Non-Electronic Yellow Card Will Be Invalid From April

The federal government says the yellow cards that were issued in the country will be rendered invalid starting from April 1. The yellow card is the international certificate of vaccination or prophylaxis.  

The ministry of health said to obtain an e-yellow card, one has to register on the official website in addition to paying N2,000.   The payment receipt will then be taken along with the applicant’s international passport to any port health services office to get vaccinated so as to complete the process.  

The ministry said it takes maximum of an hour for the card to be ready after vaccination, and that international travellers are to be vaccinated at least 10 days before travelling.  

August 1, 2018 marked the official expiry date of the old yellow card and commencement of issuance of electronic yellow card.   The card, which is machine-readable, and has the ability to store vaccination history of the holder, was designed to put an end to the era of fake yellow card issued by unauthorised personnel for years.  

The card has increasingly become an essential travel document, with several embassies making it a prerequisite for visa application