Traveling overseas in 2021? You might need a vaccine passport

Looks like 2021 is going to introduce a whole new set of travel rules. For international travel, besides your regular passport, you will need to fulfill one additional documentation: A vaccine passport application.

To enable this, several app developers have begun creating smartphone apps for travelers to upload details of their Covid-19 tests and vaccinations.

These digital credentials will serve as an entry pass to get into concert venues, stadiums, movie theaters, offices, and even countries.

A Geneva-based non-profit, The Common Trust Network, has partnered with several airlines including Cathay Pacific, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic, as well as hundreds of health systems across the United States, to create a universal pass.

The app which goes by the name CommonPass allows travelers to upload medical data such as a Covid-19 test result or, eventually, a proof of vaccination by a hospital or medical professional, generating a health certificate or pass in the form of a QR code that can be shown to authorities without revealing sensitive information.

It is only a matter of time before this gets implemented in other countries, including India.