Digital COVID Certs will expire after nine months, under new rules adopted by the European Commission.

The new rules will be binding on all 27 member states unless they are blocked by the European Parliament or a qualified majority of EU member states.

Under the plan, certs would only be valid for travel within the EU for nine months after completion of the primary vaccination schedule.

An EU official told Reuters there will be no time-limit on COVID certs issued to people who have got the booster shot.

They said this was because there is not enough information available on the duration of protection offered by boosters.

The rules are expected to come into force from February.

The Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said they will only apply to international travel.

“What the European Union is proposing is that the Digital COVID cert expires nine months after your last dose,” he said.

“Obviously that is designed to encourage people to get the third dose, get the booster shot and be protected so that they can travel within the European Union.

“We haven’t given any consideration to applying that to a domestic setting at this stage.”