Covid vaccine passport to be available on NHS app in UK from May 17

British nationals who have had both jabs will be able to use the NHS app as a vaccine passport for overseas travel from May 17.

Those who do not use smartphones can phone 119 for a paper letter confirming their vaccine status but have been urged not to ask their GP.

The British government hopes the app will be able to show vaccination status in time for people to be able to use it when the ban on foreign travel is lifted on May 17.

The NHS app was set up to allow people to book appointments and repeat prescriptions online and allows people to see their full medical records.

NHS Digital, the health service’s technology unit, has been working on tweaking the app so that vaccine data is pulled out of medical records and shown on a separate screen that can be presented to officials, The Times reported.

People must register to use the app and the government is advising people to do so at least two weeks before they travel abroad. As an alternative they can apply for a paper letter but this is available only five days after the second dose and will take a further five days to arrive.