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If you work at a place or event, and where you suggest to work, please provide guidance on proving your Coronavirus (COVID-19) status.
This guide applies to England. Scotland and Wales have their own compulsory certification schemes.
On Wednesday, December 15, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) rules regarding participation in certain venues and events in England will change if approved by Parliament.
From now on, persons 18 years of age or older who want to enter these venues and activities must:
You currently don't need a booster to get an NHS COVID Pass. We will review this as the booster rolls out.
It is strongly recommended to vaccinate or regularly test the staff facing customers in places or activities where certification is applicable.
If you live in England, you can show your NHS COVID Pass to prove:
COVID-19 IDs from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man will be recognized in England.
If you have been vaccinated in other countries/regions and you are accepted into the UK at the UK border, you can show other proof of vaccination.
A valid text or email confirmation from NHS Test and Trace can also be used to prove that you have completed a negative PCR test or a negative rapid lateral flow test within the past 48 hours. You can only use the tests provided by NHS Test and Trace, not privately provided tests.
The NHS COVID Pass no longer provides detailed information on natural immunity. A certificate of natural immunity should not be accepted as a substitute for a certificate of vaccination or a negative test result.
There is information about what the NHS COVID Pass is, how to obtain it, and how to use it.
This page is for staff (including employees, other staff and volunteers, and those who provide services for the event or venue) who are now recommended to use the NHS COVID Pass or equivalent certificate to enter certain venues or events.
Your employer may provide separate guidance or other requirements related to COVID-19 safety.
Read the separate guide for organizations (including event organizers, venues, and businesses) that now need to use the NHS COVID Pass.
Read more about what the NHS COVID Pass is.
If you are an adult who works or provides services (as an employee, contractor, or volunteer) at a place or event where you need to prove your COVID-19 status, you should show:
If you are a staff member of a nursing home, this does not apply, because everyone who enters the nursing home needs to be fully vaccinated (or a valid exemption). Read the guidelines for vaccinating people working or deployed in nursing homes.
You should prove your COVID-19 vaccine or test status in order to work in all nightclubs, dance halls and discotheques. It is recommended that you prove that your COVID-19 status can always play a customer-facing role in all these venues, unless they do not act as a nightclub (such as closing the dance floor) or host exempt activities (see the exempt activities section below).
It is also recommended that you prove your COVID-19 status in order to assume a customer-facing role in all other locations:
Unless they are hosting an exempt activity (please see the exempt activity section below).
It is recommended that establishments meeting these standards ensure that all people who start working at 1 am have proof of COVID-19 status. The venue will be able to choose how they do this, which may include an inspection before 1 am.
You should also prove your COVID-19 status in order to take on a customer-facing role in events where participants must prove their COVID-19 status. these are:
Events are defined to include:
Certain venues do not recommend checking your COVID-19 status certificate unless they are hosting a specific event (such as a performance or reception) that meets the attendance threshold.
It is not recommended to use the NHS COVID Pass to participate in sports activities, regardless of the number of participants, or whether the activity is indoors or outdoors.
There are also events that do not recommend that you prove that your COVID-19 status can work. These include:
For more detailed information on venues and events where you should prove your COVID-19 status as a condition of admission, please see the Organization Guidelines page.
If you are an adult working or providing services, especially when you are in contact with customers in places or events that require visitors to provide COVID-19 identification, you should:
It is strongly recommended that the person in charge of the venue or event take reasonable measures to ensure that all adults in the role of contact with the public meet the COVID-19 status requirements.
If you do not meet the COVID-19 status requirements, it is strongly recommended that the person in charge deny you access to the venue or event.
If you work in a place or event that requires proof of your COVID-19 identity to visitors, but your job position is not in contact with customers, you do not need to show proof of vaccination or testing.
If you work as a cleaner in a nightclub that requires certification, and provide services at the venue outside of business hours or without contact with any public, it is recommended that you do not need certification.
If you are a chef in a venue that holds an event that requires certification and do not have any contact with the public, it is recommended that you do not need certification.
As a staff member, you can use the same proof of COVID-19 status as visitors to events and venues, including the NHS COVID Pass or a recognized international equivalent.
