NHS Covid Pass for international travel extended to children aged 12-15 in England

2 mins read

Thursday 16 December 2021

Tags: covid, Covide-19 vaccine

Children aged 12-15 in England are now able to access an NHS Covid Pass letter for international travel if they have had both doses of the vaccine.

This will allow families to visit countries such as Spain and Canada that require 12-15-year-olds to be fully vaccinated in order to gain entry or access venues.

Parents can access this service by calling 119 or via the NHS website, though bear in mind it can take up to 7 days to receive a Covid Pass letter. 

For now, proof of vaccination will be carried out via a letter service including an internationally recognised 2D barcode. A digital solution is due to be rolled out early next year.

There is no need for children under 18 to show a Covid pass in domestic settings, such as venues and events, or at the UK border.

This development follows the JCVI’s recommendation that all children aged 12-15 be offered two doses of the Covid jab regardless of their clinical risk.

Vaccine approval needed for children aged 5-11 

Despite extending the full vaccination programme to all children aged 12-15, the government and the JCVI are yet to decide on the eligibility of 5-11-year-olds — many of whom have already been vaccinated in other countries. 

There are 19,000 clinically extremely vulnerable children under 12 in the UK who were told to shield at the start of the pandemic. Many continue to do so. Their families are desperate for news and feel completely ignored.

We believe these delays are unacceptable for high-risk children and have today launched a petition calling for a speedy announcement from the medicines regulator and the JCVI.  

Show your support by signing the petition today.