The form of an EU vaccination certificate has been defined, the Tuesday issue of the Jutarnji List daily reported.

The certificate will contain the holder’s name and country of origin, the name of the vaccine used, vaccination date, vaccine’s serial number, and a barcode, said Krunoslav Capak, the head of the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) an member of the national Covid-19 response team.

However, he said, such certificates are – for now – used only for medical purposes, not for travel abroad.

“Intensive talks are underway, and the EU will definitely make a decision on the matter, but there are still a lot of questions and controversies,” Capak said.

As of yet, no EU country has individually allowed cross-border travel based on vaccination certificates, but bilateral talks on their mutual recognition are ongoing, he added.

“Agreement has been reached on the content of the certificate. It should contain the holder’s name, the name of the vaccine used, the vaccination date, and the serial number of the vaccine,” he said.

The certificate should also contain information on the holder’s country of origin. Considering that the certificate will be a smart solution, it will take up to three months for everything to start functioning, Capak said, noting that talks were still under way at the EU level on whether citizens who have been vaccinated will obtain smart cards or have a mobile app to prove their vaccination.

Some EU member states have said such certificates would replace negative PCR tests required to enter the country.

The approach opens up a lot of controversy, mainly relating to human rights concerns considering vaccination is not mandatory, but also because there is, at least for now, a shortage of vaccines on the market.

Therefore, the daily reported, apart from tech challenges, sluggish vaccine rollout is another reason why vaccination certificates across the EU will not see the light of day just yet.