If you have been vaccinated, clinical trial participant, medical exemption for immunization (or vaccination and testing), or completed a negative PCR test or a negative rapid lateral flow test within the past 48 hours, you will be certified as a domestic NHS COVID Pass. You can use this as proof.
You can show your COVID-19 status on your NHS COVID Pass without revealing why you got your status, or showing your employer additional personal medical data.
Find more information about what the NHS COVID Pass is, how to get it, and how to use it.
If you have not been vaccinated or granted an exemption, and your position is in contact with the public, you should complete regular testing.
You should report your test results (see below for guidance on how to do this). Your test results will be valid within 48 hours (and you will be provided with a valid NHS COVID Pass). The test time will be displayed in the text or email showing the results.
All NHS COVID passes will show an expiration date. You should take the exam as late as possible before attending the venue or event, preferably within 12 hours, to reinforce the protection provided by the exam. If you work continuously for more than 48 hours, it is recommended that you perform another test before the end of this window.
When requested by your employer or the person in charge of your workplace or activity, you should complete the test and show a negative test result or NHS COVID Pass.
From Monday to Saturday night, you work in consecutive shifts in places or activities that require compulsory certification. You have not been vaccinated and have not been exempt from contact with the customer. It is recommended that you take the test no more than 48 hours before the Monday shift.
You choose to take the exam on Monday morning, covering both Monday and Tuesday exams. You should have a further test on Wednesday morning because it is 48 hours longer than your previous test, and another test may be performed sooner. This covers your Wednesday and Thursday. The third test on Friday morning means you can now enjoy the end of Saturday.
You can use the tests you already have at home, order fast horizontal flow tests online, or order free from local pharmacies or community test sites.
You should order tests from NHS Test and Trace instead of using privately provided tests.
You should report your test results, whether positive or negative, to NHS Test and Trace to prove that you have completed the test. This can be done by reporting the results of the COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test online or by calling 119. You will then receive a text or email notification, which you should show to the person who checked that you have completed the test.
A valid notification from NHS Test and Trace regarding your test results should include:
If you report a negative result, you will also get the right to use the NHS COVID Pass. This access will expire 48 hours after you take the exam.
If you have a rapid lateral flow test at home or at a testing location and the result is positive, you must:
You must continue to self-isolate before getting the PCR test results and follow the advice given when the results are obtained.
In England, if you have a PCR test within 2 days after the rapid lateral flow test is positive at the test site and your PCR test is negative, you can stop self-isolation. If you take a PCR test after this, even if your PCR result is negative, you need to self-isolate for 10 days.
If you get an uncertain result, you should perform further tests until you get a decisive (positive or negative) result.
If you do not have a valid negative test result, and there is no vaccination or exemption, we strongly recommend that the person in charge of the venue or event deny you access to the venue or event where you originally intended to work.
Your COVID Pass from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or Royal Territories will be recognized in England.
If you are an international visitor and your vaccination certificate is accepted at the UK border, then this will also be accepted into the place where the NHS COVID Pass is used.
View the complete list of currently approved countries and regions.
You may be asked to show evidence of your COVID-19 status in the country where you were vaccinated.
If you participate in the UK's overseas vaccine promotion activities (using vaccines approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Administration), you can also prove your vaccination status through the NHS COVID Pass when entering an environment with compulsory certification.
If you live in England and have an eligible vaccine abroad, you can also prove your vaccine status through the NHS COVID Pass.
Your COVID-19 vaccination status is safely stored in the NHS app. It can only be accessed through the NHS login service.
Read more about protecting data.
You can find more information about data privacy in the NHS App Privacy Statement, NHS COVID Pass Privacy Statement, and NHS COVID Pass Verifier App Privacy Statement.
If you encounter any problems while using the NHS COVID Pass, you can use the NHS COVID Pass guide.
If you cannot access the live version, you can also download and display the offline version (or print and display the printed version).
Anyone who makes, adapts, provides or proposes to provide someone with false evidence about their COVID-19 status may be prosecuted or a fixed penalty notice up to £10,000. Other major legislation may apply higher penalties, such as the Fraud Act 2006.
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