ObjectivesBelgium enacted a COVID-19 pass, called Covid Safe Ticket (CST) during the Autumn-Winter 2021-2022. This study aimed to understand the reasons advanced by and expectations of those supporting this policy measureMethodsThis mixed method study was based on a voluntary online survey among 9,444 French-speaking residents in Belgium.ResultsMost respondents were not very supportive of COVID-19 passes, with only 617 respondents (7%) being favourable to the CST. Compared to other respondents, the pro-CST sample comprised more males, older people, people scared of Covid-19, people who trust anti-Covid vaccines, and highly educated people. A qualitative analysis enabled to identify the reasons why respondents supported the CST. Two lines of arguments were related to personal comfort (individual protection and means of ‘recovering freedom’) and two were related to collective protection (controlling the pandemic and incentivising vaccination). Pro-CST respondents also advanced some limits of the CST.ConclusionsThe expectations regarding COVID passes were high, diverse, and not entirely rational. Some contradictions and frustration emerged from respondents’ verbatims. We conclude that the CST might have exacerbated social divide in society. The high expectations risk to lead to comparably high disappointment and henceforth, potential distrust towards future public health interventions. ; SCOPUS: sh.j ; info:eu-repo/semantics/published