The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that the EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) and UK NHS Covid Pass can now be uploaded into IATA Travel Pass as verified proof of vaccination for travel.
Travelers holding an EU DCC or UK NHS Covid Pass can now create an electronic version of their passport and import their vaccination certificate in one place. This information can be shared with airlines and border control authorities who can have the assurance that the certificate presented to them is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it.
“Covid-19 vaccination certificates are becoming a widespread requirement for international travel. Handling the European and UK certificates through IATA Travel Pass is an important step forward, providing convenience for travelers, authenticity for governments and efficiency for airlines,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s SVP for Operations Safety and Security.
The IATA reinforced that in its view, harmonization of digital vaccine standards is essential to support the safe and scalable restart of aviation, avoid unnecessary airport queues and ensure a smooth passenger experience. To this end, it welcomed the work done by the EU Commission in developing, in record time, the EU DCC system and thereby standardizing digital vaccine certificates across Europe.
In order to build on the EU’s DCC success, IATA urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to revisit its work to develop a global digital vaccine standard. “The absence of a global standard makes it much harder for airlines, border authorities and governments to recognize and verify a traveler’s digital vaccination certificate. The industry is working around this by developing solutions that can recognize and verify certificates from individual countries. But this is a slow process that is hampering the restart of international travel,” said Careen.
“As more states roll out their vaccination programs, many are urgently looking to implement technical solutions to provide vaccine certification for their citizens when they travel. In the absence of a WHO standard, IATA urges them to look closely at the EU DCC as a proven solution that meets WHO guidance and can help to reconnect the world.”