How long is the Hygiene Passport valid?
The Hygiene Passport, known to many professionals in the restaurant industry, is a crucial certification that demonstrates an individual's essential hygiene skills when handling food. However, how long does this Hygiene Passport remain valid? Does it expire?
The Hygiene Passport is valid indefinitely
The Hygiene Passport is valid indefinitely. It does not expire automatically and remains valid unless there is a subsequent change in the law that alters the situation. This means that the date of issuance is the start date of its validity, and the Hygiene Passport remains valid without requiring a separate renewal.
Therefore, it is essential to keep the Hygiene Passport carefully! For example, one should never hand over the original passport to an employer for storage.
Renewing the Hygiene Passport
Given that the Hygiene Passport is valid indefinitely, there is no need for a renewal process. Expiry is not a concern as long as the passport is kept secure. In case both parts of the passport are lost for any reason, there is no need to worry – a new Hygiene Passport can be requested from the original test instructor. However, the tester cannot issue a new passport if they no longer have the test record archived. Each tester is obligated to retain the participant's Hygiene Passport information for five years.
If more than five years have passed since the test, and both the paper passport and plastic card have been lost, the test must be retaken.
The instructions for reordering the passport are presented more clearly in the diagram below:
