Now that effective COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out in many parts of the world, and with testing becoming a regular feature of pandemic era travel, attention is turning to how travelers can prove they are free from, or protected against, the deadly virus which has claimed more than three million lives worldwide.

An idea gaining traction in travel circles revolves around some kind of ‘digital health passport,’ which would document the health status of travelers, keeping record of both vaccination and negative COVID tests. Such a solution would probably take the form of an app on smartphones, and would have to be recognized by individual governments to allow international travel.

China unveiled what it says is the first international vaccine health passport that exempts travelers from certain travel restrictions. The passport, which is available in both digital and paper formats, shows details of a traveler’s COVID-19 inoculation, as well as nucleic acid and antibody test results.

For now the certificate would still require international arrivals to complete a 14-day quarantine. Meanwhile, domestic travelers holding a vaccine passport will benefit from restriction-free travel without further testing requirements.
The European Union is targeting June 1 as the rollout date for its own “digital green card,” according to EU Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. ​

Like its Chinese counterpart, the EU pass will document vaccinations, as well as the results of approved PCR and rapid tests and past coronavirus infections. Each passport will contain a QR code that links to a database where authorities can check the details of the vaccination. The goal is to develop an interface so data can be exchanged between all member states.

In the US, while the Biden administration says it is working to develop standards for vaccine certification, the government will not mandate vaccination credentials and there will be no centralized vaccinations database. Instead the policy will focus creating standards for certificates to be issued by the private sector, including the travel industry, non-profits and technology companies.

Apps Take Flight 
Several different companies and international bodies are suggesting a variety of technological solutions at the moment to document and verify travelers’ health status. Here are some of the different “passport” solutions that are currently in use or undergoing trials.

IATA Travel Pass
Who’s behind it?
The International Air Transport Association has designed a digital health pass called Travel Pass that the organization says will support the safe reopening of borders.

How does it work?
The mobile app contains information required by many governments. The pass enables authorized labs and test centers to securely share test and vaccination certificates with passengers. Passengers can then create a digital passport and share testing or vaccination certificates with airlines and authorities.

Is my data secure?
IATA says that the Travel Pass “will keep passengers in control of their data and facilitate the sharing of their tests with airlines and authorities for travel.”

Individual Airline Apps
In addition to the IATA Travel Pass framework, a number of airlines have introduced health record keeping features in their own apps. Among them:

American Airlines has introduced Verifly, a mobile app developed in partnership with Daon, an identity assurance software company. The app shows testing and documentation requirements for the passenger’s destination, and verifies the traveler’s data matches the country’s requirements in real-time.

After the carrier introduced app in November, it announced expanded access to VeriFLY for travel from all international destinations in response to the CDC’s recently announced mandate that all inbound arrivals to the US must verify a negative COVID-19 test result before departing.

United Airlines launched its Travel-Ready Center, a digital solution that allows customers to upload required testing and vaccination records integrated into the airline’s mobile app and website. In the Travel-Ready Center, customers can upload and validate test results, review local entry requirements, find testing providers, and store vaccination records that may be necessary for any for domestic and international travel.

CommonPass
Who’s behind it?
The Commons Project has partnered with the World Economic Forum to launch this digital health passport.

How does it work?
With the individual’s consent, lab results and vaccination records are accessed through existing health data systems, national or local registries or personal digital health records such as Apple Health and CommonHealth. The technology assesses the results and whether they satisfy the health screening entry requirements of the destination country, delivering a unique confirmation code that the traveler can show at the airport, or those who lack smartphones will be able to print off a confirmation code.

Is my data secure?
CommonPass states that it won’t reveal “any other underlying personal health information” and that Apple Health and CommonHealth “let individuals store their health records securely and privately on their phones, entirely under their control.”

Health Pass by Clear
Who’s behind it?
The airport biometrics provider Clear has moved into the public health arena in the US, launching a Health Pass within its mobile app.

How does it work?
This service is designed for businesses to keep employees and customers safe. First, Clear users must add an ID and verify with a selfie. They complete a real-time health survey and upload COVID-related lab results directly from an approved lab provider. At the Clear pod, users undergo a temperature scan, and show or scan their health pass (either by facial recognition or a QR code). A red or green light will denote whether the user has passed or failed the screening.

Is my data secure?
The specific answers to survey questions or any specific test results are not provided to third party partners or employers.

Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI)
The VCI is a coalition of health and technology partners including Microsoft, Oracle and The Commons Project which is working to allow individuals access to their vaccination records “in a secure, verifiable and privacy-preserving way.” The coalition is developing standards for organizations administering vaccines to make credentials available in an accessible, interoperable, digital format.

Individuals will obtain an encrypted digital copy of their vaccination records to store in a digital wallet of their choice. VCI also said that people could receive printed QR codes with verifiable information.