Scottish authorities to begin enforcing vaccine passport mandate

Scottish law enforcement will today start enforcing the country’s COVID-19 vaccine certification mandate.

Effective October 1, vaccine certificates are required for individuals in Scotland to enter social venues after midnight and large events. A valid certificate—which can be displayed via an app—shows that two weeks have passed since a person became fully vaccinated with a UK-approved vaccine. There are only a limited number of exemptions, most notably for individuals under 18 and those medically unable to receive a vaccine.

Scotland’s decision to implement a vaccine passport mandate imitates an almost identical EU program in effect since July. Vaccine passport programs aim to restore freedom of travel by encouraging countries with restrictions to reopen their internal and external borders to movement and commerce.

In the short-term, expect European governments adopting the program to address immediate problems with the rollout, such as technical issues using the vaccine passport apps. In the medium- to long-term, anticipate a greater effort by vaccine passport countries to encourage those unvaccinated to receive vaccinations and to expand the proof of vaccination requirement to other areas of commercial life, such as retail shopping.