1.3.2022
COV
> COVID-19 (EN)

Can a foreigner obtain an EU Digital COVID certificate (“the Green Pass”) in Slovenia?

The EU Digital COVID certificate (i.e., the Green Pass) is a digital certificate that has come into effect and is valid across all European countries, as of 21st July 2021.

In principle, the EU digital COVID vaccination certificate is issued by the country, where the person was vaccinated, which ensures the authenticity of the vaccination data. Each country has its own system of data entry in health registers and validation systems. However, the entry of data on persons vaccinated abroad into the Slovenian electronic vaccination register is not yet possible. Slovenia, therefore, only issues EU digital COVID certificates for vaccinations carried out in Slovenia. In addition, there is another restriction for the issuance of an EU digital COVID certificate in Slovenia, as all persons wishing to receive an EU digital COVID vaccination certificate must be registered in Slovenia under the relevant identifier, i.e., they must either have a Slovenian personal identification number (hereinafter the “EMŠO number“) or a Slovenian health insurance number (hereinafter the “ZZZS number“). Data on persons, who do not have these identifiers cannot be submitted into the Slovenian electronic register. Despite the extremely rapid spread of the virus and the consequent desire of European countries to increase the percentage of vaccinated population as much as possible, the majority of foreigners wishing to be vaccinated in Slovenia are thus unfortunately not (yet) able to obtain a digital vaccination certificate, or the possibility of obtaining it is considerably more difficult.

There are three types of the EU Digital COVID Certificates issued in Slovenia:

1) EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of a negative test

The validity of the EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of a negative test varies due to the type of negative test that a person has submitted to. The EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of a negative rapid antigen test is valid for 24 hours, while the EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of a negative molecular test (hereinafter the “PCR test”) is valid for 48 hours.

2) EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of recovery of Covid-19

The EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of recovery of Covid-19, which can only be issued if the person has obtained a positive PCR test, is valid for 180 days since the positive molecular test.

3) EU Digital COVID Vaccination Certificate

The validity of the EU Digital COVID Vaccination Certificate varies based on the number of obtained doses of the vaccine and based on the fact, if a person has first recovered Covid-19 and obtained at least 1 dose of any vaccine:

The EU Digital COVID Certificate with unlimited validity is:

1. the EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of being fully vaccinated (i.e., 1 dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine) and having obtained a booster shot; and

2. the EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of having recovered the Covid-19 and being fully vaccinated (i.e., 1 dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine), receiving the first dose within 180-240 days since the positive molecular test, and the second dose any time later.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate with validity of 270 days is:

1. the EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of being fully vaccinated (i.e., 1 dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine); and

2. the EU Digital COVID Certificate on the basis of having recovered the Covid-19 and being vaccinated with just one dose (i.e., 1 dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine) within 180-240 days since the positive molecular test.

In Slovenia, the EU Digital COVID certificate is issued by the National Institute of Public Health (hereinafter the “NIJZ”) on the basis of data entered in the Central Register of Patient Data. It can be obtained in paper and digital form on the zVem portal of the NIJZ. To access this portal and thus the digital certificate, as well as other eHealth services, a person must obtain a qualified digital certificate SIGEN-CA and/or a mobile identity smsPASS.

Moreover, a person can also obtain a paper certificate of compliance with the recovered/vaccinated/tested rule at the time of vaccination at the vaccination site, from a personal doctor and at the pharmacy. There is a fee of EUR 2.00 to obtain a certificate from a pharmacy.
As already mentioned above, Slovenia issues EU Digital COVID Vaccination Certificates only for vaccinations carried out in Slovenia as the vaccination certificate can only be issued to persons who have the appropriate identifier, i.e., either a an EMŠO number or at least a ZZZS number. Data on persons, who do not have these identifiers cannot be registered in the Slovenian Central Register of Patient Data. Foreigners residing in Slovenia, who have at least a registered temporary address obtain a Slovenian EMŠO number or a Slovenian ZZZS number and can therefore also obtain an EU digital COVID Vaccination Certificate in Slovenia.

