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This assessment describes the developing global conversation on COVID-19 vaccine passports for international
travel, in support of New Zealand’s Travel Health Pass work.
COVID-19 Vaccines:
Managing the Borders
Vaccines will almost certainly change the face of COVID-19 border management. With widespread
vaccine coverage likely more than a year away for most countries, vaccine passports to enable
international travel are increasingly being considered by countries, companies, and organisations. (R)
WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organisation currently advise against the use of COVID-19
vaccine passports for international travel. They are joined in this position by other bodies of experts
that have raised scientific, technological, privacy, and equity concerns. (R)
The first movers – including from the private sector – will likely set precedents and establish the shape
of the vaccine passport landscape well before WHO has finalised its guidelines on the matter and before
under the Official Information Act 1982
key scientific unknowns are resolved. A universal approach to vaccine passports is probably a long
way off. (R)
As country positions on vaccine passports crystallise and private sector solutions continue to be
developed and trialled, New Zealand can expect increasing interest from domestic and international
stakeholders in our position on vaccine and health passports for outgoing and incoming travel. (R)
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1. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused all countries to make
unprecedented changes to their border management approaches
KEY TERMS (R)
(see sidebar overleaf). But border postures have been far from
constant throughout the pandemic or uniform between countries.
Several terms that are being used
Border settings have varied based on pandemic management tools
in the developing global
and capacity, the epidemiological situation domestically and
conversation on COVID-19
abroad, emerging virus variants, political and geographic
passports are described below.
conditions, and risk tolerance, among other factors. (R)
•
Certificate vs passport –
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A certificate is a digital or
2. Vaccines will almost certainly change the face of COVID-19 border
physical document that
management. The ideal end state for most countries is to achieve
provides proof, while a
widespread vaccine coverage at home so they can fully open their
Act
passport (or pass) attaches
borders with minimal risk of sparking community transmission. But
authorisations to that proof.
widespread vaccine coverage is likely to be more than a year off for
most countries, and significantly more distant for developing countries.
•
Health vs vaccination –
(R)
A certificate or passport can
relate to a person’s COVID-19
3. To plug the gap, countries, companies, and organisations are
health status (eg, past
considering the use of vaccine and health passports to facilitate
infection, RNA test results,
international travel (see sidebar for key terms). Scientific,
antibody test results,
technological, privacy, and equity questions have been raised by
epidemiological history) or
experts, causing WHO to currently recommend against the use of
vaccination status (eg, date
COVID-19 vaccine passports to facilitate travel. (R)
and type of vaccine). In some
Information
instances, health
certificates/passports also
A range of approaches
include vaccination status
(including in the New Zealand
4. Countries are taking a wide range of approaches to COVID-19
policy context, where the
documentation, sitting at varying positions on the spectrum between
Travel Health Pass work deals
certificates that simply provide health details or proof of vaccination
with both testing and
Official
and passports that confer authorisations on people according to
vaccination). In this paper a
their health or vaccination status (see sidebar). For example: (R)
distinction between health and
•
vaccine certificates/passports
Australia and the
UK have deployed vaccine certificates but
is maintained for clarity.
the
have not yet attached any domestic or travel authorisations to
these certificates. (R)
•
Domestic vs international
•
passport – A passport can be
The
US has a vaccine passport that confers limited domestic
used to authorise domestic
authorisations on passport holders but currently has no bearing
activities (eg, going to
on international travel. (R)
restaurants and events) or
under
•
Israel has a vaccine and health passport that provides domestic
international travel with
authorisations – people who have been vaccinated or previously
reduced or lifted quarantine
infected have access to gyms, swimming pools, restaurants,
and screening requirements.
stadiums, cinemas, and attractions. And according to media
reporting, Greece and Israel have signed an agreement that will allow
This assessment focuses on
vaccinated people to move freely between the two countries. (R)
COVID-19 vaccine passports for
•
international travel – with vaccine
China has used health passports for domestic pandemic
passports being the focus of
management since February 2020, and now requires incoming
emerging global conversations –
international travellers to carry health certificates. These
but other forms of COVID-19
Released
certificates don’t exempt travel ers from quarantine. China has
documentation are mentioned
also introduced health certificates for Chinese people travelling
where relevant.
overseas. And now China’s health documentation systems also
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carry COVID-19 vaccination details, although there are no
authorisations attached yet. (R)
BORDER MANAGEMENT
• On 17 March, the
EU agreed to progress work on a
BEFORE VACCINES (R)
“Digital Green Certificate” which “can serve as proof of
In January and February 2020,
vaccination, testing and recovery [from COVID-19 infection] in
travel restrictions were limited in
order to waive restrictions to free movement” in the EU and other
number and scope, predominantly
Western European states – and possibly beyond. The certificate
targeting travellers from China
will not be a pre-condition of travel, but “will make it easier to
and “high risk” countries.
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exercise that right.” (R)
The number of countries with
•
Iceland exempts incoming travellers from screening and
travel bans ballooned after WHO
quarantine if they have documentation that proves they have
declared a pandemic on 11 March
Act
received a vaccine that has been endorsed by the European
2020. All countries had some form
Medicines Agency or WHO, have antibodies against the virus, or
of travel restrictions in place by
have previously been infected. (R)
mid-April and by mid-May, 76%
had total bans on tourists.
