Covid vaccine: People told to travel 100 miles to register overseas jab - BBC News
People vaccinated abroad must register their jab in person - but only 16 sites are available to do so.
Some people who were vaccinated abroad have been asked to travel more than 100 miles to register their vaccination so they can book a booster dose.

There are currently only 16 sites to register an overseas vaccination in England.

Without registering, overseas vaccines are not recorded on the national system so people cannot book boosters or prove their status using the NHS Covid Pass.

The Department of Health said more sites would be added in due course.

It said people could still access a booster at a walk-in centre without needing their record to be updated in advance.

On Friday, the Department for Health and Social Care announced that UK residents vaccinated abroad or in Northern Ireland with an approved jab would now be able to register their vaccination with the National Immunisation Management System - allowing them to prove their vaccination status with the NHS Covid Pass or book a booster dose if they were fully vaccinated.

Previously, people's vaccination status would only appear on the national system if they had the jab in England, Scotland or Wales.

However, to register an overseas vaccination, people must book an appointment at a selected list of vaccination centres in England.

On Monday, many users told the BBC they were only offered a handful of sites to register an overseas vaccination - with none further north than Peterborough.

More sites now appear to have been added, including one in Leeds. However, a search for sites near Birmingham still showed Leeds as the closest option - more than 100 miles away.

Others said they were unable to reach the page to book an appointment - or when they did there were no slots available.

Dan Ogunshakin, 40, was fully vaccinated in Singapore before moving back to the UK earlier this year, where he lives in Helmsley, North Yorkshire.

However, when he tried to book a booster appointment online, he was only offered a first dose because there was no record of his vaccinations in Singapore.

When the system was introduced to allow people to register overseas vaccinations, he found the nearest centre for him to do this was in Peterborough - 120 miles away.

Dan and his wife have been unable to get the NHS Covid Pass or book their booster jabs because of the issue.

"It's pathetic. I get this is a new idea but why not spread the centres out more evenly?" he said.

"There must be countless people in my situation who received their jabs overseas and are being forced to travel hundreds of miles in order to register their vaccination status. They talk of levelling up in the UK, well this to me is an example of how little they care about the north of England."

On Tuesday, he was finally able to book an appointment in Leeds - 55 miles away.

Dan and his wife have not been able to book their booster jabs because of the issue

Aaron, 33, was vaccinated in New Zealand and has faced the same problem.

When he tried to book an appointment on Sunday to register his vaccination on the national system he found the closest centre was in Peterborough - 274 miles away form his home in Cornwall and a 12-hour round trip.

Aaron - who did not want to give his surname - said he was keen to update his vaccine record so he could access the NHS Covid Pass and book his booster dose.

"It's very frustrating, I've been waiting for months to be able to prove my vaccination status," he told the BBC.

"Now there is finally a way to do so, but it's far too inconvenient. I don't know why it can't be done online."

The booking website for registering an overseas vaccination also crashed on Monday, along with the main NHS vaccine booking site, as more than 100,000 people tried to book their booster.

From Wednesday people in England will need to use the NHS Covid Pass to enter nightclubs and other large venues.

International Covid certification accepted at the UK border is also approved for events and venues in England, the government said.

People who are not fully vaccinated or cannot use the Covid pass will be able to show proof of a recent negative lateral flow test or recovery from a Covid infection in the past six months instead.

From this week, over-18s are also eligible for a booster jab, with the online booking system opening for 18 to 29-year-olds on Wednesday.