Many countries are introducing "vaccine passports" to restore international access as soon as possible!

Recently, "vaccine passports" have become a buzzword in the international community. As more and more people receive the new vaccination crown, many countries are considering introducing "vaccine passports" in order to restore international access and restart their economies as soon as possible.

It's not really a passport, but a document that records information such as vaccinations for the new crown, to prove the vaccination status of people travelling across the border.

It is understood that many international countries are already actively promoting "vaccine passports", what is the specific process?

EU: Legislation for a vaccine passport

At the beginning of March, European Commission President von der Leyen revealed that a draft legislation for a "vaccine passport" would be introduced this month, making it possible to resume travel for European citizens during an epidemic. It is estimated that the EU will develop a vaccine passport within three months at the latest. The future Vaccine Passport will be mutually recognised at EU level through an internet platform.

Israel: Launch of the "Green Passport"

The Israeli "Vaccine Passport", known as the "Green Passport" when used within Israel and "Green Passport" when used internationally, was officially launched on 21 February this year and is issued exclusively by the Israeli Ministry of Health.

As the number of confirmed cases continues to fall, Israel has announced a further easing of restrictions on the outbreak as of March 7, allowing university students with the pass to return to school in low infection areas, while those without the pass will still be required to attend classes online.

The Israeli government hopes to complete vaccination of all adults by the end of March, so that Israelis can expect to return to normal life from April onwards.

On 8 March, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Anutin said that a resolution to introduce a "vaccine passport" and shorten the quarantine period for entering Thailand would be submitted to the government's New Crown Pneumonia Epidemic Management Centre for consideration and would be implemented once approved by the Cabinet.

Until now, the only vaccine available in Thailand is the Koxin vaccine imported from China, and the Ministry of Health will provide a certificate of vaccination for those who have received the vaccine, also known as a "vaccine passport".

The introduction of a "vaccine passport" is on the agenda of the Group of Seven (G7) countries, Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu said in an interview with Canadian media on March 7.

With more Canadians getting vaccinated and countries considering easing border restrictions, a "vaccine passport" for international travel is a "very real" issue, Hajdu said. Health ministers from G7 countries meet every fortnight, she said. A "vaccine passport" is on the agenda.

On 26 January, Iceland issued the first vaccine passports in the world, and on 4 February, the Danish and Swedish governments announced their intention to introduce vaccine passports, which will be available by June this year at the earliest.

Austria is also an active promoter of the "vaccine passport", with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz saying on 24 February that people need the new "vaccine passport" to return to normal life.

According to Xinhua's correspondent in London, more than 20 million Britons have been vaccinated with the new crown vaccine, accounting for one third of the UK population. According to the British government's unblocked "roadmap", if the epidemic improves, British people will be able to travel abroad from May 17 this year. The British government recently said it would discuss the feasibility of a "vaccine passport" with European Union countries.

South Korea's epidemic prevention department official said on March 2 that the government is discussing whether to launch the new "vaccine passport", including the issuance of "vaccine passports" to its citizens, and whether to exempt foreigners with "vaccine passports" from quarantine when they enter the country.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also revealed in late February that Singapore is in discussions with countries that wish to mutually recognise the New Crown vaccination certificate. For example, Singapore is in discussions with Malaysia on this matter to pave the way for further relaxation of border controls between the two countries.

So, can foreign clients come directly to China through the Vaccine Passport?

At present, the quarantine period for overseas clients coming to China is close to one month, and most of the clients who came in previous years have cancelled their plans because of the strict quarantine policy in China.

On March 7, Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced at the press conference of the Foreign Ministers of the two sessions that a Chinese version of the International Travel Health Certificate would be launched to provide a practical "Chinese solution" to promote the recovery of the world economy and to facilitate the movement of people across borders.

On March 8, the Chinese version of the International Travel Health Certificate WeChat app was launched. It is a comprehensive certificate that shows the holder's nucleic acid and serum IgG antibody test results and vaccination status. The health certificate contains an encrypted QR code that allows the relevant authorities in each country to verify the authenticity of the certificate and read the relevant personal information. As well as being displayed electronically, it can also be printed and produced in paper form.

Example of a paper version of the Chinese version of the International Travel Health Certificate

Q: What is the purpose of this certificate?

