Currently 19 EU countries, including France, Spain and Greece, have unilaterally agreed to accept the NHS Covid pass as proof of vaccination.

But an EU-wide agreement to accept the NHS certificate as the equivalent of the EU’s own digital Covid-19 certificate will further boost confidence in travel to the continent by removing confusion about which countries will accept the NHS Covid Pass.

Sources in both the UK and at the European Commission in Brussels have told The Guardian that an agreement could be reached “shortly” – possibly by the end of September.

The UK government submitted an application for the NHS Covid Pass to be recognised by the EU around two months ago.

If agreement is reached with the European Commission, the QR code generated by the NHS app would be recognised in the 27 EU countries, as well as 16 non-EU countries, as proof of vaccination and would also be accepted for entry to bars, restaurants and cultural events, which are increasingly insisting on proof of Covid status.