Foreigners in Malta to receive SMS code to download vaccine certificate

Foreigners in Malta eligible to get the COVID-19 jab will be provided with a code in order to download their vaccination certificate, the health ministry has confirmed.

The current vaccine certificate website operated by the health authorities can only be used by holders of Maltese ID cards or in possession of a residence document.

However, a spokesperson for the health ministry told MaltaToday that foreigners who lack such documentation will be sent an SMS verification code that can be inputted into the ID Card Document Number section on the website. The code will be sent after the two-week period from the second dose has lapsed.

Walk-in vaccination clinics started operating this week in different locations across Malta and Gozo, allowing for foreigners living in the country to get the jab.

People making use of these clinics need to take with them identification documents and proof that they are living in Malta, such as rental agreements, work contracts and study arrangements.

A number of individuals without a residency permit or an ID card living in Malta reached out to this newspaper expressing concern over the fact that they would not be in a position to download the vaccine certificate once they complete the inoculation course. The situation also impacts children between 12 and 15 of those with a residence permit.

“This does not make sense. I got the vaccine with my European ID, as a vulnerable person, because I am living in Malta, but now I cannot go home for holidays even if I am fully vaccinated,” one reader said. 

MaltaToday called the 145 vaccine helpline and posed as a foreigner to ask for guidance on the matter. The person who answered the call confirmed that as things stand today, non-residents living in Malta are not able to download their vaccine certificate after getting the jab. 

“You can’t download it from anywhere,” she said. “There currently is no online portal from where the vaccine certificate can be downloaded.” 

On Monday, hundreds queued up at the mobile vaccine clinic at the Mosta Technopark and the Gateway Building at the University of Malta to get the jab. Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne tweeted that 2,461 doses were administered on the day.

Today, the mobile clinic will be located in Zejtun, and St Julian’s on Friday 23 July. 

On Monday, 728,106 vaccine doses were administered, of which 386,328 were a first dose. 359,042 people are fully vaccinated.