How to obtain a vaccine passport

By order of the B.C public health officer, proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required across the province as of Sept. 13, 2021. The passport will cover restaurants, indoor ticketed events, nightclubs and casinos, movie theatres, gyms and recreation facilities, post secondary on-campus student housing, and indoor organized gatherings such as weddings and conferences.

The Sept. 13 deadline is for at least one dose of vaccination, and by Oct. 24 you must be able to prove you are fully vaccinated. The requirement applies to anyone born in 2009 or earlier.

Citizens will be able to show proof of vaccination by using the B.C. vaccination card website, which will be available for the Sept. 13 deadline. According to the B.C government website, the vaccine card website will be secure and will provide confidential access to your vaccination records. You will be able to save your vaccine card on to your smartphone and show it when accessing events, and a paper option will also be available as well.

To access the card, there are three steps according to the B.C. Government website. All you need to provide is a name, date of birth and personal health number (PHN).

Houston Today spoke to a representative from the Ministry of Health, who said that acquiring the vaccine passport will not be complicated. “The process will be simple. Individuals will be able to confidentially access their proof of vaccination through a secure website. A web link will be provided and publicized and a second, secure option will be provided for people who can’t access the website or don’t have a phone.”

For those who were vaccinated in another province, the process is a little bit different. You must complete the form at https://www.immunizationrecord.gov.bc.ca/or call 1-833-838-2323 and submit proof of an official immunization record. It will then be entered into the provincial immunization registry, though it could take two to three weeks to process.

As for people visiting B.C., if you are visiting from another Canadian province you will be required to show a provincially/territorially officially recognized vaccine record along with a valid government ID from the same province or territory. For those traveling internationally, the proof of vaccine that was used to cross the bored will be required along with a valid passport.

For those who are not vaccinated, you may find it difficult to access some events, services and businesses after the Sept. 13 deadline according to the B.C. government website. To get a vaccine, you can register for an appointment at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register, or find a drop-in clinic at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/vaxforbc in the Northern Health section.