How to Add Your Vaccine Card to Apple Wallet on Your iPhone

The estimated reading time for this post is 4 minutes

Q. I heard that I can now add my COVID vaccine card to my Apple Wallet on my iPhone. That would be really convenient, but I have no idea how to do it. Can you do a Wonder of Tech article explaining how I can add it? Thanks!

A. Great question. Last week Apple released iOS 15.1 that brought new features to the iPhone, including the ability to add vaccine cards to Apple Wallet. By following a few steps, you can add your COVID-19 vaccine card to your Apple Wallet to have it handy on your iPhone.

If you’ve been vaccinated, you may want the convenience of having your card with you wherever you go. You may need to show proof of your vaccine status at unexpected places making you feel as if you shouldn’t leave home without it.

But instead of carrying the actual card around, you can add the card to your Apple Wallet to show proof of vaccination.

How to Add Your Vaccine Card to Apple Wallet

Step 1: Update Your iPhone to iOS 15.1

To add your vaccination card to your Apple Wallet, you must first update your iPhone to iOS 15.1 (or later if you’re reading this at a later date). To update your iPhone or check what version of iOS is on your phone, go to Settings => General => Software Updates.

If your iPhone is already updated, you’ll see a screen like this one:

If you haven’t been updating your phone, you may see a screen like this one:

Tap Upgrade to iOS 15 or Upgrade to iOS 15.1, if you see those options.

Step 2: Get the QR Code for Your Vaccination Record

You will need the QR code for your vaccination record in order to add your card to Apple Wallet. If you don’t have the QR code for your vaccine record, check the website of the provider that gave you the vaccine to find out how to get the QR code.

If you can’t get a QR code for your vaccine, skip ahead to learn how to use your digital medical record instead.

Alternatively, if you don’t have either a QR code or a digital medical record, you can add a photo of your vaccination card to your phone. More on that below.

Step 3: Scan Your QR Code

Next, you need to scan your QR code.

Tip => The iPhone’s rear camera is a QR code reader.

Open your phone’s camera and point it at the QR code for your COVID vaccine. A yellow button will appear with Health on it. Tap that and this screen will appear:

Tap Add to Wallet & Health. Then tap Done.

Step 4: Check Your Apple Wallet

Next, open the Wallet app on your iPhone. Your vaccination record should appear there among your store cards and credit cards. Tap it to see the details.

The vaccine card in the Wallet app shows your name, the vaccine type, the dates of the doses administered, the issuer, and the QR code.

Alternative 1: Use Digital Medical Record of Your Vaccine

Your health care provider may have a digital record of your vaccine instead of a QR code. If the provider supports Health Records on iPhone, you may be able to add your vaccine card to the Wallet app using a link. If so, ask your provider to send you a link to your digital medical record.

Open that digital record link on your iPhone. Tap Add to Wallet & Health to add the record to the Wallet app.

You can also check the Health app on your iPhone to see whether your vaccination record has already been added by your provider. If so, tap Add to Wallet to add your vaccination record to your Apple Wallet.

Alternative 2: Keep a Photo of Your Vaccination Card on Your iPhone

If you don’t have a QR code or digital record for your vaccination, you can take a photo of your vaccination card. Take photos of the front and back of the card.

To find the photos easily on your iPhone, save them as favorites by tapping the heart ♥ at the bottom of the screen in the Photos app. Then tap Albums in the bottom menu of the Photos app and find your Favorites album. That will be much easier than scrolling through all of your photos.

Keep the Vaccine Card Photo in the Notes App

You can also save vaccination care photos in a note in the Notes app. Open the Notes app, tap the pencil icon at the bottom of the screen to create a new note. Type Vaccination Card in the title.

Tap the camera icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap Choose Photo or Video or Take Photo or Video, depending on whether you have already taken the photos of your card.

The photos of your vaccination card will appear in the note. Then tap Done.

You can pin the vaccination car note to the top of the Notes app to find it easily. Tap and hold the note in the list of notes, then tap Pin Note to keep it at the top of the list. Or, tap the circle with the three dots at the top of the screen to open a menu. Tap Pin.

You can protect your note with a passcode. Tap the three dots in a circle, then tap Lock. 

To open the note, you will either have to enter your passcode or use FaceID/TouchID.

Your Thoughts

Do you like the idea of having a record of your vaccination on your iPhone? Have you added your vaccination card to your Apple Wallet? Do you have a photo of your vaccination card?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.