Obtaining an EU Digital COVID certificate in Slovenia therefore varies for people based on the fact, whether or not they have the abovementioned identifiers, as will be explained below.

1) Persons that have a ZZZS number

The data of a person with a ZZZS number is already entered in the Slovenian Central Population Register. Therefore, these persons can obtain an EU digital COVID certificate of vaccination, recovery or on the basis of a negative test in digital form on the NIJZ zVem portal. A paper certificate of compliance with the recovered/vaccinated/tested rule can also be obtained at the time of vaccination at the vaccination site, at the personal doctor and at the pharmacy.

2) Persons, who do not have a ZZZS number, but do have a Slovenian EMŠO number

For persons, who do not have a Slovenian ZZZS number, the EU Digital COVID certificate can be issued on the basis of a Slovenian EMŠO number. The EMŠO number is available to all persons, who have either registered a permanent or temporary address in Slovenia and is assigned when registering in the Central Register of Population. Registration in the Central Register of Population and thus obtaining a Slovenian EMŠO number is carried out at the time of registration of residence or health insurance for foreigners. This includes, for example, persons on temporary work in Slovenia, persons with diplomatic status and applicants for international protection, etc. It is possible that a person may not know his or her Slovenian EMŠO number. Therefore, when foreign nationals are trying to get vaccinated or submit to testing in Slovenia, they should check their registration documents or obtain their Slovenian EMŠO number from the official person, who has registered them. All persons who have a Slovenian EMŠO number are registered in the Central Register of Patient Data, which means that the eHealth system already has their personal data (first name, surname, date of birth, address). When a record of complying with the recovered/vaccinated/tested rule is entered in the register for this person, this information is automatically populated based on the Slovenian EMŠO number. Therefore, all persons, who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination in Slovenia have a Slovenian ZZZS number or at least a Slovenian EMŠO number.

3) Persons with a European Health Insurance Card

If a person does not have a Slovenian ZZZS number or an EMŠO number, but has an European Health Insurance Card, that person can obtain an EU Digital COVID negative test or recovery of Covid-19 certificate on the basis of a foreign insured person number (hereinafter the “FIP number”). All persons with an European Health Insurance Card obtain a FIP number when receiving a healthcare service in Slovenia. It is compulsory to enter personal data (first name, surname, date of birth, address) in the COVID test result information. At the present time, it is not possible to record vaccinations using a FIP number in Slovenia, therefore an EU Digital COVID vaccination certificate cannot be issued for persons with only the FIP number.

4) Persons, who do not even have a FIP number

For persons who do not even have a FIP number, a Local ID, assigned in the information system of the test provider, can be used to enter the COVID test data in the Slovenian register. It is compulsory to enter personal data (first name, last name, date of birth, address) in the COVID test result data. This information can be used to issue an EU Digital COVID negative test or recovery of Covid-19 certificate. Therefore, in Slovenia it is not possible to record vaccinations using a Local ID. In Slovenia, an EU Digital COVID Vaccination Certificate can only be issued, if a person has either a Slovenian ZZZS number or an EMŠO number.

Despite the still rapid spread of the virus and the efforts of countries to maximise the percentage of vaccinated population, foreign persons, who do not have a Slovenian ZZZS number or an EMŠO number are still unable to obtain an EU digital COVID Vaccination Certificate in Slovenia due to technical reasons, and can only obtain a negative test certificate or a recovery of Covid-19 certificate. In view of the desire to return to “normality”, it seems reasonable to expect that in the future Slovenia too will remove the technical obstacles to vaccination of foreign persons and the consequent need to obtain a vaccination certificate as soon as possible.

Authorities:

  • Jadek & Pensa Law Firm
  • Tavčarjeva ulica 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija
  • T +386 1 234 25 20
  • F +386 1 234 25 32
  • E office@jadek-pensa.si

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