How to Download Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate in China?

China announced that from July 2022, it is mandatory to show Covid-19 vaccination certificate in Beijing when required. Though nucleic acid test results are generally used, you may be requested to show vaccination certificate on demand. Unlike other countries, big data tracking is aggressive and effective in China in such a way that you will be tracked through each single gate entry. If you are returned back or newly landed in China, here is how to download Covid-19 vaccination in China.

Covid-19 Restrictions in Beijing

Make sure you understand the followings:

• The certificates are issued and valid only if you are vaccinated in China. Because their big data app can only track the vaccinations inoculated in China and not outside the country.
• You can register with any foreign hospitals dedicated for vaccination in the area you live. For example, you can call and book appointment in United Family Hospital in Beijing.
• The vaccinations are free of charge and there will also be no payment required for hospital.
• There are two major vaccinations available in China – one from Sinovac and other from Sinopharm. Most probably you will get a Sinopharm dose as a foreigner.

In addition to vaccination, there is a need of nucleic acid test result taken within 72 hours (3 days) to be shown for entries in malls, schools, apartments and in public venues (this is the situation at this point). You should wear mask all the time when using public transportation, entering into malls, walking on parks and visiting hospitals. Remember, unlike Europe, US and other countries, you will NOT be able to use any public properties, send your kids to school or even enter into your own community without wearing mask and showing negative test result. Vaccination certificates are not requested generally by security guards though it is necessary for all Beijing residents including foreigners.

Download WeChat (Weixin) and Health Kit Mini Program

To download vaccination certificate and show green nucleic acid test result, you should have WeChat app. Since WeChat is not available in some countries like India, make sure you are using Chinese app store and download WeChat app on your phone. You should verify the account with real name and passport details before started using the app. If you are looking for using Weixin or WeChat Pay features, then check out our complete guide on using WeChat Pay for foreigners.

Once you have a working WeChat app, the next step is to install a Health Kit mini programs in WeChat. This is an official big data tracking app from Chinese government. You can install this mini program in WeChat, using one of the following methods.

• Go to “Chats” section, swipe the screen to bottom to view the mini programs installed on your app. Use the search box to enter “health kit” and find the official Health Kit mini program from Chinese government.

• Go to “Discover” and use “Search” option to find Health Kit under “Mini Programs” section.
• When you are “Discover” section, use “Mini Programs” to search and find Heal Kit app.

After finding Health Kit mini program, follow the instructions in English and install it on your WeChat app.

Getting Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate

The Health Kit mini program will look like below in WeChat app. If you see the interface in Chinese language, tap on the language button floating on the lower right corner of the app. Select “English” from the list to change the interface of the app to English.

The English interface will look like below.

For getting vaccination certificate, tap on “Nucleic acid testing and vaccination” option. The next screen will show you two tabs on the top – Nucleic Acid Test and Vaccination. Under “Nucleic Acid Test” tab, you will see the latest status of your test status. It will show how many days before you took the test, which lab you have used and the exact date/time of test.

The status of nucleic acid test status should be “Negative” in green color. Otherwise, most probably the authorities will trace and send you to quarantine facilities.

Tap on the “Vaccination” tab and you will see the complete status of the shots you have taken. The status will be updated on the next day after taking vaccination based on your passport number. Do not much worry if the hospital system is not able to capture your full name in their system (this will be the case if you have lengthy first/middle/last names). Make sure your passport number is correct and the details will be updated automatically in the health kit app. 

If all the details are correct, tap on “Export or print vaccination voucher” button. You will see a “Export Completed” button along with a button showing “Copy link”.

Tap on “Copy link” button to copy the link, open your browser and paste the link to open. This will show your vaccination certificate as exactly you see on the health kit app. All the doses will show in a sequential order based on the date of inoculation. The information will be showing in both English and Chinese along with the digital seal from the hospital from where you have taken the shots.

You can download the certificate to your phone or share with others or save to your desktop computer. If required take a printout of the certificate and produce to the authorities. Since the certificate will have a digital hospital seal, there will be no additional document required. We recommend you having 72 hours testing result and printout of your vaccination certification if you are planning domestic travels within China.

Get Vaccination Certificate for Kids and Others

Do not worry, if you are really not able to print the vaccination certificate on your own. You can ask the help of any other foreign friend or colleague. They can use the same health kit app on their phone to get your certificate by using “Query on others” option.

Similarly, you can also use “Query on others” option to get the nucleic acid test result and vaccination certificate for your kids, spouse and others. Sometime this feature may not work if the system is not able to recognize your photo taken through live camera. In such a case, you can tap on the name showing on top of the health kit app and select logout option.

After logging out of the app, use the passport / name / mobile number of the person to login and take a printout of vaccination certificate for that person.

Are There Other Options?

It is possible to go to nearby government authority office and enquire for getting a Covid-19 passbook with your immunization details. However, this will be highly impossible task without knowing Chinese and the procedure will vary on each province level. In most cases, the authorities will ask you to take a printout from health kit mini program from WeChat as it is widely accepted within China.

Note: When you are entering into malls and other places, make sure to use “Scan the QR Code to Register” option instead of “Query on me” in health kit mini program. As mentioned, scanning QR code will allow the app to track your current entries while the querying on yourself is a static status from the database.