Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Vaccine passports: Student says app excludes foreign ID holders

Jordan Brown believes Scotland's Covid passport app is excluding those who don't have a British ID

An American student has claimed those without British passports are being locked out of the new vaccine app.

Jordan Brown, from California, has been left frustrated after Scotland’s flagship Covid vaccine app failed to recognise his foreign passport.

Mr Brown and fiancee Samantha Angulo claim they have tried to scan their American IDs at least 30 times to no avail.

They are among thousands of people hit by the app’s glitches over the weekend – which included being unable to sign in, and struggling to find it on app stores – though some are now having success.

The digital tool is now needed to enter stadiums, attend large events, and visit nightclubs in Scotland.

Scheme only open to people vaccinated in Scotland

Mr Brown is studying for a history PhD at St Andrews University, but lives in Aberdeen.

He had hoped to register and then add proof of the two doses of the vaccine he received in his home country over the summer.

But the Scottish Government has said only those fully vaccinated here can join the digital system for the time being.

However, officials say foreign passports should be accepted and they are working to ensure people vaccinated in the rest of the UK or abroad can also use the app.

Mr Brown, 32, said: “It definitely feels like this wasn’t put through its paces.

Person using a smartphone searching for the Covid vaccine passport app on Google Store
Some mobile users have struggled to find the new app. Image: Shutterstock/DCT Media.

“I don’t know if the developers considered passports from different areas will have different security features over the photograph.

“People using a British passport have had difficulties too but it seems they eventually get there.

“But we don’t want to keep wasting hours if it’s never going to work.”

Fears officials won’t recognise US documents

Mr Brown and Ms Angulo are getting married next month and hope to take US-based family to sporting events when they fly to Scotland.

Mr Brown has so far used his physical vaccine card issued in the USA.

However, he says he doubts whether staff at stadiums or elsewhere would be fully briefed on what foreign vaccine documents look like.

Student Jordan Brown with his fiancée Samantha Angulo and their dog Jimbo, sitting at a table showing their passports.
Mr Brown with his fiancée Samantha Angulo and their dog Jimbo.

The keen rugby fan has lived in Scotland for six years but says the experience has left him feeling locked out of the government’s new scheme.

He said: “I think staff will be expecting a QR code and we’re worried about trying to use a piece of paper.

“We’ve lived here for quite a long time now and I feel we should be able to access the app like other people in Scotland.”

Error message on the new NHS Scotland Covid status vaccine passport app.
Many users have been hit with an error message since the app was rolled out

Lib Dem Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, believes the new system has failed.

He said: “It is humiliating for the SNP government to have introduced such an error-ridden system.

“But what is more important is that it could have a real impact on the lives of people who have chosen this country as their home.

“The SNP need to recognise they have got this wrong and scrap the system.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said international passports should be recognised, and advised anyone having issues to adjust lighting and ensure the image is as clear as possible.