Validity dates applied for vaccination pass, effective from Jan. 1

Effective from Jan 3, validity dates will be applied for vaccination passes. Those who have expired the dates will not be permitted to enter facilities that require passes. The validity date will be 180 days after the second dose of vaccination (first dose for Johnson & Johnson). From Jan. 3, this applies to those who have received the second shot on or before July 6 and have not received the booster shot, which is estimated to be around 450,000. Though there will be a grace period of one week, those who have violated the rules will be subject to fees and administrative measures on and after Jan. 10.

Those that have received their third shot will be immediately eligible to enter facilities that require the vaccination pass. Unlike the second dose, which requires two weeks to be effective for the vaccination pass, the third shot will be effective immediately. The vaccination pass will be effective for 180 days for those who have recovered from COVID-19 after self-isolation. They will need to complete their second dose to stay effective. The third dose is not required for breakthrough infections and adolescent vaccination passholders. 　

Third dose verification can be done by updating mobile vaccination applications such as COOV, Naver, or Kakao, clicking on ‘retrieve vaccination information (update)’. Users of multi-purpose facilities are also required to update the key pass (QR check-in app) on the initial page. 　

Some continue to oppose against the vaccination pass. Some 1,000 citizens, which included doctors, filed suit to the Seoul Administrative Court to suspend vaccination pass operations on Dec. 31, on grounds that the pass discriminates those that have not been vaccinated and violates basic human rights.


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