In the normalised and post-epidemic era, the mutual recognition of information such as nucleic acid tests and vaccinations on an international scale will facilitate safe and effective cross-border movement of people.

Q: Do foreign clients apply for an International Travel Health Certificate?

Currently the International Travel Health Certificate authentication and enquiry function is only available to holders of Mainland China resident identity cards. Identity verification requires that the WeChat account has completed real-name verification and the ID card number certified must be the same as the ID card number certified by WeChat.

Q: Is it no longer necessary to segregate when entering or leaving China?

From the statements made by experts at the press conference of the foreign ministers of the two sessions, it can be seen that replacing mandatory quarantine with "international travel health certificates" or so-called "vaccine passports" is the ultimate goal of future development. The ultimate goal is to replace compulsory isolation with an "international travel health certificate" or so-called "vaccine passport". It is believed that in the near future, with the improvement of international health data, there will be more convenient land-based testing and isolation measures.

Although the International Travel Health Certificate is currently only available to holders of a mainland Chinese resident identity card, there has been good news recently regarding foreign nationals applying for visas to China.

In an effort to orderly resume travel between China and foreign countries, several Chinese embassies abroad have announced that they will simplify the process of obtaining Chinese visas for foreign nationals who have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus produced in China.

The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong was the first to announce on 12 March that, from 15 March, it will facilitate visa applications for multiple categories of visa applicants who have received the new Chinese produced coronavirus vaccine and are in possession of documentary proof of vaccination.

In addition to Hong Kong, the Chinese embassies in the United States, Pakistan, the Philippines, Israel, Thailand, Russia, India and Japan have also issued this announcement after March 15.

First, those who come to China to engage in activities necessary for resumption of work and production in various fields (such as work, trade and commerce, visits, etc.) and their family members may prepare visa application documents in accordance with the pre-epidemic requirements.

Secondly, the scope of visa applications for persons coming to China for "urgent humanitarian needs" will be suitably expanded.

The scope of application includes foreign family members of Chinese citizens or permanent residents, including spouses, parents, children and other close relatives living together (including brothers and sisters, grandparents, grandchildren and grandchildren).

The reasons for visiting China include: family reunion, maintenance, visiting relatives, visiting China for funeral or visiting critically ill relatives.

3. Holders of a valid APEC Business Travel Card may apply for a business visa with a valid APEC Business Travel Card and an invitation letter issued by a Chinese domestic invitation unit. After being issued with a visa, they must enter the country with a valid passport and visa.

China suspended the entry of foreigners into the country from 28 March last year to prevent the introduction of the Newcastle Pneumonia outbreak from outside the country. After the local outbreak was brought under control, China's National Immigration Administration allowed foreigners with valid Chinese work, private affairs and reunion residence permits to enter the country from 28 September last year.

This time, China's "Vaccine Passport" has not only expanded the number of people allowed to enter the country, but also simplified the entry requirements. The Chinese authorities abroad emphasised that this visa facilitation policy only applies to visa applicants who have been vaccinated with the Chinese Newcastle Pneumonia vaccine and have proof of vaccination, and are no longer required to provide a negative nucleic acid test and a Travel Track and Health Declaration Form for the past 14 days when submitting their applications

Although many countries are now actively promoting vaccine passports, it will take a long time to achieve global 'mutual recognition' of vaccine passports.

Israel has reportedly reached agreements with Greece, Cyprus and Seychelles to allow vaccine passport holders to travel internationally without quarantine.

Israel and the UAE are also set to start mutual recognition of the vaccine passports in April. On 8 March, Israel's ambassador to China, Erik Pan, said that "we would be happy to be the first country to achieve mutual recognition of vaccination with China".

According to industry insiders, it is most likely that inter-country and inter-regional mutual recognition of vaccine passports will take place first, for example, between Europe and the US, and between the US and some Asian countries that receive US vaccines.

This global mutual recognition will take a long time, not only because of the standards, but also because the global epidemic is at different stages. For example, countries in the northern hemisphere are now improving, but as the southern hemisphere enters winter, the epidemic may worsen in some countries. In this case, it would be very difficult to promote 'mutual recognition' between the northern and southern hemispheres.