Experts have concerns
Since then, there has been a
gradual nuancing of border
5. WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organisation currently
measures, facilitated by
advise against the use of COVID-19 vaccine passports for
quarantine facilities and protocols,
international travel. They are joined by other bodies of experts that
contact tracing, and viral RNA
have raised scientific, technological, privacy, and equity concerns,
testing – although other (less
Information
(many of which apply to health passports and passports for
common) approaches exist as
domestic use as well). Experts also note a need to ensure any
well, including antibody testing
vaccine passport system is consistent with domestic, regional, and
and proof of past infection.
international laws and standards. (R)
In early 2021 there was a slight
6. The primary
scientific concerns follow: (R)
reversal of overall trends toward
•
softening border postures,
While vaccine trials have shown that vaccination protects
Official primarily driven by the detection of
individuals against symptomatic disease, the degree to which
concerning virus variants in late
COVID-19 vaccines prevent transmission is not settled. (R)
2020.
• All vaccines have different levels of efficacy (both for protection
the
against disease and prevention of transmission). And each
Two-way travel bubbles have
vaccine’s efficacy varies depending on the virus variant in
proven sensitive to changes in the
question (with more variants almost certain to emerge as the
epidemiological situation of
pandemic progresses). A passporting system would have to
countries in the bubble, scuttling
consider this variation. (R)
many attempts to establish stable
under
•
bubbles. But one-way travel
Depending on risk tolerance, different countries will probably be
bubbles (typically from lower risk
comfortable with different levels of efficacy. Some vaccines may
countries to higher risk countries)
be deemed insufficient for passporting purposes, which could
have been more successful.
spark diplomatic tensions and retaliatory action. (R)
• Researchers are still working out how long the protective effects
In early March 2021, 98% of
of COVID-19 vaccines last. As the science evolves, authorities
countries had some form of travel
may decide to change the length of time for which a vaccine
restrictions in place.
passport is valid, which could strand or confuse travellers. (R)
• People who have been infected or have antibodies against the
Released
virus are likely to seek similar travel freedoms as people with
vaccine passports. Questions of duration of protection and
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protection against new variants exist here too, as well as
challenges associated with verification. (R)
WHO’S VACCINE
PASSPORT WORK (R)
7. The primary
technological concerns follow: (R)
•
Although currently recommending
Vaccine passports would need to be interoperable and mutually
against the use of COVID-19
recognised. The health and vaccine passport space is crowded,
vaccine passports for international
with countries, companies, and organisations developing and
travel, WHO has formed an
trialling different systems that may not be technologically
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experts’ working group focused on
compatible or carry the same types or quality of information. The
establishing standards for a
International Air Transport Association is progressing work on a
common architecture for a digital
health and vaccine passport, which it plans to trial with Air
smart vaccination certificate,
New Zealand next month. (R)
Act
which could be used to monitor
• The introduction of vaccine passports will introduce a market for
vaccine rollouts and facilitate
fake documentation, as was seen when pre-departure testing
international travel.
was introduced. Vaccine passports would have to be resistant to
fraud. (R)
Among other objectives, the working
group aims to establish
• Non-digital passport options may need to be considered for
recommended standards for
people with limited access to technology. (R)
security, authentication, privacy,
and data exchange for vaccine
8. The primary
privacy and data protection concerns follow:
certificates, and develop appropriate
• People’s health and identity data – which is considered valuable
guidance detailing use cases,
Information
by companies, criminals, and probably some governments –
standards, and best practices.
would need to be held securely and shared for clearly defined
uses. A
New York Times analysis of one of China’s COVID-19
The WHO International Health
health monitoring apps found evidence that the app covertly
Regulations Emergency
shared personal information with the police. (R)
Committee will review its position
•
on vaccine passports for
COVID-19 vaccine passports could contribute to the
international travel on 14 April.
normalisation of health surveillance, beyond COVID-19. (R)
Official But vaccine passports will continue
9. The primary
equity concerns follow:
to be developed by countries,
• People living in countries with limited access to approved
companies, and organisations
the
vaccines would be hard-pressed to get a vaccine passport,
before WHO has finalised this
restricting their ability to travel compared with people from other
work, and before key scientific
countries. (R)
unknowns are resolved. A universal
• People outside a country’s priority groups, those who can’t be
approach to vaccine passports is
vaccinated for health reasons (eg, allergies), and people for
probably a long way off.
whom vaccines aren’t approved (eg, children) would struggle to
under
There is a precedent for a
get vaccine passports. (R)
WHO-led international vaccine
• Introducing vaccine passports may cause countries to skew their
passport system. In the past,
rollout priority groups to preferentially vaccinate people for travel,
vaccine passports for international
diverting doses away from high-risk populations. (R)
travel have existed for cholera,
•
smallpox, and yellow fever.
Low income individuals living in countries that don’t offer
Today, travellers can still be
COVID-19 vaccines for free will likely be disadvantaged, as will
required by the destination
the one billion people without official proof of identity. (R)
country to demonstrate proof of
• Vaccine passports could undermine the rights of people who, for
yellow fever vaccination using a
Released
historical, cultural, personal, or religious reasons, don’t want to
physical document displaying a
get vaccinated, either compelling them to get vaccinated or
stamp and the signature of an
restricting their ability to travel if they don’t. (R)
authorised vaccinator.
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Implications for Aotearoa
10. The first movers on vaccine passports – including from the private
sector – have scope to set precedents and establish the shape of
the vaccine passport landscape, well before key scientific,
technological, privacy, and equity concerns have been resolved and
WHO has formed its guidelines on the matter (see sidebar). As
1982
country positions on vaccine passports crystallise and private sector
solutions continue to be developed and trialled, New Zealand can
expect increasing interest from domestic and international
stakeholders in our position on vaccine and health passports for
Act
outgoing and incoming travel. (R)
This is a New Zealand Government document. Follow protective security
requirements for using, sharing, storing and disposing of it.
For more information, go to protectivesecurity.govt.nz
Information
Official
the
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COVID-19 Vaccines: Managing the Borders
New Zealand distribution
Ministers in Cabinet
Other government agencies
s6(a)
1982
Act
Information
Official
the
under
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