Nearly 11 million New Yorkers have gotten their Excelsior Passes to date.  This means there are nearly 11 million Excelsior Passes that are going to expire.  Here's what you need to do next.

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The New York State Excelsior Pass is a free, voluntary platform that Empire State residents can access from their smartphone that provides secure, digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results.

The Excelsior Pass program was launched in March of 2021 and was the nation's first COVID-19 credential system.  Excelsior Pass was launched to help fast-track the state's economic re-opening when many places of business required proof of vaccination in order to enter.  The program allowed New Yorkers to have proof of vaccination with them, anytime they had their smartphone on them.

The initial round of Excelsior passes was available to residents 15 days after they received their final dose of the vaccine. Currently, all Excelsior Vaccination Passes retrieved after March 1st of 2022 were set to expire on June 30, 2022.

New York is now making the transition to Excelsior Pass Plus.  The new version of the pass is a secure, digital copy of an individual's COVID-19 vaccination record.  The major change from the original Excelsior Pass..The PLUS version does not expire.  New Yorkers can use their Excelsior Pass Plus in 23 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The Excelsior Pass Plus also includes an individual's boosters or additional dose(s).

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said via a press release:

As New Yorkers continue to navigate through these challenging times, our state continues to lead the nation with bold, transformative solutions...New York will continue to utilize digital technology to better meet the needs of the people we serve. I encourage all New Yorkers who are interested to get their Excelsior Pass Plus today.

In order to get your Excelsior Pass Plus, you can visit epass.ny.gov. New York residents can hold as many passes as they may be eligible for. Parents and guardians are permitted to hold Passes for children under 18 years as well. Passes can be deleted in the New York State Wallet app at any time. 

New Yorkers can learn more about Excelsior Pass Plus at the FAQ page here.

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