Starting next week, people residing in Japan who have received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccination will be able to print out their vaccine passports at certain and supermarkets with their My Number cards.

The system implemented by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will be launched on Tuesday at 1,187 , most of them in Hokkaido, that had signed up to offer the service by July 14. The service will be gradually expanded across the country starting next month.

A multifunction copying machine at such stores will be capable of printing the document between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. Users need a My Number social security and taxation card and will need to pay a ?120 fee.

There are two types of vaccine passports ¡ª one for domestic use and one for international travel. Those who want the latter need to first obtain a vaccine certificate from their municipality or via the COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate . Holders can then print a passport that can be used for international travel at a convenience store. That may be useful for repeat travelers, as the health ministry has said some countries may require recent documentation upon arrival.

Japan began to issue online COVID-19 vaccination passports from December in order to help speed up immigration procedures at airports amid a global push to resume travel.

The service, jointly developed by the health ministry and the Digital Agency, will be offered at Seicomart, based in Sapporo, and Seicomart¡¯s affiliated retailers ¡ª Hasegawa Store, Taie and Donan Ralse¡¯s Minatocho outlet in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Seven-Eleven convenience stores will start offering the service on Aug. 17.

At present, the government issues certificates for people who have received at least two doses of the shots made by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Bharat Biotech and Novavax. Johnson & Johnson¡¯s vaccine is also eligible for certification, with a single shot considered to be equivalent to two doses of the other vaccinations.