IDEMIA launches Health Travel Pass, which seeks to help governments boost border-crossing traveler traffic

• IDEMIA launches Health Travel Pass, a secure solution so that health certificates can be distributed to various international parties involved, while preserving travelers’ health data security and privacy.
• This solution is based on ICAO¹ standards for travel-related public health evidence – ‘Visible Digital Seals’ (VDS-NC)².
• Health certification is key to restoring trust for both governments and travelers and reducing public health risks when traveling.
• IDEMIA’s Health Travel Pass is being tested in the Netherlands.

Fake health certificates have become a big issue since Covid began, even more so since vaccination programs started. IDEMIA’s solution enables governments to curb the risk of incoming travelers spreading Covid, which in turn helps global business recover, especially airlines that were hit really hard, air traffic slumping 66 per cent in 2020³.

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, is launching Health Travel Pass, a trusted worldwide interoperable solution, which can be rapidly rolled out and adapted to each country’s needs, while complying with international health certificate standards, including PCR test results, immunity tests and vaccination certificates. As the Pass is linked to a traveler’s identity, it cannot be transferred to anyone else and cannot be copied without appropriate authority. The Pass can also be incorporated into the Digital Travel Credential scheme tested by some countries in conjunction with the ICAO².

Passengers securely receive their health certificate stamped with the ICAO’s Visible Digital Seal, guaranteeing worldwide interoperability with secure encoding using data encryption. The Pass ensures all travelers are covered and is available in various forms from a downloadable Government-issued health app, a PDF document sent by email or a sticker to put on their passport’s visa pages.

Before check-in, border control or boarding, a biometric match is triggered between the passenger’s face and their passport photo, and the health certificate is verified. This quick process for both travelers and security staff guarantees convenience and cuts airport congestion when international air travel returns to normal.
In keeping with data privacy by design, IDEMIA’s Health Travel Pass complies with data privacy regulations. As such, passengers keep total control over their own health data.

We are all very proud at IDEMIA to offer people a safe way to travel around again, with a solution which is secure, user-friendly, reliable, and totally GDPR compliant. Our Health Travel Pass is a significant step forward in the resumption of international travel.
Philippe Barreau, IDEMIA’s Executive Vice President in charge of Public Security & Identity

¹ International Civil Aviation Organization
² Guidelines – VDS for Travel-Related Public Health Proofs.pdf (icao.int)
³ 20 Min, Coronavirus: world air traffic slumped 66% in 2020 – an unprecedented plunge, Feb 3, 2021