Why switch to a digital vaccination record?
30 July 2026 · 4 min read
The paper vaccination card has had its day: it gets lost, sits at the back of a drawer, and is never there when you need it. That is not just an app talking: Belgium is rolling out its own digital tools, and Europe has written the shift into law. Here is what changes — and how to benefit today.
The problem with paper
A single copy, often missing exactly when you need it: at the airport, in the ER, at school enrolment. If it is lost, the whole history has to be rebuilt via the doctor, the school, the pharmacy… A real obstacle course, which we detail in our dedicated guide.
Belgium has already made the turn
This is not a prediction, it is underway: MaSanté shows your registered vaccinations (with an official mobile app), the regional portals publish them sometimes within 48 hours, and a new tool, Vaccicard, is rolling out to unify registration on the French- and German-speaking side — with integration planned with the Flemish Vaccinnet. The country has proven it can do this at scale: millions of Belgians used CovidSafeBE.
Europe too: the EHDS is law
The European Health Data Space (EHDS) regulation has been in force since 26 March 2025: eventually your health data — vaccinations included — will follow you anywhere in the Union, through the MyHealth@EU infrastructure Belgium is deploying towards 2029. In other words: the digital record is not a gadget, it is the direction of an entire continent.
So why a family app on top of the registries?
Because the official registries do something else: they archive, injection by injection, what professionals record — that is their role, and they do it well. What they do not do: bring your whole family into one view, warn you before due dates, carry the old vaccines that only exist on paper, or work offline in a far-away airport. That is exactly the layer a family record like emmunity adds — alongside the registries, never instead of them.
Reminders at the right time
The dTpa every ten years, the second hepatitis A dose six months after the first, the kids’ boosters, the grandparents’ yearly flu shot: nobody remembers all of that. A digital record does it for you and warns you at the right time.
Available anywhere, even offline
Your vaccination proofs stay with you: abroad, at a new doctor, at sports-club enrolment. Even without a connection — right where online portals stop.
What about privacy?
Your health data is among the most sensitive there is — the GDPR even puts it in a special category. Before choosing an app, check three things: explicit GDPR compliance, hosting in the European Union, and a business model that does not rest on selling data. That is emmunity’s contract: GDPR-compliant, EU-hosted, never resold.
How to digitise your record today
- Photograph every page of your paper card — your immediate backup.
- Cross-check with MaSanté ("My vaccines") for the vaccinations already registered electronically.
- Fill the gaps via your doctor, school or occupational medicine (see our recovery guide).
- Enter everything once into your digital record — and switch on the reminders.
- Keep the paper card somewhere safe: it remains a useful document.
The logical next step
Belgium is digitising registration, Europe is standardising exchange — and emmunity takes care of what touches you daily: the whole family up to date, effortlessly. Join the waitlist to be notified at launch.
Frequently asked questions
Public tools already exist — why another app?
MaSanté and the regional portals show what professionals recorded: that is the official reference. A family app adds the family view, reminders, old paper-only vaccines and offline access — as a complement, not a replacement.
Does emmunity replace the official registries?
No, and it does not claim to: the regional registries and MaSanté remain the medical reference. emmunity is your practical everyday tool, for the whole family.
What is changing at the European level?
The EHDS regulation, in force since March 2025, organises health-data exchange across the Union via MyHealth@EU — Belgium targets full deployment towards 2029. Digital is becoming the standard.
How do I know a health app is trustworthy with data?
Three checks: explicit GDPR compliance, data hosting in the EU, and a clear business model that does not involve selling your data.