.If you plan to travel abroad in the next few months, you will have to link your passport to your Covid-19 vaccination certificate. Whether you have received Covishield, Covaxin, or Sputnik V vaccine, you will have to get your vaccine certificate linked with your passport. Your passport can also be used as a photo ID proof instead of your Aadhaar card while registering yourself for the vaccine on the COWIN portal.
In case you have already been vaccinated and your photo ID is different from your passport you can log in to their account on the official CoWIN website. You will be able to see an option of “Raise Issue” that will appear within the account details section. You will also be able to see three different options to Merge Multiple Dose Provisional Certificates, Certificate Correction, and Add Passport Details options. Here you can add your passport details or do corrections if required. You can select the member from a drop-down menu, and then enter your passport number which can be filled in the “Enter Beneficiary’s Passport Number” section. Do make sure to enter the correct passport number. The process to link a passport to a vaccine certificate is very easy and can be easily done online. Follow these simple steps mentioned below to link your passport or make any changes to your vaccination certificate.
How do I link my passport to my covid 19 vaccination certificate?
1. If you have already been vaccinated you will have to log in to your account on the official CoWIN website (www.cowin.gov.in)
2. Now go to the “Raise Issue” button which is in the “Account Details” section.
3. You will be able to see three options which include Certificate Correction, Merge Multiple Dose 1 Certificates and Add Passport Details. Now you will have to click on the Add Passport Details option.
4. You will be redirected to the page where you will have to select the name of the person whose passport you want to link.
5. Next, select the name of the person in the drop-down menu and then type the passport number in the ‘Enter Beneficiary’s Passport Number’ section.
6. Now click on the option which says, ‘I declare that this passport belongs to the beneficiary. The name of the passport holder ……………………….. is the same as mentioned on the vaccine certificate.’
7. Next click on the Submit Request button.
8. You will get a message on your registered mobile number to confirm that your request has been submitted. Please note that it will take a few minutes for the process to complete after which you will receive another message stating that your request has been updated successfully.
9. Next, you have to head back to the Account Details page and then click on the Certificate button for the person for whom you have requested to download the new vaccination certificate which has been linked to your passport.
In case there is some mismatch between the personal details in your passport and those mentioned on your COVID-19 certificate, the COWIN site allows you to edit your personal details to match them with those on your passport. To edit personal details to match the details on your passport, follow the steps mentioned below.
1. Log in to the official CoWIN website (www.cowin.gov.in)
2. In the Account details section click on the “Raise Issue” button.
3. Select the person for whom you want to edit the details in the drop-down menu.
4. Choose the option which you want to edit.
5. Make the necessary corrections and click on the submit button.
Why do I need to link my passport to my vaccine certificate?
In June 2021, the Centre had announced that all travellers going abroad for jobs, education, or as part of the Indian contingent for the Tokyo Olympic Games, must get their COVID-19 vaccination certificate linked to their passport before travelling abroad. This would make it easier for officials to verify that you are leaving India only after having been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Please note that if you have not registered on CoWIN yet and plan to travel abroad in the coming months, you can choose your passport as your photo ID proof while registering yourself on the COWIN website before getting vaccinated.