Vaccine Passport: What Is It and Can I Have One Please? (Hint: No)

Hey! I’ve been seeing more and more articles about something called a Vaccine Passport, or a Health Passport, or an International Travel Health Certificate? Pretty sure I’ve seen it called all of those things. Or maybe they’re different things?

Hi there! Yes! You’re right, you have been seeing a lot of articles about this. And no, they’re not different things. The names are in fact used interchangeably.

Cool! So I didn’t imagine that. Well, what is it?

The title pretty much says it all. It’s a hardcopy and digital record of one’s vaccination – as well as their nucleic acid and antibody tests – meant to facilitate international travel much like a regular passport.

Wow! So a bunch of countries are working on this together or…?

Yes and no. While many countries have certainly expressed interest in cooperating with one another to make this thing a reality, Israel is currently the only country to have publicly stated its plans to work with China, specifically. In fact, according to Irit Ben-Abba Vitale, Israel’s new ambassador to China, travel between the two countries could happen within the next few weeks. Meanwhile, countries like Thailand are seemingly a bit more hesitant. Moreover, each country will definitely be playing by its own rules. All of which is to say, they're cooperating on the idea, but not necessarily the execution.

Nice. Either way, I’m super stoked for all the Israelis who want to visit China and vice versa, but what about the rest of the world? There are like, a whole bunch more countries out there.

You’re right. There are a lot of countries in the world. Unfortunately, as with most things COVID-19, folks are largely putting the cart before the horse, as it were, and getting excited about something that hasn’t quite materialized yet.

Simply put, no. No other countries have made as public a declaration as Israel. However, if you’d like to follow along with all the updates regarding the “International Edition” of the health code, you can scan the mini-program code below.

Sweet! Thanks for sharing that! Can I use it?

If you're a foreigner then, sorry, but no. The app requires a Chinese ID to log in.

For clarity on the matter, we called 12345 to ascertain whether foreigners will ever be able to log into this particular app, and according to their advice, the answer seems to be no – foreign passport holders will likely have to register through their own country's system if and when their country joins in on the cooperation scheme.

Now, that raises the question, will you be able to register for a foreign Vaccine Passport if you get vaccinated in China? Unfortunately, there's no answer for this one yet. It's a bridge to cross when we come to it, but we will do our best to keep you updated as details emerge.

Oh. Then why should I care about this app at all?

It's where the latest country-by-country updates will be shared, i.e. when different countries start agreeing on Vaccine Passport terms. We should mention, however, that the interface is currently in Chinese only. 

Having said that, domestic travellers should keep in mind that there is a feature in the Beijing Health Kit app that shows if you've received a nucleic acid test or a vaccine. While this won't act as a Vaccine Passport for international travel, it will definitely come in handy when traipsing about China.

Oh, okay.. no problem. Anyway, back to the Vaccine Passport. So basically, in theory at some point, I'll just get the vaccine, upload my info, and start living my #wanderlustlife again? Free from quarantine and masks and all the rest?

Woah, slow down there eager beaver! No, it’s not that simple.

What? I’ll still have to quarantine and wear a mask and all the rest?

Bingo, buddy. For one, quarantines will obviously be at the discretion of each country. And here in China, any passenger entering the country will still be subjected to a 14-day centralized quarantine. Also, much to everyone’s chagrin, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Zhang Boli recently said that he doesn’t foresee anyone in China living a completely mask-free life until the spring of 2022.

But, technically, we haven’t even reached spring 2021.

I know, right?

Ouch.

Ouch, indeed. So is there anything else you want to know?

Yeah... I really don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade or anything, but, isn't having that amount of personal information plugged into a database that’s held on numerous international networks operating on different principles a bit, well, risky?

Oh hell yeah it is! And lots of people are already raising concerns over privacy, discrimination, disenfranchisement, and a whole host of other civil liberties issues. On top of that, while it may boggle our fragile middle-class fancy minds, not everyone has a smartphone. So how do you square that? Plus every country will most likely have different requirements for what should and should not be included, based on their own culture of digital privacy. Honestly, the whole thing is definitely still a mess and we can only hope that they get it worked out. Needless to say, that’s a much larger discussion for another time.

Just to be clear though, the Vaccine Passport has in fact been rolled out for Chinese citizens, right?

Correct, it was launched on Monday, Mar 8.

But they still can’t necessarily travel anywhere? Save for Israel, in a couple of weeks, maybe.

Also correct.

Goodness, gracious. Okay then. Thanks for having this talk with me. Much appreciated.

My pleasure! And while there isn’t anything earth-shattering in this news, it is – according to a common refrain throughout this ordeal – a step in the right direction. So it’s not all doom and gloom!

READ: Updated Walkthrough: Booking a COVID-19 Test at Chaoyang Hospital

Images: CGTN, China Daily, Drew Pittock