EU Covid certs offer for Irish citizens in Northern Ireland

Irish passport holders vaccinated in Northern Ireland are to be given access to an EU Digital Covid Certificate via an Irish government website.

The government is developing a online portal that will allow Irish citizens who were vaccinated outside the EU to apply for digital proof of their jabs.

The portal is expected to be operational later this week, according to Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

Cross-border access had been suggested earlier this year but was delayed.

The Republic of Ireland began using the EU Digital Covid Certificate system in July.

It is being used as a form of "passport" to give members of the public access to international travel and hospitality industries.

The EU certificate can be issued if someone has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19; recently had a negative PCR test or recently recovered from the disease.

If you hold a certificate you should in principle be exempted from testing or quarantine.

Shortly before the EU system was adopted in the Republic of Ireland, the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Mícheál Martin and other senior Irish government ministers suggested it would be made available to most Irish passport holders who live in Northern Ireland.

However, it was later announced this would not be the case because the Irish state had no official record of vaccinations outside of the Republic of Ireland,

At the time, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the matter would be "kept under consideration".

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show on Wednesday, Neale Richmond from the Fine Gael party said "any Irish passport holder in Northern Ireland who got a vaccine will be entitled to get the EU cert through the portal".

"That is the same with any Irish passport holder who got a vaccine anywhere, as long as it is one of the recognised vaccines such as Astra Zeneca or Pfizer," he said.

Mr Richmond, who represents the Dublin Rathdown constituency in the Dáil (Irish Parliament), is also Fine Gael's spokesperson on European Affairs.

"This is also massive news for a lot of people in my own constituency in Dublin who are originally from the north… it's big news for a lot of people. You won't have need for PCR tests or have to isolate for five days," he said.

"It's not even just EU countries. There is about 42 countries included in this and there will be an agreement between the EU and countries like Canada and the US much sooner than the UK and those countries."

Mr Richmond also said he hoped the portal would go live by the end of this week.

Sinn Féin Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile also welcomed the development.

"I had been raising the importance of resolving this matter directly with [Health] Minister Donnelly before the summer recess," he said.

"I look forward to the online portal to apply opening in the coming days so that people can avail of this service."