GENEVA, 24 August 2021: The European Union’s Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) and the UK’s NHS COVID Pass can now be uploaded into IATA Travel Pass as verified proof of vaccination.
International Air Transport Association confirmed last week that the EU DCC or UK NHS COVID Pass holders can now access Covid-19 travel information for their journey, create an electronic version of their passport and import their vaccination certificate in one place.
“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 travellers, authenticity for governments and efficiency for airlines,” said IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations Safety and Security Nick Careen.
IATA welcomes the work done by the EU Commission in developing, in record time, the EU DCC system and thereby standardizing digital vaccine certificates across Europe. However, IATA urges 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 traveller’s digital vaccination certificate. The industry is working around this by developing solutions that can identify and verify certificates from individual countries. But this is a slow process that is hampering the restart of international travel.
“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,” said Careen.
