefore also be discontinued. The CovPass app will be switched to wallet mode, in which the stored certificates will be retained.


HOW THE APP WORKS

Evidence of Corona vaccinations and recovery from Corona infection is the central function of the CovPass app. Whenever users prove their Corona status, only the information and data necessary for verification is displayed via QR code.

The QR code provides information about the validity of a vaccination or recovery certificate. For clear identification, the name and date of birth are also displayed during a check.

Corona vaccinations are certified with the EU digital COVID vaccination certificate upon request. The certificate is generated by medical staff after the vaccination. It contains a QR code that can be scanned with the CovPass app. Simply hold the camera of the smartphone over the QR code and all the information of the certificate is loaded onto the smartphone. The current QR code is then displayed on the app's home screen. This can be shown if required.

Recovery from a Corona infection is certified with the EU digital COVID recovery certificate. You can obtain the recovery certificate from your family doctor or local health office after surviving a Corona infection. It contains a QR code that can be scanned with the app. The certificate of recovery is then documented on the smartphone.

EU digital COVID certificates from other people (for example family members) can also be managed on the smartphone.

The data of the EU digital COVID certificate is stored locally on the smartphone. Only the users decide when and to whom they show the information and data.


HOW THE DATA REMAINS SECURE

Data protection is maintained throughout the entire period of use.
- No registration: No registration with an e-mail address is necessary.
- Local data storage: Your complete data is only stored on your smartphone.
- Data minimization: The QR code is displayed with the minimum amount of data agreed in the EU. After the QR code has been checked, only the status of the certificate, the name, and the date of birth are displayed.
- Cryptographic security: The QR code is protected with a strong signature and cannot be forged.